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Turkey's Coronavirus Infections Amount to 1% of Working Age Population, Data Shows

Tourists enjoy a sunny day during a two-day curfew amid the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Istanbul, Turkey, January 31, 2021. (Reuters)
Tourists enjoy a sunny day during a two-day curfew amid the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Istanbul, Turkey, January 31, 2021. (Reuters)
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Turkey's Coronavirus Infections Amount to 1% of Working Age Population, Data Shows

Tourists enjoy a sunny day during a two-day curfew amid the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Istanbul, Turkey, January 31, 2021. (Reuters)
Tourists enjoy a sunny day during a two-day curfew amid the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Istanbul, Turkey, January 31, 2021. (Reuters)

In Turkey, second only to India in new coronavirus cases, a recent surge has brought active infections to a peak equivalent to nearly 1% of working age people, a calculation based on health ministry data showed on Tuesday.

Deaths from COVID-19 hit a record 341 on Monday despite more than 20 million vaccines having been administered.

About 551,000 Turks have active COVID-19 cases, compared to a working age population of some 57 million, based on a Reuters calculation of official deaths, recoveries and total cases.

The country, with a population of 84 million, ranks fourth globally in new virus cases on a seven-day average, according to Reuters data. In the last two days, only far larger India has topped Turkey's number of cases.

Istanbul and other parts of the densely populated northwest have emerged as hot spots, and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan last week reversed course to tighten social restrictions for the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan. health minister said on Monday health workers are feeling the burden in Istanbul and provinces Canakkale and Tekirdag, where intensive care units are more than two-thirds full.

Up to 300 people waited outside Ankara City Hospital late into the evening on Monday after people aged 55 years and older became eligible for a shot.

"When I saw the line I thought everyone in Ankara is older than 55," said Ayse Filiz Balkanli, 56, a retired banker who waited more than an hour.

"We were very worried at first, thinking we may catch the virus, but when we saw the line was moving fast we were relieved."

Hikmet Dogan, a hotel worker who received his first shot in Istanbul this month, said of the rising numbers: "People are very frustrated. They want to go out and shop."

New cases hit a peak of more than 63,000 last Friday, and have multiplied five-fold since early March when Erdogan loosened social curbs in what he called a period of "controlled normalization".

The US-based Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation estimates Turkey's hospitalization rate will peak next week, and its daily death rate around May 5.

The vaccine program began in mid-January and has delivered some 20.3 million doses, including nearly 8 million people having received two shots, government data shows.

It has relied on Sinovac's CoronaVac shot but this month added jabs by Pfizer and BioNTech.

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Erdogan Warns Black Sea Should Not Be 'Area of Confrontation' after Strikes

Turkish President Recep Erdogan addresses the media after the conclusion on the G20 Summit held at the Nasrec Expo Center in Johannesburg, South Africa, 23 November 2025. EPA/HALDEN KROG
Turkish President Recep Erdogan addresses the media after the conclusion on the G20 Summit held at the Nasrec Expo Center in Johannesburg, South Africa, 23 November 2025. EPA/HALDEN KROG
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Erdogan Warns Black Sea Should Not Be 'Area of Confrontation' after Strikes

Turkish President Recep Erdogan addresses the media after the conclusion on the G20 Summit held at the Nasrec Expo Center in Johannesburg, South Africa, 23 November 2025. EPA/HALDEN KROG
Turkish President Recep Erdogan addresses the media after the conclusion on the G20 Summit held at the Nasrec Expo Center in Johannesburg, South Africa, 23 November 2025. EPA/HALDEN KROG

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday warned that the Black Sea should not turn into an "area of confrontation" between Russia and Ukraine, after several strikes in recent weeks.

"The Black Sea should not be seen as an area of confrontation. This would not benefit Russia or Ukraine. Everyone needs safe navigation in the Black Sea," he was quoted as telling reporters aboard his plane, according to the official Anadolu news agency.

World

Indonesia Flood Death Toll Passes 1,000

The deadly torrential rains are one of the worst recent disasters to strike Sumatra. (AFP)
The deadly torrential rains are one of the worst recent disasters to strike Sumatra. (AFP)
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Indonesia Flood Death Toll Passes 1,000

The deadly torrential rains are one of the worst recent disasters to strike Sumatra. (AFP)
The deadly torrential rains are one of the worst recent disasters to strike Sumatra. (AFP)

Devastating floods and landslides have killed 1,003 people in Indonesia, rescuers said Saturday as the Southeast Asian nation grapples with relief efforts.

The disaster, which has hit the northwestern island of Sumatra over the past fortnight, has also injured more than 5,400, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency said in its latest toll.

The deadly torrential rains are one of the worst recent disasters to strike Sumatra, where a tsunami wreaked havoc in 2004 in Aceh province, which lies at the northern tip of the island.

The final toll is expected to rise, with the disaster agency reporting 218 people are still missing.

With vast tracts of territory hit, 1.2 million residents have been forced to take refuge in temporary shelters.

Frustration has grown among flood victims, who have complained about the pace of relief efforts.

President Prabowo Subianto said Saturday the situation has improved, with several areas which had been cut off now accessible.

"Here and there, due to natural and physical conditions, there have been slight delays, but I checked all the evacuation sites: their conditions are good, services for them are adequate, and food supplies are sufficient," Prabowo said after visiting Langkat in North Sumatra province.

Costs to rebuild after the disaster could reach 51.82 trillion rupiah ($3.1 billion) and the Indonesian government has so far shrugged off suggestions that it call for international assistance.

World

Moscow, Tehran ‘Working Closely’ on Nuclear Program

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of the Peace Summit in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, on Friday (Tasnim). 
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of the Peace Summit in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, on Friday (Tasnim). 
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Moscow, Tehran ‘Working Closely’ on Nuclear Program

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of the Peace Summit in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, on Friday (Tasnim). 
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of the Peace Summit in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, on Friday (Tasnim). 

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that relations between Moscow and Tehran are “developing very positively,” stressing that the two countries are working in close coordination at the United Nations on Iran’s nuclear program.

He made the remarks during talks with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of the International Peace and Trust Summit in Ashgabat.

According to Russian media, Putin said Russia is cooperating with Iran at the Bushehr nuclear power plant and on major infrastructure projects, including the North–South Transport Corridor.

He added that the two sides are also exploring cooperation in the gas and electricity sectors.

Pezeshkian, quoted by Iranian and Russian media, reaffirmed Tehran’s commitment to implementing the comprehensive strategic partnership agreement with Moscow.

He said Iran is “determined to activate the agreement” and expects Russia to accelerate implementation of joint understandings, particularly in energy, transport and strategic transit corridors.

The Iranian president said Iran would complete its share of the groundwork for the North–South Corridor by the end of the year, noting growing economic and trade cooperation between the two countries.

He also called for strengthening multilateral partnerships within frameworks such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and BRICS to counter what he described as “unilateralism.”

Russia and Iran aim to expand economic ties through projects such as the International North–South Transport Corridor, a multimodal route linking northern and southern Asia via sea, rail and road networks.

The corridor is intended to speed up cargo transport between Russia and India through Iran and other countries while reducing costs compared with traditional routes. The project is seen as part of Moscow’s efforts to deepen trade links with Central Asia and Europe and to lessen reliance on longer maritime routes.

Putin said bilateral trade between Russia and Iran increased by 13 percent last year and by 8 percent in the first nine months of the current year, underscoring continued cooperation in energy and infrastructure. He added that coordination between Moscow and Tehran on international issues remains “close and ongoing.”

On the sidelines of the summit, Pezeshkian also met Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, with both sides agreeing on the need to accelerate implementation of bilateral agreements and enhance cooperation in transport, transit, energy and border infrastructure, according to Iran’s Mehr News Agency.