Turkish President Inspects Hospitals In Istanbul

Turkey's president on Saturday visited hospitals being built in Istanbul to help curb the spread of the novel coronavirus in the city.

Arriving at the construction site via helicopter from his current residence at the Huber Mansion, Recep Tayyip Erdogan inspected the construction efforts of one of the hospitals -- one in the Sancaktepe district and the other Ataturk Airport -- from the air.

Erdogan was also briefed on the Basaksehir Ikitelli City Hospital which recently began operations.

Efforts to build the medical facilities continue as the city remains under curfew as part of the fight against the novel coronavirus.

Turkish authorities said the hospitals would enter service in 45 days, while new health facilities are also planned amid the global pandemic.

While Turkey is taking strict measures against the virus, investments in health care such as city hospitals and medical equipment enable the country to deal with the outbreak more effectively.

So far, Turkey has reported 1,890 deaths related to the coronavirus, as a total of 10,453 people have recovered.

After originating in China last December, COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, has spread to at least 185 countries and regions across the world. Europe and the U.S. are currently the worst-hit regions.

The pandemic has killed over 158,200 people, with total infections exceeding 2.29 million, while more than 586,200 have recovered from the disease, according to figures compiled by the U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University.

*Writing by Burak Dag -