Turkey's daily COVID-19 cases near 20,000 amid concerns of fourth wave

Turkey's daily COVID-19 cases on July 27 reached the highest figure since early May, jumping to 19,761, amid concerns that the pandemic started to spiral out of control. Health Minister Fahrettin Koca urged the public to get vaccinated as soon as possible.

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Turkey's daily COVID-19 cases jumped to 19,761 on July 27, the highest since early May, from 16,809 a day earlier, according to Health Ministry data that also showed a daily death toll of 51 people.

Health Minister Fahrettin Koca warned against the "disturbing level of case numbers," urging the public to get vaccinated as soon as possible. 

COVID-19 infections surged in recent weeks from a low of 4,418 on July 4 after all restrictions were lifted. 

Experts have been warning against a fourth wave with the end of the Eid al-Adha holiday, as images of crowded resort towns and large family gatherings during the one-week public holiday raised serious concern. 

Koca said last week that 23 million people have not yet received any of the jabs, while 17 million people have not yet received their second shots. 

He also said that nine million people who are eligible to receive their thirds shots have not yet applied to a health institution.