Turkey will start releasing the number of its asymptomatic coronavirus cases from Oct. 15, according to Health Minister Fahrettin Koca.
“Hereafter, we will share cross-sectional screenings even if there is no symptom,” Koca was quoted as saying in an interview with daily newspaper Hurriyet on Sunday. “We will report these to the World Health Organization.”
Turkey stopped announcing all of its coronavirus cases at the end of July and has since only disclosed the number of patients who test positive and showed symptoms. Koca acknowledged that shift in policy last month, triggering criticism from opposition parties.
Official data as of Oct. 10 showed 334,031 people in Turkey have been identified as coronavirus patients since the outbreak began, with 8,778 deaths.
