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Details sparse as first coronavirus case reported in Turkey

Health officials announced Turkey's first confirmed coronavirus case late Tuesday but shared no details, leading disease specialists to urge more screening and greater transparency.
A worker in a protective suit disinfects a bus due to coronavirus concerns in Istanbul, Turkey March 11, 2020. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RC2SHF9JD2JM

ISTANBUL — Turkish health officials announced the first recorded case of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Turkey during a late night press briefing Tuesday. Speaking in Ankara, Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said a male patient tested positive for the virus after traveling to Europe and that people with whom he came in contact had been placed in quarantine.

“The coronavirus is not stronger than the measures we will take,” Koca said in effort to reassure the public. “A quarantined patient cannot threaten society.”

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