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Omicron triggers a rise in the number of cases in big Turkish cities

Omicron triggers a rise in the number of cases in big Turkish cities

COVID-19 cases have risen in Turkey’s large cities, according to weekly figures released on Monday, however daily numbers have progressively fallen, and a new poll revealed people are less concerned about the pandemic since cases have become less severe.

Omicron, which spreads faster than previous strains, has resulted in a significant increase in the number of cases, as seen by the most recent numbers for seven-day incidence per 100,000 people.
Istanbul, the capital of Ankara and the third-largest city Izmir reported a rise in the cases between Jan. 29 and Feb. 4.
On the other hand, a new poll shows the pandemic no longer dominates the public agenda, with people not as worried about omicron as they were about the pandemic in the past.
Their belief is cemented in authorities’ reassurances that omicron, though deadly for people in high-risk groups, does not cause more hospitalizations.

The Health Ministry shared the latest weekly figures on 81 provinces on Monday, revealing the average number of cases per 100,000 people stood at around 894 in Istanbul, the country’s most crowded city. This figure was about 1,279 for Ankara and 1,229 for Izmir. Izmir, in particular, has the highest rise among the three, from 961 in the week preceding Jan. 29. For Ankara, the number is about 200 cases higher than the previous period, while Istanbul reported a rise of only five cases compared to the same period.

The top 10 provinces with sharpest rise are Samsun, Tokat, Ordu, Uşak, Artvin, Giresun, Karabük, Amasya, Çorum and Adana. Most are located in the Black Sea region, which has been a pandemic hot spot since last year.

Yet, the northwestern province of Kırklareli clings to the unenviable top spot as the province with the highest weekly number of cases per 100,000 since last month. Kırklareli has the highest incidence rate, at 1,489 per 100,000, compared to 1,214 in the preceding week. Kırklareli is ahead of Giresun and Rize, two Black Sea provinces that reported around 1,350 cases per 100,000. Van in the east had the lowest number of cases, at around 105, ahead of Antalya with 136 cases.

On the other hand, Turkey has seen a gradual decline in the number of daily cases, which exceeded 100,000 recently, the highest since the onset of the pandemic, in the past few weeks. On Sunday, 73,787 people tested positive, while 276 people died of the coronavirus. Fatalities are higher than usual, but most are senior citizens and people with chronic illnesses, according to experts.

Authorities have repeatedly called on the public to get their missing shots as the vaccination campaign remains the only option for protection against infections after Turkey lifted most of the pandemic-related restrictions. Since the vaccination program was launched in January 2021, Turkey has administered more than 144 million doses, while more than 52 million people had their two doses of vaccines. Another 26.1 million people have now had their third shots.