Turkey hits record Omicron cases level

The highly contagious omicron variant in Turkey is leaving thousands of people in limbo, as the daily number of cases, in the meantime, remains above 70,000.

Turkey has recorded 74,266 new COVID-19 cases in the space of 24 hours, its highest daily figure of the pandemic, health ministry data showed on Tuesday, prompting the health minister to warn of the danger represented by the Omicron variant.

There were 137 deaths related to coronavirus in the same period, the data showed. In late December, daily cases stood at around 20,000.

“As cases due to the Omicron variant become dominant, Omicron will be a source of danger for those in risk groups and it may lead to death among the elderly and the chronically ill,” Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Twitter.

Touching upon the spike in the COVID-19 cases and deaths, Turkish opposition have criticized the government on its fight against the deadly virus, noting that the government did not show the necessary seriousness and sense of responsibility.

Although most infections are less serious than those caused by other variants, unvaccinated people are still highly vulnerable. All of the beds in the Intensive Care Units are occupied by patients who are severely ill with COVID-19, with 70% of them unvaccinated.

Inflation has jumped to a 19-year high of 36%, seriously eroding earnings, especially of working and lower middle class Turks while the lira is still 46% weaker than a year ago.

The economy is Turkey’s biggest problem. More than half of the population said the government’s recent measures would not improve the economy.