Turkey confirmed 1,491 new COVID-19 cases Thursday, bringing the total number of cases to 263,998.

Meanwhile, the total number of recoveries reached 240,792, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca announced on Twitter.

Citing Health Ministry data, Koca said some 995 patients recovered from COVID-19 over the past day. Meanwhile, the death toll in the country reached 6,209, as 26 more people lost their lives.

Healthcare professionals conducted 106,111 more tests over the last 24 hours, pushing the tally to 6.72 million.

Of those infected, 7.3% suffer from pneumonia.

Koca said the number of patients in critical condition increased to 862.

Since it originated in China last December, the coronavirus has claimed over 827,100 lives in 188 countries and regions. The U.S., Brazil, India and Russia are currently the worst-hit countries.

More than 24.23 million COVID-19 cases have been reported worldwide, with recoveries nearing 15.84 million, according to figures compiled by the U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University.