Turkey registered 1,642 new COVID-19 cases Thursday, bringing the total number of cases to 274,943.

Meanwhile, the total number of recoveries reached 248,087, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca announced on Twitter.

Citing Health Ministry data, Koca said some 1,211 patients recovered from COVID-19 over the past day. Meanwhile, the death toll in the country reached 6,511, as 49 more people lost their lives.

Health care professionals conducted 110,225 more tests over the last 24 hours, pushing the tally to 7.4 million, Koca said. Of those infected, 7.6% suffer from pneumonia. The number of patients in critical condition increased to 1,041.

Since first appearing in China last December, the novel coronavirus has spread to at least 188 countries and regions. The United States, Brazil, India and Russia are currently the countries hardest hit by the pandemic.