ISTANBUL: Prof. Dr. Cemil Taşcıoğlu, a famous Turkish doctor died after being infected with the novel coronavirus, the health minister announced on Wednesday, without disguising his grief over the worsening situation.
His son Onur Taşıcıoğlu announced on Twitter that one of the doctors involved in the fight against the pandemic died Wednesday after having contracted COVID-19.
Who is Cemi Tascioglu
A professor of Internal Medicine at Istanbul University, Dr. Cemil Tascioglu gave lectures to Istanbul Medical Faculty graduates and also has many articles published in various magazines.
It is known that Cemil Taşçıoğlu has books titled “Internal Diseases Case Compilations”, “Clinician’s Internal Diseases Guide – Practical Life”.
Professor Dr. tested positive for the virus and was undergoing treatment since March 16.
That was the first known death of a doctor in Turkey from coronavirus.
Condolences
Following the news of the death, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan extended his condolences to his family in a tweet.
Dean, Istanbul University Faculty of Medicine. Dr. Tükek said, that everyone from his assistant to his student loves him. “Unfortunately, the 15-day intensive care struggle ended because of the coronavirus he had caught from a patient.”
Worsening COVID-19 crisis
Professor Dr and more than 600 healthcare workers have contracted the novel coronavirus infection
“The number of our doctor friends, nurses or other healthcare personnel affected by the novel coronavirus is high. This figure, which I reluctantly announce, is 601,” Minister Fahrettin Koca told a news conference, with a voice on the verge of crying.
Koca said 2,148 people had tested positive for coronavirus and 63 had died in the past 24 hours, a sharp increase pushing the death toll to 277.
Turkey has thus far recorded a total of 15,679 cases, he added.
The health minister for the first time provided the breakdown of the cases by region.
More than half of the total cases were recorded in Turkey’s largest city of Istanbul, where 117 deaths and 8,852 cases were registered.
It was followed by the major western city of Izmir and the capital Ankara.
Turkey has taken a series of measures to try to limit the spread of the coronavirus from closing schools, quarantining around 50 towns and areas and imposing curfew for elderly people aged over 65.