ANKARA, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- The number of COVID-19 patients is in a risky climb in Turkey, the Turkish health minister said on Friday, warning that Anatolia region sees the second peak of the coronavirus cases.

"We face a risky climbing," Health Minister Fahrettin Koca told reporters at a press conference in the northwestern city of Bursa. "The outbreak reached its second peak in Anatolia before winter," he stated.

"Since the second week of October, we are in a more serious test than the previous ones through the pandemic," he said and added, "in the past few days, the risk has increased."

Turkey confirmed 2,165 new COVID-19 patients on Friday, raising the total diagnosed patients to 357,693.

Meanwhile, 74 people died in the past 24 hours, taking the death toll to 9,658, the Turkish Health Ministry announced.

Turkish health professionals conducted 115,979 tests in the past 24 hours, bringing the overall number of tests to 12,992,246.

In addition, 1,493 patients recovered in the last 24 hours, raising the total recoveries to 311,520 in Turkey since the outbreak.

The rate of pneumonia in COVID-19 patients is 5.6 percent and the number of seriously ill patients is 1,648.

Turkey reported the first COVID-19 case on March 11.

Turkey and China have supported each other in the fight against COVID-19. Chinese doctors and medical experts held video conferences with Turkish counterparts to share China's experience in treating coronavirus patients, protecting medical workers, and controlling the spread of the virus. Enditem

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