Debate erupts over presence of coronavirus in Turkey

Duvar English

A debate has erupted over the presence of coronavirus in Turkey after a former lawmaker claimed that a Chinese child was diagnosed with the deadly virus in Istanbul.

Former main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) lawmaker Barış Yarkadaş tweeted on Jan. 31 that a 6-year-old Chinese child was hospitalized in Istanbul's Bakırköy district.

The child was sent home after receiving medication, but was then taken to Istanbul University Faculty of Medicine when his complaints continued, Yarkadaş said.

The child was reportedly diagnosed with coronavirus in the hospital's child emergency room, before being isolated. The former lawmaker said that the personnel in the area were quarantined.

"The families of the children receiving treatment for other diseases in the same unit are anxious. They told me that there isn't a full quarantine in place in the area that the Chinese child is being treated," Yarkadaş said, adding that the personnel was only wearing masks instead of full protective clothes.

"I hope the Health Ministry implements the necessary precautions," he also said, while sharing a picture showing the diagnosis on a hospital computer with the label "Final Diagnosis."

6- Hasta haklarına saygıdan dolayı Çinli çocukla ilgili fazla bilgi vermek istemedim. Ancak yandaş medya ve Sağlık Bakanlığı beni yalanlamaya çalışınca belgeyi yayınlamak şart oldu. İŞTE BELGE: Bakın bakalım Y. M. adlı 6 yaşındaki kız çocuğu için Dr. hangi teşhisi koymuş! pic.twitter.com/WA98XhM6J9

— Barış Yarkadaş (@barisyarkadas) January 31, 2020

Yarkadaş's claims were refuted by Health Minister Fahrettin Koca, who said that there are no cases of coronavirus in Turkey so far and the Chinese child was diagnosed with influenza B.

"The child was taken under surveillance as a precaution because he came from China's Shanghai," Koca said in a written statement on Jan. 31, adding that he felt it necessary to release a statement following the "misinformation that spread on social media" about the Chinese child.

Koca also slammed the picture shared by Yarkadaş.

"It's clear that a panic is being tried to be created intentionally with the picture. I would like to remind our citizens once again to follow the official statements that will be released by our ministry and not take other information into account," he also said.

No known cases of coronavirus in Turkey

According to the minister, the "Final Diagnosis" label on the computer screen stemmed from a doctor's mistake.

"A doctor accidentally pressed the 'Final Diagnosis' button instead of the 'Pre-diagnosis' one," Yarkadaş cited Koca as telling him on the phone.

"The document you have is true, but the diagnosis part was marked accidentally. We have launched an investigation into the doctor over 'wrong operation,'" the minister also reportedly told the former deputy.

Earlier, Koca gave information on the authorities' efforts against the coronavirus following a meeting of the Science Commission within the ministry.

No cases of coronavirus have been found so far in Turkey, Koca said, adding that 11,000 passengers have been scanned so far.

Using thermal cameras, Turkey scans all passengers arriving from China.

Also on Jan. 31, a Turkish cargo plane took off from the capital Ankara to evacuate Turkish citizens from the Chinese city of Wuhan, the heart of the coronavirus outbreak.

WHO admits error in assessing coronavirus risk

The plane departed at around 12 p.m. local time to airlift the citizens of Turkey and other nearby countries from Wuhan.

The Turkish plane, at the initiative of the Health Ministry, will evacuate 34 Turkish citizens as well as seven nationals of Georgia, seven Azerbaijanis and one Albanian.

The plane also carries healthcare personnel experienced in infectious diseases.

The stranded people in Wuhan will be brought to Turkey following careful health exams under quarantine conditions.

Since its outbreak late last year, China has put Wuhan under lockdown in a bid to contain the virus and is building a 1,000-bed hospital in the city to treat those affected by the outbreak.

Beyond China, the virus has spread to several other countries such as Japan, South Korea, Thailand, the U.S., Singapore, France, Vietnam, Russia and Canada.

Travelers from China are being screened for the virus at airports worldwide. Several airlines have suspended flights to Wuhan.

The World Health Organization called an emergency meeting Jan. 30 and declared the outbreak an international emergency.

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