Introduction
The coronavirus epidemic that started in China has rapidly spread to all countries of the world and caused a significant number of deaths. The situation was first reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) China office on December 31, 2019 as an outbreak of pneumonia of unknown cause in the city of Wuhan (population ~11 million) in the Hubei province.1,2,3,4 The disease was believed to have originated in a seafood market, which was closed for disinfection on January 1, 2020. Of 44 cases reported on January 3, 2020, 11 patients had severe disease while 33 patients were stable.2,3 On January 7, 2020, it was determined that the epidemic was caused by a novel coronavirus (nCoV). Thailand reported its first case on January 13 and Japan on January 15, while on January 20 the first case was reported in Korea and 6 were reported dead in the city of Wuhan. Later, it appeared in countries such as the United States, Vietnam, Singapore, and Australia, and spread to the European nations, starting with France on January 25, 2020. The WHO reported that the first cases in Wuhan had been infected via animals, after which the virus was transmitted from person to person and detected in clusters among families.3 On January 30, 2020, the epidemic was recognized as a public health emergency of international concern, and on February 11, 2020, the WHO named the novel coronavirus disease COVID-19. The International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses named the new virus SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) and the WHO declared the coronavirus epidemic a pandemic on March 12.4 On April 2, the WHO website reported 896,450 infected individuals worldwide, 206 affected countries, and 45,526 deaths globally.5
In Turkey, a Coronavirus Scientific Committee including academicians working in university departments such as infectious diseases, intensive care, pulmonology, emergency medicine, and public health was formed under the Ministry of Health on January 10, shortly after WHO announced the epidemic.6 Thermal cameras were installed in Turkish airports and additional scanning was implemented, especially for passengers arriving from China. As the epidemic spread to other countries, screening was expanded to include passengers from countries with reported cases, and any individuals showing signs of coronavirus infection were quarantined. In February, flights to all countries with growing outbreaks were suspended. In the first week of March, hand disinfectant stations were placed in mass transit and public areas in some provinces. The first case of COVID-19 in Turkey was announced by the Ministry of Health on March 10, 2020. Schools were closed on March 13 and some other precautions were implemented, such as not allowing spectators at sporting events and requiring special permission for government personnel to leave the country. The first COVID-related death in Turkey occurred on March 15, 2020. As of March 19, all sports, scientific, cultural, and artistic activities have been postponed. Lockdown measures were later introduced, first for individuals over the age of 65, then for those under the age of 20. On April 1, it was reported that 601 healthcare workers were infected and 1 physician had died.6 As of April 2, there were 18,135 infected individuals and 356 deaths in Turkey.
