Turkish doctors turn detectives to track COVID-19

A health officer checks the temperature of an Istanbul resident. Nearly 6,000 teams of"tracers" track potential cases of the novel coronavirus 24 hours a day. ISTANBUL: In full protective gear, two doctors climb the stairs four at a time. Their first task of the day: To test a woman who has had contact with a COVID-19 patient in Istanbul.

A health officer leaves an apartment after collecting swab samples from confined residents in Istanbul who are believed to have been in contact with coronavirus patients. Even if some observers have questioned the reliability of official figures, Turkey's death toll seems relatively low given the number of infections - with 3,641 fatalities recorded and more than 133,700 cases, according to data released Thursday .

To find potential cases, the doctors do"real detective work", said Melek Nur Aslan, director of the public health agency in Fatih district. Once the doctors leave the building, they remove their protective equipment and throw it into a large rubbish bag.If the test is positive, the woman"will appear as a confirmed case in our file, which will lead to a new tracing process", said one of the tracers, Mustafa Sever, a GP.The tracers' role will also be crucial to avoid a second wave of contagion as Turkey prepares to loosen restrictive measures, including reopening shopping centres and hairdressers from Monday.

Only the health workers in charge of tracking potential coronavirus cases have access to the data collected.

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