Turkey distributes hygiene kits in Tanzania

Turkey’s state-run aid agency distributed hygiene kits to thousands of prisoners in Tanzania amid the novel coronavirus outbreak, the agency said in a statement on Friday.

The Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) dispatched the aid to assist the African nation.

Sophia Mjema, district governor of Ilala, thanked TIKA for not forgetting prisoners and supporting the community health care.

Tanzania has so far reported 509 coronavirus cases, 183 recoveries and 21 fatalities, according to figures compiled by US-based Johns Hopkins University.

The global pandemic has claimed over 590,600 lives in 188 countries and regions since it has originated in Wuhan, China last December.

The US, Brazil, Russia and India are currently the worst-hit countries in the world.

More than 13.83 million COVID-19 cases have been reported worldwide, with recoveries exceeding 7.73 million, shows Johns Hopkins' data.

*Writing by Gozde Bayar