ANKARA

Turkey confirmed 12 more deaths from the novel coronavirus late on Saturday, bringing the total to 21.

Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Twitter that the deaths were of elderly people.

In the last 24 hours 2,953 tests have been conducted on people suspected to be infected with the virus and 277 of them tested positive, carrying the tally of infections to 947, up from 670.

"Let’s warn our elderly people. They should abide by the restrictions on leaving home," he said.

COVID-19 emerged in Wuhan, China last December, and has spread to at least 167 countries and regions, according to data compiled by the U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University.

Out of more than 299,000 confirmed cases, the death toll now nears 13,000, while over 91,500 have recovered.

Despite the rising number of cases, most who become infected suffer only mild symptoms and recover.

The World Health Organization declared the outbreak a pandemic.