VAN, Turkey

A Turkish doctor, who underwent treatment for COVID-19 after contracting the new coronavirus, returned back to his duty after recovering.

Ufuk Cobanoglu, the head of Thoracic Surgery Department at a medical center of Van Yuzuncu Yil University in eastern Turkey, was diagnosed with the disease around a month ago, according to a statement from the university.

His treatment was concluded at the hospital he works, and he got back to work.

“In this process, the thought that it would give morale and strength to both our people and our health workers, and the belief that I should not succumb to the disease contributed greatly to my recovery,” Cobanoglu said.

He thanked everyone who played a role in his recovery and supported him, including his colleagues, Van Governor Mehmet Emin Bilmez, as well as the university rector Hamdullah Sevli.

As of Sunday, the coronavirus death toll in Turkey reached 2,805, with 110,130 cases, according to the Health Ministry data.

Despite the rising number of cases, most who contract the virus suffer mild symptoms before making a recovery.

* Writing by Sena Guler