ISTANBUL (Reuters) — Turkey identified 12 new cases of the coronavirus, bringing its total to 18, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Monday, marking the highest daily rise since the country announced its first case last week.

However, the Turkish Medical Association (TTB) warned on Monday that the real number of cases may be higher than officially reported, and the recent trend indicated that the epidemic could reach serious levels. “We are hearing from doctors all around the country that the number of cases is much higher than 18”, TTB head Sinan Adiyaman told a news conference. “The picture emerging in the last few days suggests that the epidemic could reach serious levels, we advise those older than 65 to stay at home”, he said.

Last Wednesday, Turkey became the last major economy to report officially an outbreak..

Thousands of Muslims returning to Turkey from a pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia were taken into quarantine on Sunday.