‘Case numbers higher than the peak in April, no time for complacency’

* Photo: AA

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Adnan Menderes University's Head of Public Health Department Prof. Pınar Okyay has spoken to the state-run Anadolu Agency (AA) about the recent drop in the number of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) cases.

Prof. Okyay, also a member of the Health Ministry's Coronavirus Scientific Advisory Board, has warned that this drop should not lead citizens to become complacent, urging them to keep observing the rules of masks, physical distancing and personal hygiene.

'Measures must remain in place in summer'

"Our numbers are higher than the peak in April, we need to keep the measures in place for this reason," Prof. Okyay has told the AA and added:

"We should not get complacent in this process. We need to implement the measures strictly and get vaccinated when our turn comes. We need to observe the measures in summer as well. It will be ensured that the vaccinated persons will be protected and will not be seriously ill.

"The vaccinated persons might not get sick themselves, but it is possible that they transmit the disease to others.

"In order to break the chain of infection, we need to keep observing the measures of wearing masks, keeping physical distance, washing hands, ventilating closed spaces with fresh air and avoiding crowded places."

'Life will not be the same'

According to Prof. Okyay, life will not be the same after COVID-19:

"For instance, we will voluntarily keep on using masks in crowded places and on the subway. Most importantly, we will wash our hands more frequently and properly than before. This pandemic has taught us the basic public health measures. Knowledge has turned into behavior and been established as such. This is a valuable gain on our part."

Okyay has added that the reopening of cafes and restaurants needs to be undertaken in compliance with science and incoming data.

Latest situation in Turkey

The Ministry of Health announced the latest figures on the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak in Turkey yesterday (January 24).

While the daily number of new cases has been announced by the Ministry as 5,277, the number of patients has been announced as 684.

140 people have lost their lives due to COVID-19 in Turkey in the last 24 hours. 5,860 people have recovered. The number of tests conducted in the last 24 hours has been announced as 148,425.

According to the figures announced till today, 28,497,084 COVID-19 tests have been conducted in Turkey so far. While the total number of cases is 2,429,605, the death toll has reached 25,073 people.

CLICK - Turkey's coronavirus death toll tops 25 thousand

On the other side, as reported by the state-run AA, a plane carrying the second batch of a COVID-19 vaccine ordered from China's Sinovac Biotech Ltd. arrived early Monday in Istanbul, Turkey.

The Turkish Airlines Boeing 777 plane, which departed from Beijing, landed at Istanbul Airport at 6.15 a.m. local time (0315 GMT).

Containers containing the vaccine were taken from the aircraft after customs procedures and moved to warehouses.

A total of 6.5 million doses of the inactive COVID-19 vaccine were brought in the first part of the second shipment of 10 million doses.

Mass vaccinations began in Turkey on January 14 after the first batch of 3 million doses of the vaccine developed by China's SinoVac Biotech arrived on December 30, 2020. Later, a second consignment of 10 million doses was approved. Over 1.23 million people, mostly health workers and elderly people, have been inoculated since January 14, according to the minister. (RT/SD)