* Photo: Anadolu Agency (AA) - Archive
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It has been a year since the first novel coronavirus (COVID-19) case was officially confirmed in Turkey. On this occasion, Minister of Health Fahrettin Koca addressed the public yesterday (March 11).
While it was expected that the Health Minister would unveil new measures against the virus, considering the surge in the number of daily cases amid 'controlled normalization' steps, Koca did not announce any additional measures, saying that "our most important weapon against the virus is measures until the vaccination program is completed."
As reported by the state-run Anadolu Agency (AA), Fahrettin Koca, speaking at a press conference, said that COVID-19 will not become an ordinary disease like the influenza any time soon, but in 2021 it will no longer be a nightmare for healthcare personnel.
He said that once the vaccination is completed, new cases will be reduced to one-fifth and there will barely be patients in critical condition.
Koca further argued that Turkey is among the fastest countries in procuring vaccine supplies with a 50-million-dose agreement with manufacturers in China. He noted that it is the first pandemic in the last 100 years.
According to Koca, if 50 million of the population is vaccinated before autumn, as planned, the pandemic will no longer be a health crisis. "I hope Turkey will be one of the first to win this worldwide war," he said.
İstanbul to start tracking virus IDs
On the other side, the Governor's Office of İstanbul announced yesterday that it will be compulsory to show the coronavirus tracking HES code to enter most public spaces and all state buildings as of March.
According to the statement of the office, the decision was taken by the İstanbul Public Health Council to keep the spread of the virus in check.
All state buildings, including schools, and public spaces such as libraries, sport centers, wedding halls, barbers, game halls and cafes, will ask citizens for their HES codes starting from March 15, 2021.
On January 14, Turkey began a mass COVID-19 vaccination campaign, starting with healthcare workers along with top officials in a stated attempt to encourage public confidence in the vaccines.
On March 1, President and ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced the easing of coronavirus restrictions based on circumstances in individual provinces, which is also termed as the "controlled" or "gradual" normalization.
Since last December, Turkey has been implementing curfew on weeknights. (PT/EKN/SD)
