Minister: 90 percent of hospitalized Covid patients in Turkey not fully vaccinated

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About 90 percent of the hospitalized Covid-19 patients in Turkey are not fully vaccinated, Minister of Health Fahrettin Koca said yesterday (September 2).

The increase in the number of cases in the past four weeks is mainly caused by unvaccinated people, he told a press conference after the meeting of the ministry's Scientific Advisory Board.

In other words, the minister said, the 35 million fully vaccinated people make up 10 percent of the hospitalized patients and the unvaccinated 28 million people make up 90 percent of the hospitalized patients. "The vaccine is very effective. It's pointless to discuss that."

Also, 90 percent of those who died of Covid-19 and 81 percent of some 500,00 active cases were not fully vaccinated, Koca noted.

The group with the highest prevalence of Covid disease is not the elderly but the 15-45 age group Koca said.

"Today, more than 78 percent of our population aged 18 and over has been vaccinated with a single dose and more than 60% with two doses," he remarked.

He pointed out that the issue of Covid restrictions had not been placed on the agenda at the meeting.

Face-to-face education

As in-person classes resume, he said 88 percent of teachers and school employees have had at least one vaccine dose and 75 percent have had both doses.

"In the new period, the pandemic will not be the reason for the closure of schools because now we have the vaccine," he said.

The minister also called on the parents of students to pay utmost attention to the protective measures.

"Each of the parents should be vaccinated without delay, by observing the measures to protect their child and their child's classmates."

Mahmut Özer, the minister of national education, who also attended the board meeting, stressed that schools should be the last places to be closed due to the pandemic.

Stressing that face-to-face education has become a necessity rather than a choice, he said it is essential for children to receive an education with their friends in a classroom environment.

The ministry takes the necessary steps to maintain face-to-face education such as providing schools with masks, disinfectants and cleaning materials, he added.

He also called on all parents, teachers and administrative staff to strictly follow the pandemic measures to prevent the further closure of schools.

Erol Özvar, head of the Council of Higher Education, who also attended the meeting, said academic activities have continued in Turkey without interruption, whether in person or online, for one-and-a-half years since the pandemic appeared in Turkey.

In addition to the opportunity to offer face-to-face courses, universities have the authority to conduct 40 percent of the courses online with the decision of the Council of Higher Education, Özvar said.

(KÖ/VK)