‘The worst vaccine is better than the best coronavirus disease’

* Image: TTB

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The Turkish Medical Association (TTB) COVID-19 Monitoring Board has shared the findings of its 10th Month Evaluation Report in an online meeting.

Aired online on TTB's YouTube and Periscope channels yesterday (January 18), the meeting was attended by TTB Central Council, TTB COVID-19 Monitoring Board and Vaccine Working Group members.

Making the opening speech of the meeting, TTB Central Council Chair Prof. Şebnem Korur Fincancı has noted that there has been an increase in the number of COVID-19 deaths, according to the data shared by the Health Ministry, and added that there have been deaths apart from them.

Fincancı has also raised concerns that women have been having problems with accessing healthcare services and stressed that violence against women has increased incrementally in Turkey.

'Epidemiological background must be clarified'

Taking the floor after Korur-Fincancı, Prof. Muzaffer Eskiocak from the TTB Vaccine Working Group has made a presentation on immunization.

Emphasizing the necessity of a method that complies with the safety-efficacy-quality standards in vaccination, Eskiocak has said, "The Immunization Advisory Committee must participate in the process, local advisory committees must be set up, trust must be built in vaccination, the representatives of target groups must be informed during vaccination and the epidemiological background of the planning must be clarified."

Prof. Alpay Azap from the TTB Vaccine Working Group has also talked about the COVID-19 vaccination. The professor has underlined that if there are no serious side effects in the light of current data, vaccines must be more widespread: "The worst possible vaccine is better than the best coronavirus disease. For this reason, one definitely needs to be vaccinated."

Dr. Emrah Kırımlı from the Family Medicine Branch of the TTB has mentioned the negative effects of the failure to provide the primary healthcare personnel with sufficient information about the vaccine.

Dr. Kırımlı has indicated that healthcare workers are having difficulties in giving information to citizens about a subject that they themselves do not know. Kırımlı has also stated that family health centers have not been provided with sufficient means for vaccination.

'It is not recognized as an occupational disease'

Taking the floor at the meeting, TTB Central Council member Prof. İbrahim Akkurt has raised concerns about the high number of healthcare workers who have been infected with or died of the disease. Referring to the statements of "COVID-19 has been recognized as an occupational disease", Akkurt has emphasized that such statements do not reflect the truth and no concrete steps have been taken in that direction.

Dr. Çiğdem Arslan, another member of the TTB Central Council, has said that emergency healthcare services have mobilized their all means for COVID-19 patients, the services provided to non-COVID patients have been interrupted and there have still been no efforts to reorganize emergency services in the light of this situation. (RT/SD)

* Click here to read the full report (in Turkish)