CHP and HDP Chairs to wait their turn for COVID-19 vaccine

* Photo: Anadolu Agency (AA)

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As part of the mass vaccination campaign against the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) that started in Turkey early yesterday (January 14), over 500 thousand people have been vaccinated with CoronaVac, a vaccine developed by the China-based Sinovac Biotech company.

After Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was vaccinated yesterday along with the members of his party's Central Decision and Executive Board, Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Chair Devlet Bahçeli and İYİ Party Chair Meral Akşener have announced on social media that they have also been vaccinated.

"Believing that the party leaders must pioneer our society about vaccination, I have also been vaccinated," Akşener has said.

CLICK - 'On what basis were AKP politicians vaccinated out of turn?'

Kılıçdaroğlu: I will wait for my turn

Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Chair Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu has also made a statement by attending an event of the CHP İstanbul Organization online and announced that he will wait for his turn:

"Vaccination has begun. I have also been invited to be vaccinated. Mr. Minister [of Health Fahrettin Koca] called me as well. I will wait my turn as citizen Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu. Health workers must be vaccinated first. Because they are in direct contact with patients, they work 24/7. The efforts of healthcare workers are above everything else."

Buldan and Sancar turn down the invitation

Releasing a written statement, Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Co-Chairs Pervin Buldan and Mithat Sancar have also announced that they will wait for their turn to be vaccinated against coronavirus:

"By calling in person and making a call, the Minister of Health invited the political party chairs, Parliamentary Speaker and the President of the Constitutional Court to be vaccinated before the public.

"Based on our evaluations with our Commission on Health and Social Policies, we have concluded that this invitation does not comply with the vaccination program that has been set for the previously designated risk groups, chronically ill people and healthcare workers.

"For these reasons, everyone must be vaccinated according to the order of priority based on risk and the process must proceed fast and effectively. We will share it with the public when we will be vaccinated when our turns come based on the related risk criteria." (DŞ/SD)