Turkey may grant emergency approval for China's CoronaVac after two-week analysis

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The Ministry of Health has announced that it is testing China's CoronaVac vaccines for emergency approval.

Ankara and Beijing agreed to the purchase of 50 million doses of the vaccines and the first batch containing three million doses arrived in Turkey on December 30.

The vaccines were placed in the ministry's drug and vaccine depots in Ankara and samples were sent to the Turkey Medicine and Medical Devices Institution (TİTCK), the ministry said in a written statement today (January 5).

"The analysis of the samples is carried out in accordance with the routine quality control processes applied all over the world," reads the statement.

With the analysis, it checked whether the vaccine's effectiveness and safety are preserved during its stated shelf life when it is stored under the conditions defined by the company, the ministry noted.

"During the analysis process, it is checked whether the formulation structure of the vaccine has changed," says the statement. "At the end of this process, it is determined whether the vaccine's production properties are preserved, and it will have the expected effect and it is safe."

If results are positive, the TİTCK will grant emergency approval for the use of the vaccine, according to the ministry.

Minister of Health Fahrettin Koca previously said that people would be administered the vaccine in two doses in 28 days. (AS/VK)