‘We aim to vaccinate 60 percent of Turkey’s population’

* Photo: Aytuğ Can Sencar / AA

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Minister of Health Fahrettin Koca addressed the reporters after the meeting of the Ministry's Coronavirus Scientific Advisory Boar in the capital city of Ankara yesterday evening (February 10).

Health Minister Koca has noted that Turkey targets to vaccinate at least 60 percent of its population against COVID-19, with the second doses of vaccines for people who got the first jab set to start on Thursday.

Addressing the reporters in the capital city following the meeting, Koca has said that teachers, especially those who will join in-person education, will start receiving vaccine shots towards the end of February.

Turkey announced last week that village schools and kindergartens would resume in-person education on February 15. Starting on March 1, primary schools, including all grades, will resume in-person education twice a week. Schools will also be open for students of grades 8 and 12 on March 1 to help them prepare for high school and university entrance exams.

'Turkey has ensured at least 15 million doses'

Koca has said that Turkey has ensured at least 15 million novel coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine doses and reached an agreement on over 100 million doses of vaccines in total. He has added that the country will receive 500,000-800,000 doses of BioNTech vaccine in February, with the total number reaching 4.5-5 million by end of March.

"Our citizens must know that we are trying to buy the vaccine from all firms that can provide it until March or April," he has explained.

The minister has also called on the senior state officials and the Cabinet members to receive the vaccine shots as of Saturday.

New mutations detected in Turkey

Phase-2 human trials of the leading local vaccine candidate started on Wednesday, the minister has said, and added that phase-1 studies for at least three more local vaccine candidates will start in around 10 days.

As of next Monday, the average number of cases for the last seven days will be broadcast live based on provinces, he remarked.

On the new mutations, Koca has said that 263 UK variants, 23 South Africa variants, and 106 unknown origins were detected in Turkey.

Underlining that it might be possible to ease certain restrictions based on provinces or regions in accordance with the criteria that the advisory board will determine, Health Minister Koca has said that the Science Board recommends not rushing into easing restrictions.

Turkey on Wednesday reported more than 8,600 new infections and 95 more fatalities. The overall case count has now passed 2.55 million, with the death toll at 27,093, according to the Health Ministry.

Turkey begins phase 2 trials

As reported by the AA, a university in central Turkey administered the first dose of ERUCOV-VAC to a human volunteer yesterday in phase 2 trials of the locally developed coronavirus vaccine candidate.

A statement released by Erciyes University in Kayseri province has indicated that the first dose of the inactive vaccine candidate was administered on November 5, 2020 as part of phase 1 trials.

The ERUCOV-VAC vaccine is being developed at Erciyes University with support from Turkey's Institutes of Health Administration (TUSEB).

The head of the university, Mustafa Çalış, has said that their trials and efforts towards developing the vaccine in phase 2 continue.

"We hope for the trials in phase 2 to be as successful as they were in phase 1," Çalış has said in the statement.

Under the phase 2 trials, the vaccine candidate will be administered to at least 250 human volunteers, the statement has added.

On January 14, Turkey kicked off a COVID-19 vaccination campaign starting with health care workers. As of 6.30 a.m. on February 11, a total of 2.8 million people have been so far vaccinated with CoronaVac, a coronavirus vaccine developed by China-based Sinovac Biotech company.

Since last December, Turkey has imposed curfews on weeknights and weekends to curb the spread of the virus. (EKN/SD)