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Since January 26, 2021, the Health Ministry of Turkey has been sharing the number of COVID-19 vaccines administered across the country on a provisional basis with a regularly updated map.
According to the data shared by the Ministry, as of 23.47 p.m. on June 2, 281 thousand 475 doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, either that of Sinovac or Pfizer-BioNTech, were administered in Turkey in 24 hours.
While the number of people who received the first dose increased by 191 thousand 554 to 16 million 860 thousand 657 people in total, the number of people who received both doses increased by 89 thousand 921 to 12 million 676 thousand 482 in total. As for the total number of vaccine doses administered in Turkey thus far, it was 29 million 255 thousand 664.
'All teachers to be vaccinated as of June 7'
Making a statement on his social media account yesterday (June 2), Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said that "a new period would start in the vaccination program next week." According to Koca, starting from June 7, all teachers, regardless of their age, will be able to be vaccinated.
The first COVID-19 vaccine was administered in Turkey on January 13, 2021 and Health Minister Fahrettin Koca was the first person to receive the vaccine in Turkey. To date, Turkey has been giving the Sinovac and BioNTech jabs, and signed an agreement for the Sputnik V vaccine.
According to the figures shared by the World Health Organization (WHO), 1 billion 581 million 509 thousand 628 doses of COVID-19 vaccines were administered across the world as of June 2, 2021.
Statement after Science Board meeting
Health Minister Koca also addressed the public following the Health Ministry's Coronavirus Scientific Advisory Board meeting yesterday.
As reported by the state-run Anadolu Agency (AA), speaking after the virtual meeting, Minister Koca said that "by taking our own measures, we will learn to participate in the normalization of life."
"When the course of the COVID-19 pandemic is considered, the periods with strict measures and lockdowns have resulted in dramatic drops in the numbers of new infections," said Fahrettin Koca.
"When we lose control, each reopening period leaves deep traces that we experience with exponentially rising numbers in cases, patients, and losses... We certainly pay heavy medical, human, economic, and sociological prices unless we socialize in a controlled way," he added.
"We must not waste the results of our sacrifice during restriction periods through a rush or trying to instantly return to our old normal," he said. "Though we have achieved a significant breaking in the course of the pandemic, we must remember that the virus is still circulating among us."
Personal measures will be more significant from now on, Koca noted, saying that this summer will be the last one for wearing masks.
"To successfully achieve this, I have only one new request from you: Those who have their turns for vaccination, please receive their jabs."
"Phase 3 human trials, the final phase of the vaccine studies, of our vaccine candidate developed with the support of the Health Institutes of Turkey will begin. It has been produced as a working product and the final tests are being carried out," he noted, adding that "when it passes all tests, Turkey will start to use it clinically as soon as possible."
Koca also said that comparing the vaccines in terms of their reliability and effectiveness requires time, stressing that those vaccines with their tests and clinical trials completed have started to be administered.
"We cannot talk about stopping the pandemic without making at least 60 percent of our society immune through our vaccination program. To achieve this, we have a responsibility to protect ourselves and our loved ones," Fahrettin Koca indicated further. (KÖ/SD)
