A man receives a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in Istanbul, Turkey, on Dec. 7, 2021. Turkey has administered nearly 125 million COVID-19 vaccines to date, and the vaccination rate of people aged 18 and over who have got two doses hit 82.43 percent, announced the Health Ministry on Monday. (Xinhua/Shadati)
ISTANBUL, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Turkey has administered nearly 125 million COVID-19 vaccines to date, and the vaccination rate of people aged 18 and over who have got two doses hit 82.43 percent, announced the Health Ministry on Monday.
Turkey has been observing the positive outcomes of achieving a high vaccination rate among its adult population, Nurettin Yiyit, a member of Turkey's Health Ministry's Scientific Committee and the chief physician at Istanbul's Cam and Sakura city hospital, told Xinhua.
The daily cases decreased below 20,000 after a plateau trend of around 20,000 to 25,000 bands without a notable increase since August, he added.
At the meantime, as the population of children constitutes one-third of Turkey's 83 million citizens, when considering this number, the herd immunity suddenly drops to 60 percent, he also noted.
The physician emphasized that the essential purpose in the struggle against the pandemic would be the urgent vaccination of the unvaccinated adults and those who have not completed their inoculation yet.
"The more we narrow the unvaccinated group, the faster the death figures (fluctuating at around 200 since September) will fall," he added.
On Dec. 11, the first six cases of the Omicron variant were detected in Turkey, forcing health authorities to shorten the period between the second and third doses of vaccine inoculation from six months to three.
"The primary measure against the prevalence of Omicron variant is reinforcing the shield of protection through vaccination," the Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said.
The minister also noted that the lack of a sudden increase in the number of daily cases in the country is an "indicator of the success of the vaccination program."
Turkey launched its mass vaccination program against COVID-19 in January with the vaccine developed by China's Sinovac company. It later included vaccines from Pfizer/BioNTech in the drive.
Erdem Sari, a Turkish citizen, and his wife were in the line in front of a vaccination room of the Cam and Sakura hospital to have their third Sinovac dose.
"We preferred Sinovac because it is one of the known classical vaccines and it gives more confidence," Sari told Xinhua after getting his vaccine done. Enditem
Nurettin Yiyit, a member of Turkey's Health Ministry's Scientific Committee and the chief physician at Istanbul's Cam and Sakura city hospital, is interviewed in Istanbul, Turkey, on Dec. 7, 2021. Turkey has administered nearly 125 million COVID-19 vaccines to date, and the vaccination rate of people aged 18 and over who have got two doses hit 82.43 percent, announced the Health Ministry on Monday. (Xinhua/Shadati) TO GO WITH Roundup: Turkey achieves sound gains in COVID-19 vaccination among adults: experts
A sign reading "It is forbidden to enter without a mask" is seen on a door at a hospital in Istanbul, Turkey, on Dec. 7, 2021. Turkey has administered nearly 125 million COVID-19 vaccines to date, and the vaccination rate of people aged 18 and over who have got two doses hit 82.43 percent, announced the Health Ministry on Monday. (Xinhua/Shadati) TO GO WITH Roundup: Turkey achieves sound gains in COVID-19 vaccination among adults: experts
