ANKARA, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) -- Turkey initiated a study on Monday to see if its local inactivated COVID-19 vaccine may be used as a third dose booster for those who have already received two doses of the mRNA vaccine.
According to the state-run TRT broadcaster, a one-dose Turkovac vaccine will be administered to those who have already had two doses of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines, and the patient's antibody response will be monitored.
The study will first be carried out in the capital's Ankara City Hospital.
"This will be the first study of its kind in the world in which an inactivated vaccine will be administered following an mRNA shot," Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Jan. 19.
"The Ethics Committee has given its permission for the study to go ahead. We will observe how the antibody level changes," he said.
Turkey began rolling out its first locally manufactured Turkovac vaccine on Dec. 30, while continuing the phase-three trials of the vaccine in vaccination centers.
The country began its vaccination campaign in January 2021 with the Sinovac vaccine from China, and then added the Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA vaccine to its inoculation drive.
Despite its high vaccination rate, the number of new COVID-19 cases per day climbed to an average of 70,000 in January, as the Omicron variant spreads across the country.
More than 140 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been provided in the country, with approximately 80 percent of the population aged 18 and over having received two doses.
Turkey's health ministry announced 65,503 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, bringing the total number of infections to 10,947,129.
In Turkey, more than 57.33 million people have taken their first dose of the vaccine, while more than 52.26 million their second dose. ■
