Turkey as of Monday has administered more than 10 million doses of the coronavirus vaccine, in an inoculation drive that began in January.
The latest figures from the Health Ministry show some 7.6 million people were given their first dose of the CoronaVac, while another 2.4 million people have received their second jabs.
Istanbul, which hosts nearly one-fifth of the country’s population, has seen over 1.5 million jabs administered, most of them first doses, while some 422,000 people have received their second dose.
Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Twitter that the vaccination campaign is continuing as planned. “As of today, 10 million doses of vaccines were administered. I thank all of our personnel who have contributed to this. Our nation deserves the best,” he said.
On Jan. 14, Turkey began a mass COVID-19 vaccination campaign, starting with health care workers and top officials to encourage public confidence in the vaccines. The country plans to reach more than 50 million doses in a few months.
Currently, only CoronaVac, an inactive vaccine developed by China’s Sinovac is available for use. The Health Ministry plans to diversify the vaccines by acquiring from other companies abroad, while trials continue for locally-made vaccines.
The vaccination drive is one of the determining factors for Turkey’s ambition to “normalize” daily life. This month, a gradual reopening was launched for some businesses, while nationwide curfews have been eased on a regional basis. The country has so far confirmed more than 2.78 million cases, including 29,030 fatalities and over 2.62 million recoveries.
