Turkey on Tuesday will begin a new stage in the gradual “normalization” process amid falling infections numbers thanks to strict measures.
Nevertheless, vaccinations must reach higher numbers for a return to normalcy. The Turkish Health Ministry stepped up efforts to that end and launched a series of ads in the media under the title of “we are rolling up our sleeves” to promote inoculation against the deadly disease.
Media outlets report that authorities plan to administer at least 5 million doses of shots every week until the country reaches herd immunity goals.
As of Monday, almost 29 million doses had been administered, with more than 12.4 million people having received their second doses. Big cities like Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir lead in vaccination numbers, with Istanbul having the highest number, at more than 4.7 million doses administered so far.
Active case numbers in the country dropped below 100,000 while the frequency of cases is below 100 per 100,000 people in most provinces, a dramatic drop compared to weekly cases surging past 600 or more just two months ago. A 17-day lockdown and ongoing restrictions are credited with this decline, which culminated in a decrease in the daily case numbers to below 7,000 on Sunday, from around 60,000 before the lockdown, which was launched late April.
