Turkey has reached a stable phase in its fight against COVID-19 as immunization numbers rise, according to an expert.
“Due to the omicron variant, case numbers went up, especially in the United States and Europe … to reach a stable course later and to decrease after that phase. As Turkey, we are in the stable phase now,” associate professor Afşin Emre Kayıpmaz told Ihlas News Agency (IHA) on Sunday.
Kayıpmaz, also a member of the Health Ministry’s Coronavirus Scientific Advisory Board, underlined that vaccination is even more crucial given that the omicron variant is highly transmissible, and added that case numbers worldwide first hit a peak, then stabilized and started decreasing after that period. He emphasized that Turkey is on a stable course.
“Scientific studies have shown that the omicron variant is more contagious compared to previous variants, manifesting itself with record-high case numbers,” he said.
“We have to underline a fact here: As the omicron variant spreads to more people, it continues to threaten our senior citizens over the age of 65 and people with chronic diseases as it also remains a threat for people who have not gotten their vaccines and booster shots,” Kayıpmaz emphasized.
“I can say that the majority of COVID-19 patients we have at Ankara City Hospital are people who have not got any vaccines or booster shots.”
