Turkey rolled out a new stage in its coronavirus vaccination drive Friday, with people at the age of 18 and above now able to get their jabs. They will be the last group to be vaccinated as the Health Ministry tries to convince those who were in previously eligible groups but shunned doses.
With appointments open, youths rushed to the online appointment app and filled hospitals and clinics on Friday morning for their shots. It was a much-anticipated stage in the pandemic for youngsters, who were repeatedly warned to adhere to coronavirus measures as a group, thought to be least infected by the virus but more prone to easily infecting others. Their inclusion will boost vaccination numbers, which reached more than 46 million on Friday, with 14.7 million people administered both doses of the vaccine.
“Everyone should get vaccinated. We have to trust the science of medicine and we need to protect ourselves,” 19-years-old Ece Çelikkol said as she arrived at the Ankara City Hospital in the capital for vaccination.
Aslı Cansu Bora, 21, says she was afraid of the potential side effects of vaccines but decided to have it as “a citizen with awareness of the need for vaccination to overcome the pandemic.”
Dr. Selmani Doğan, the deputy chief physician of Dr. Sadi Konuk Training and Research Hospital in Istanbul, said they were seeing an increasing demand for vaccination.
