“The delta variant has become the dominant strain in our country, as predicted. Unvaccinated people are the most defenseless,” professor Afşin Emre Kayıpmaz told Anadolu Agency (AA) on Sunday, urging Turkish citizens to get vaccinated as soon as possible.
“The delta variant is two times more contagious, causing concern,” he said.
The professor also said that it is a higher possibility for people infected with the delta strain to be hospitalized compared to other variants.
Underlining that the vaccines seem to be effective against new variants, Kayıpmaz also emphasized that people refusing to get jabs are the most vulnerable.
“The vaccines actively protect us against the coronavirus. The risks of death, severe symptoms and hospitalization are meaningfully lower for fully vaccinated people,” he added.
Adding that social distancing, mask-wearing and hygiene measures should continue as before, Kayıpmaz also said that “simple precautions will protect us from the delta variant as well.”
Fighting the coronavirus since March 2020, Turkey is intensifying its battle against the disease, implementing a slew of new restrictions that would target unvaccinated people.
“Only way to beat COVID-19 is vaccination,” President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said in a statement recently.
