Nearly 450,000 coronavirus vaccine doses administrated in Turkey in one day

By Busra Nur Cakmak

ANKARA (AA) - Nearly 450,000 coronavirus vaccine doses were administrated Saturday in Turkey, the nation’s Health Minister said early Sunday.

“A total of 449,684 vaccine jabs given on Saturday, June 12. 99.485% of those who made an appointment for vaccination came and had their vaccines,” Fahrettin Koca said on Twitter.

“We are one step closer to normal life. Thanks,” he added.

Turkey administered more than 33.32 million doses since it launched a mass vaccination campaign in January. More than 19.67 million people have received their first doses, while an excess of 13.64 million have been fully vaccinated, according to ministry data.

Turkey reported 6,076 new coronavirus cases, including 503 symptomatic patients on Saturday. The overall case tally is more than 5.32 million, while the nationwide death toll stands at 48,668 with 75 new fatalities.

To contain the virus, Turkey currently has a curfew from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. from Monday to Saturday, and a full lockdown on Sundays.

Since December 2019, the pandemic has claimed north of 3.79 million lives in 192 countries and regions, with more than 175.53 million cases reported worldwide, according to US-based Johns Hopkins University.