Over 61.1M coronavirus vaccine jabs administered in Turkey

By Dilan Pamuk and Ali Murat Alhas

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey has administered over 61.1 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines since it launched a mass inoculation drive in January, according to official figures on Thursday.

The vaccination campaign to curb the spread of coronavirus continues in full swing as all residents over age 18 can choose to get the Chinese Sinovac jab or the one produced by German firm BioNTech and its US partner, Pfizer.

According to data by the Health Ministry, more than 38.56 million people have gotten their first dose, while over 19.12 million have received their second.

Over 11.16 million doses have been administered in Istanbul, 5 million in the capital, Ankara, and 4.11 million in the Aegean province Izmir.

To date, 62.12% of the adult population has received at least one vaccine dose.

The ministry also confirmed 7,304 new infections and 48 related deaths in the last 24 hours, while as many as 5,103 more patients recovered.

Amid a nationwide drop in cases and an expedited vaccination drive, Turkey entered a new normalization phase on July 1, lifting almost all virus-related restrictions.

However, seeking to limit the spread of the Delta variant of the virus, the country has suspended flights from India, where the strain was first detected, along with Bangladesh, Brazil, South Africa, Nepal and Sri Lanka.

Meanwhile, arrivals from the UK, Iran, Egypt and Singapore are required to have a negative COVID-19 test results taken within 72 hours before their flight.

Since December 2019, the pandemic has claimed over 4.06 million lives in 192 countries and regions, with more than 188.56 million cases reported, according to US-based Johns Hopkins University.