Turkey enters new phase of COVID-19 vaccination

By Merve Aydogan

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey on Monday entered a new phase of COVID-19 vaccination campaign as those 55 years of age and older have begun to be vaccinated.

Health Minister Fahrettin Koca on Twitter announced the new stage in the mass vaccination campaign and asked all those aged 55 and over to get a jab.

"We will press ahead with our vaccination campaign depending on supply conditions," Koca added.

Since Turkey began its COVID-vaccination campaign on Jan. 14, it has administered over 20 million coronavirus vaccine jabs, according to official figures.

More than 12.2 million people to date have received their first doses, while second doses have been given to almost 7.8 million.

In the face of rising cases and fatalities, the country announced the return of weekend curfews in high-risk areas, as well as other restrictions, in addition to special measures for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Since December 2019, the pandemic has claimed over 3 million lives in 192 countries and regions, according to figures compiled by the US' Johns Hopkins University. Over 141.5 million cases have been reported worldwide, with recoveries now nearing 81 million.

The US, India, and Brazil remain the worst-hit countries in terms of the number of cases.