Turkey has administered over 73.37M COVID-19 vaccine shots so far

By Gozde Bayar and Merve Berker

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey has administered more than 73.37 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines since it launched a mass vaccination campaign in January, according to figures released on Sunday.

The country continues its intensive vaccination campaign to curb the spread of coronavirus, as everyone age 18 and over is eligible for vaccine shots.

According to the Health Ministry, over 41.03 million people have gotten their first dose, while more than 27.41 million are fully vaccinated.

Turkey is also administering a third COVID-19 vaccine shot, and 4.9 million such doses have been given.

Some 7.2 million vaccine doses were administered in the past week, and to date, 66.11% of the country's adult population has received at least one dose.

The ministry also confirmed 20,890 new infections and 96 coronavirus-related deaths in the last 24 hours, while as many as 5,539 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 Delta variant, the country suspended flights from India and required arrivals from the UK, Iran, Egypt, and Singapore to have negative COVID-19 test results taken within 72 hours prior.

Since December 2019, the pandemic has claimed over 4.22 million lives in 192 countries and regions, with more than 198.13 million cases reported, according to the US-based Johns Hopkins University.