UPDATE - Number of COVID-19 jabs administered in Turkey tops 85M

UPDATES VACCINATION FIGURES; CHANGES DECK, LEDE; ADDS NEW DAILY INFECTIONS, FATALITIES

By Busra Nur Cakmak and Gozde Bayar

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey has administered more than 85.5 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines since launching a mass immunization campaign in January, according to official figures on Tuesday.

According to the Health Ministry, over 44.72 million people have received a first dose, and more than 33.78 million are now fully vaccinated.

Turkey has also given third booster shots to over 7.01 million people.

The data showed that 72.04% of the country’s adult population has received at least one dose of a two-shot vaccine.

The ministry also confirmed 21,692 new infections and 183 coronavirus-related deaths in the last 24 hours, while as many as 14,636 more patients recovered.

Turkey on Monday expanded its intensive vaccination campaign to include everyone aged 15 and above, as well as children at least 12 years old who have a chronic disease.

Healthcare workers and other priority groups can now get a fourth vaccine dose, the Health Ministry announced.

People who have contracted COVID-19 will be eligible for vaccination a month after recovery, as opposed to the previous period of three months.

Since December 2019, the pandemic has claimed over 4.37 million lives in 192 countries and regions, with more than 208.16 million cases have been reported worldwide, according to the US' Johns Hopkins University.