UPDATE - Over 60M coronavirus vaccine jabs administered in Turkey

UPDATES NUMBERS; ADDS REMARKS BY TURKISH HEALTH MINISTER; REVISES DECK

By Merve Aydogan and Beyza Binnur Donmez

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey has administered over 60.6 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines since it launched a mass vaccination campaign in January, according to official figures on Wednesday.

The country continues its intensive vaccination campaign to curb the spread of the coronavirus as all residents over the age of 18 can choose to get either the Chinese Sinovac jab or the vaccine produced by German firm BioNTech and its US partner Pfizer.

According to Health Ministry data, over 38.4 million people have gotten their just first doses, while more than 18.7 million have received their second doses, as well. In the last 24 hours, the country administered more than 1 million coronavirus vaccines.

The total number of first, second, and third doses given was just over 11 million in Istanbul, 4.95 million in the capital Ankara, and 4.06 million in the Aegean province of Izmir.

The ministry also confirmed 6,907 new coronavirus infections and 43 deaths in the last 24 hours, while as many as 5,063 more patients recovered. Also, more than 238,000 virus tests were conducted.

Following a meeting of the Coronavirus Science Board, Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said those who have received Sinovac as the first dose can receive their second dose four weeks later, and those vaccinated with BioNTech-Pfizer can receive their second dose in three weeks.

Koca underlined that case numbers in several provinces with low vaccination rates are rising, and urged people to receive their shots.

Despite the success of the vaccine program, the increasing trend in the number of cases shows that "the pandemic is not over yet," he said, adding that the current situation does not require strict restrictions.

"But if we do not comply with the measures and do not get our vaccines, we may encounter difficult days," he continued. "The condition for a strong return to normal is to comply with the measures until the herd immunity is achieved through vaccination."

Amid a nationwide fall in virus cases and an expedited vaccination drive, Turkey has entered a new normalization phase, 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 negative COVID-19 test results taken within 72 hours prior to their flight.