Arab News

DUBAI: Turkey has launched a nationwide vaccination program against COVID-19 after the government approved emergency use of China’s Sinovac, local daily Hurriyet Daily reported.

More than 1 million health workers in the country were among the first to get the jab, after the country’s Science Board members were inoculated live on Jan. 13.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan received jab the next day.

Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said it was an “absolute need to get the injection” to return to “old lives,” but the vaccination was not mandatory.

Koca said the shots would be distributed fairly, in four stages, following priorities set by the Science Board.

The first and second stage of the inoculation drive involve health care workers, government officials, and the elderly. The last two stages aim to cover the rest of the population.

Turkey has an initial three million doses of Sinovac of the 50 million doses waiting to be delivered.

The country has recorded over 2.3 million cases of the virus, as well as 23,495 deaths.