Turkey starts administering COVID-19 vaccine to healthcare workers following emergency approval

The Turkish Health Ministry started administering the Chinese COVID-19 vaccine Coronavac to healthcare workers on Jan. 14. Health Minister Fahrettin Koca became the first recipient on Jan. 13, after the Turkish Medicine and Medical Devices Agency (TİTCK) granted emergency approval to the treatment.

Healthcare workers across Turkey received the first dose of the Chinese Coronavac vaccine on Jan. 14 amid ongoing debate about the treatment's efficiency.

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Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca became the first recipient on Jan. 13, after the Turkish Medicine and Medical Devices Agency (TİTCK) granted emergency approval for the treatment.

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Chinese Sinovac's treatment Coronavac was said to be 91.25-percent safe by Turkish researchers, although it was proven to be 50.4 percent effective in trials in Brazil, barely crossing the 50-percent threshold needed to receive approval.

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The vaccine will be administered to health workers first per the priority schedule created by the Health Ministry, and seniors over 65 who have chronic illnesses have second priority.

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