Turkey: COVID-19 vaccinations to begin at nursing homes

ANKARA

Turkey will start vaccinating residents and workers in care and nursing homes and disabled care facilities this week, Anadolu Agency has learnt.

The country started administering the CoronaVac vaccine developed by China’s Sinovac Biotech to healthcare staff on Thursday. According to sources, it is expected that all healthcare professionals will be inoculated by next week.

In this context, the process to vaccinate residents and workers in official and private communal residences affiliated with the Ministry of Family, Labor and Social Services has been initiated.

It is expected that 18,450 personnel in official and private care homes, 30,000 disabled people, 14,470 personnel and 24,200 elderly people in official and private nursing homes will get vaccinated with the first dose in a week's time after the process is initiated.

The ministry had asked all such institutions to complete the necessary preparations earlier.

The first batch of 3 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine arrived in Turkey on Dec. 30.

Two doses will be administered 28 days apart, but those who recovered from COVID-19 will not be vaccinated for up to six months following their recovery.

Turkey has been implementing weekend and nighttime curfews to curb the spread of the novel disease. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, however, has announced that restrictions will be eased gradually as coronavirus cases have been decreasing significantly.

*Writing by Seda Sevencan