ANKARA
Turkey’s COVID-19 vaccination functionality has surpassed that of many countries that have been practicing vaccination for weeks.
Since Jan. 13, when the first vaccination was conducted, over 800,000 health personnel have been vaccinated against the virus in Turkey and vaccination efforts continue without a pause, especially for prioritized groups.
According to the data compiled by Anadolu Agency, the first batch of Chinese Sinovac firm’s CoronoVac arrived in Turkey on Dec. 30, 2020.
The vaccines were transferred from Esenboga airport in the capital, Ankara, to the Ministry of Health’s medicine and vaccine warehouse, which was reinforced with a temperature system, turbines and backup systems.
The investigation procedure was initiated through the Turkish Agency for Medicines and Medical Devices by monitoring random samples from laboratories.
The vaccines were distributed to the provincial medicine depots through special cars equipped with adequate air conditioning, once the trials were successful.
As CoronaVac was granted emergency use approval, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca and members of the Coronavirus Scientific Advisory Board became the first people to be vaccinated on Jan. 13.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also vaccinated the next day at a hospital in the city of Ankara.
On Jan. 14, in line with priority group principles, vaccination of health employees started in Turkey and a total of 285,000 of them got vaccinated on the first day the drive.
So far, more than 800,000 individuals have been vaccinated in Turkey.
Minister Koca said Turkey has the capacity to administer between 1. 5 and 2 million vaccines per day.
EU’s vaccination
The progress of the vaccination process in the EU, which began at the end of December, does not meet expectations.
Although BioNTech/Pfizer and Moderna vaccines were granted approval and distributed among the EU countries, the targeted number of vaccines was not achieved due to a lack of personnel and logistical problems.
Italy, one of the countries with the highest number of deaths, introduced vaccination on December 27. According to Italian authorities, the number of vaccinated people stood at 1. 15 million as of January 17.
Italy has used 81. 9% of its 1,408,875 vaccine doses, while 850,000 vaccines have been administered in the priority group to stay fit.
Although Italy has applied vaccines more than any other EU country, domestic political figures criticize the slowness of the immunization process.
Germany announced its vaccination campaign on Dec. 26 and 1. 05 million more people had been vaccinated as of Jan. 15.
Spain, which started vaccinations on Dec. 27, has vaccinated 768,950 people by Jan. 15. Spain’s vaccination efforts are conducted through healthcare personnel of 17 autonomous administrations in coordination with the Health Ministry.
A total of 422,127 people in France have been vaccinated as of Jan. 17, according to the figures released by the country’s Health Ministry.
Official figures from the Netherlands indicate that 55,000 vaccine doses were used in the country from January 6 to 17, while Belgium vaccinated a further 96,402 people between December 28 and January 16.
140 vaccines per minute in UK
The United Kingdom began its process on December 8 and 3. 8 million people had been vaccinated as of January 17.
The government announced that it was planning to vaccinate citizens in risky groups, including the elderly and chronically sick people, until Feb. 15.
Officials at the U. K. Department of Health say the country is administering 140 vaccinations per minute and that vaccinating others over the age of 70 or with serious physical conditions would begin from Monday.
The vaccination of health employees and those over 80 years old was prioritized by British authorities in the initial phase.
*Written through Ali Murat Alhas.