ANKARA, KAYSERI, Turkey
Turkovac, the coronavirus vaccine candidate developed locally in Turkey, was administered this week to volunteers as a component of phase 3 clinical trials.
At the Ankara City Hospital in the capital, clinical trials of the vaccine jointly developed through Erciyes University and the Turkish Institutes of Health (TUSEB) are underway.
More than 40,000 Turkish and foreign volunteers are taking part in the tests.
Bircan Kayaaslan, an infectious disease specialist, spoke to Anadolu Agency about the vaccine progression studies being carried out at the hospital.
“Previous studies show that our national vaccine is effective,” Kayaaslan said.
Mustafa Calis, rector of Erciyes University, said: “All our volunteers developed one hundred percent antibodies opposed to the virus after receiving the vaccine. That’s huge. Not only the point of antibodies but also other parameters were very effective.
Turkish doctors are also studying its effect on mutant viruses, Calis added.
One of the volunteers, Tahsin Tunc, 33, told Anadolu Agency: “Although I am among the priority teams for the COVID-19 vaccine, I did not receive a foreign vaccine because I wanted to contribute to the vaccine progression program. I believed more in Turkovac.
As COVID-19 cases decline across the country, Turkey will end all restrictions, adding nightly curfews and general lockdowns on Sundays, starting July 1.
According to the latest government figures, the total number of cases in Turkey now exceeds 5. 38 million, while the national death toll stands at 49,358.
Since December 2019, the pandemic has claimed nearly 3. 9 million lives in 192 countries and regions, and some 179. 6 million cases have been reported worldwide, according to Johns Hopkins University.
*Written by Zehra Nur Duz in Ankara