Human trials of homegrown COVID-19 vaccine underway in Turkey

By Tezcan Ekizler

IZMIR, Turkey (AA) - Trials of Turkey’s domestic COVID-19 vaccine are underway in the Aegean province of Izmir, an official said on Monday.

Doses of the Turkovac jab are being administered to volunteers at three hospitals in Izmir as part of Phase 3 trials of the homegrown vaccine, according to Dr. Mehmet Burak Oztop, the provincial health director.

“To start, we have invited people under the age of 60 who have received two doses of the Sinovac vaccine and are willing to take a third Turkovac dose as a booster,” he told reporters.

“In the coming weeks, we will start administering Turkovac shots to people who are still completely unvaccinated.”

The inactive vaccine, jointly developed by the Turkish Health Ministry, Health Institutes of Turkey, and the Erciyes University, has successfully completed Phase 1 and 2 trials in Turkey.

Health Minister Fahrettin Koca recently said the vaccine is at a stage where authorities are preparing to apply for emergency use approval.

*Writing by Jeyhun Aliyev in Ankara