Turkey has given 84.57M coronavirus vaccine shots so far

By Busra Nur Cakmak

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey has administered over 84.57 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines since it launched a mass vaccination campaign in January, according to official figures released on Monday.

The country continues its intensive vaccination campaign to curb the spread of the coronavirus, as everyone aged 16 and older is eligible for vaccine shots.

According to the Health Ministry, over 44.37 million people have gotten their first doses, while more than 33.37 million are now fully vaccinated.

Turkey is also administering third COVID-19 vaccine booster shots, and over 6.81 million such doses have been given.

To date, 71.46% of the country's adult population has received at least one dose of the two-step vaccines.

The ministry also confirmed 18,163 new infections and 165 coronavirus-related deaths in the last 24 hours, while as many as 16,642 more patients recovered.

Turkey has entered a normalization phase in July amid a nationwide fall in infections and an expedited vaccination drive, lifting almost all virus-related restrictions.

However, seeking to limit the spread of the Delta variant of the virus, the country has suspended flights from Bangladesh, Brazil, South Africa, India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka.

Meanwhile, passengers from the UK, Iran, Egypt, and Singapore are required to have a negative COVID-19 test result taken within 72 hours before their flight.

Since December 2019, the pandemic has claimed over 4.36 million lives in 192 countries and regions, with more than 207.55 million cases have been reported worldwide, according to the US' Johns Hopkins University.