Acute phase of pandemic nearing end in Turkey, says health minister

The "acute" phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey is nearing an end, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca has said as the country broke yet another record in the number of daily vaccines administered.

The daily virus cases have declined sharply over the past weeks, easing from more than 60,000 in mid-April to around 6,000 lately.

In the face of the record number of infections, the government introduced a lockdown from April 29 to May 17 to bring the spread of the virus under control which apparently paid off.

"In these days we are in, I think that the acute period of the pandemic is nearing its end and we are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel," Koca said during an online meeting with Hans Kluge, the WHO regional director for Europe.

Turkey will make good progress by carrying out an effective inoculation drive until the autumn, the minister added.

Koca also announced on June 16 that people will be able to make an appointment and have their shot on the same day.

The country's vaccination program has gained a significant momentum recently. On June 15, a record number of 1.24 million doses of the jab were administered in a single day. The previous record was registered on June 14 at 842,494.

For his part, Kluge praised Turkey's efforts to lower COVID-19 cases and the rapid implementation of the coronavirus vaccination. He also thanked Turkey for its international cooperation and solidarity.

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