Low second dose rates endangering vaccination momentum

As Turkey's vaccination drive against the coronavirus pandemic continues successfully in terms of both the scope of the jab program and the speed of inoculations, the latest remarks of a senior Turkish official show that reluctance among the public to get the second dose of a vaccine endangers momentum in the program

Turkey's Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said that some out of all 81 provinces in the country scored relatively low rates in second dose vaccinations although they reached successfully the first dose target in a short time.

"We have eight provinces with a second dose rate below 65 percent and 59 provinces below 80 percent, although the first dose of vaccination [campaign] was successful in a short time," Koca said on Twitter.

The vaccination rate is still under at 65 percent in several southeastern provinces, including Şanlıurfa, Mardin, Diyarbakır, Bingöl, Muş, Bitlis, Siirt and Batman, as vaccine hesitancy and outright opposition to vaccines seem to be the main causes of low rates.

"We would like to remind those who are still undecided about vaccination: Humanity is eager to get vaccinated," Koca said, adding that countries with a low vaccination rates are those that cannot supply vaccines.

Turkey has administered over 119.5 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines since it launched an immunization drive in January, according to official figures.

More than 56.08 million people have been given a first vaccine dose, while over 50.06 million are fully vaccinated, the Health Ministry said. The country has also given third booster shots to over 11.9 million people.

The ministry recorded 21,177 new COVID-19 cases, 195 deaths, and 34,290 recoveries over the 24 hours and as many as 350,163 virus tests were done in...