Fahrettin Koca

Health Minister Fahrettin Koca has once again called on the public to continue to adhere to the anti-virus rules and getting the vaccine against COVID-19.

Turkey is closely following developments in the wake of the emergence of the new COVID-19 strain, Omicron, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca has said, adding that the current situation does not necessitate taking additional measures.

He recalled that Turkey immediately acted after the new variant was detected in the world and imposed travel bans on certain countries.

Turkey is not presently considering imposing lockdowns or other stricter measures despite the emergence of the new COVID-19 strain, Omicron, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca has said, renewing calls for the public to get vaccinated and adhere to basic anti-virus rules, noting that millions of people are still not fully protected.

The death toll in a powerful wind storm that has been pounding Turkey's northwest region, including Istanbul, for a while has increased to five, the country's health minister has said, adding that 63 people have been injured so far.

The pandemic outlook has not changed significantly in Turkey and this course of COVID-19 makes it easier to bring the disease under control, the country's Health Minister has said.

The number of daily coronavirus infections, which climbed to record highs in April but declined to around 5,000, has remained below 30,000 since mid-October.

Turkish experts have urged the public to remain calm and not panic amid threats from the new COVID-19 strain, Omicron, but also called on people to get vaccinated and stick to anti-virus rules.

Turkey on Nov. 26 banned travel from five African nations, including South Africa, Mozambique, Namibia, and Zimbabwe, as a precaution against the new variant.

Turkey, the United States, Brazil, Canada, and Saudi Arabia became the latest countries on Nov. 26 to restrict travel from southern Africa, where a new Covid strain labelled a "variant of concern" has been discovered in a potentially heavy blow to the world's efforts to end the coronavirus pandemic.

As Turkey's daily COVID-19 cases have been rising steadily in the past few weeks and lingering around 25,000 over the last couple of days, Turkish authorities continue to call on citizens to comply with pandemic measures.

Health Minister Fahrettin Koca once again called on the people to comply "with the conditions of the fight" against the pandemic.

The emergency authorization application for the domestically developed COVID-19 vaccine, Turkovac, has been submitted to the Turkish Medicines and Medical Devices Agency (TİTCK), Health Minister Fahrettin Koca has announced.

Turkey's Health Minister Fahrettin Koca has underlined the importance of complying with personal hygiene rules and wearing face masks for protection against COVID-19 as the number of daily cases in the country exceeds 28,000.