Koca

Turkey has detected the first cases of the Omicron variant of COVID-19, the country's health minister has said, calling on people to remain calm but vigilant.

"One of the [Omicron] cases was in Istanbul and the other five cases were in [the western province of] İzmir," Fahrettin Koca told lawmakers in parliament on Dec. 11 during discussions on the Health Ministry's 2022 budget.

Around 8.6 million people in Turkey have skipped their second and third doses of the vaccines against COVID-19, the country's health minister has said.

"You need to get your shots on time if we are to benefit more from power of the vaccinations," Fahrettin Koca wrote on Twitter on Nov. 11, urging people to stick to the vaccination program.

Turkey's Science Board is not weighing closing schools as an option, the country's health minister has said, in response to a recent comment by a member of the board who suggested that in-class education may be suspended if virus cases increase.

It is difficult to maintain the decline in COVID-19 in Turkish provinces where the vaccinations against the virus remain below the country average, the country's health minister has warned.

It would be more appropriate if Turkey adopts a "controlled transition" after a full lockdown, the country's health minister has said.

Amid a resurgence in COVID-19 infections, the country on April 29 evening entered the full lockdown which will remain in effect until 5 a.m. on May 17.

Turkey aims to complete the vaccination of citizens over the age of 40 by the end of May or June at the latest, according to Fahrettin Koca, the country's health minister.

COVID-19 cases among young people in Turkey are increasing, the country's health minister has said.

Turkey has seen a surge in the coronavirus cases in recent weeks, prompting the government to tighten some of the curbs, including the reintroduction of full weekend lockdowns in very-high-risk provinces.

Turkey is ramping up its vaccination drive against COVID-19 by adding people aged over 60 and some risk groups with underlying conditions to the program, the country's health minister has announced.

The daily coronavirus cases in Turkey could hit around 20,000 in the next two weeks before the numbers start to decline in May, experts have said.

After the country moved to what officials dub the "controlled normalization" phase, a spike in infections was not unexpected, experts told daily Hürriyet.

Turkey has started on Feb. 12 administering the coronavirus vaccine on people aged 65 and above, the nation's health minister said.

"The vaccination for our citizens over the age of 65 begins tomorrow morning. The spouses of our citizens over the age of 65 can also be vaccinated if they are over the age of 60," Fahrettin Koca said on Twitter.