COVID-19 vaccination in Indonesia

The COVID-19 vaccine has saved 469,186 lives for people aged 60 and over in 33 countries in the WHO European Region since the start of the vaccination campaign. This is evidenced by the results of a new study by the WHO Regional Office for Europe and the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), the organizations said in a press release, quoted by TASS.

Vaccine hesitancy and vaccine refusals appear to be main stumbling blocks in achieving herd immunity, an expert has said.

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 vaccination drive needs to be accelerated in order to reach herd immunity, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca has said. 

The Delta variant of the new coronavirus can be easily transmitted by vaccinated people through household contact, and contacts are unlikely to become infected if they themselves are vaccinated, according to a British study quoted by Reuters.

As COVID-19 cases are seen most among young people, the Turkish Health Ministry is expanding its efforts and seeking cooperation with YouTube influencers to encourage the youth to get their jabs and eliminate vaccine skepticism in the country.

Young people are appearing to be the main culprit for the spread of COVID-19 recently, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca has said, noting that, however, most of the patients who are treated for the coronavirus in intensive care units are the elderly and those with chronic diseases. 

The number of the COVID-19 vaccines Turkey has administered since mid-January when the inoculation drive began has surpassed 114 million doses, with the country's health minister renewing call for young people to get the shot.

COVID-19 cases may increase further in Turkey in the coming days, the country's Health Minister has warned, noting that the number of daily infections has remained above 30,000 for some time.

Currently, Turkey is experiencing a spike in coronavirus cases that climbed to 33,680 on Oct. 12, marking the highest level since April 30.

Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca has called on university students to "immediately" get their vaccine shots against COVID-19, warning that the virus is spreading fast among the young population.