Fahrettin Koca

Following the launch of phase three clinical trials for an indigenously developed COVID-19 vaccine by Turkish authorities, hundreds of thousands of Turks have applied to volunteer in the trials in line with the development efforts.

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.

By taking our own measures, we will learn to participate in the normalization of life, the Turkish health minister told media outlets following a virtual meeting of the Coronavirus Science Board on June 2. 

With COVID-19 vaccines increasingly becoming more available, this summer will be the last when people will have to wear their face masks, the health minister told media outlets following a virtual meeting of the Coronavirus Scientific Advisory Board on June 2.

A man who attacked and severely injured an orthopedist at a hospital in the capital Ankara has prompted a massive public outcry in Turkey.

Ertan İskender, a doctor at Ankara Training and Research Hospital, was stabbed in his back and his right hand by an assailant, Bayram Nargüner, while examining another patient on May 26.

Health Minister Fahrettin Koca also released the latest weekly infection rates across the country's various regions.

Sharing the data for May 15-21 on Twitter, Fahrettin Koca touted the country's falling case numbers.

Intensive care occupancy in the Turkish metropolis Istanbul is at 71.4% amid a surge in coronavirus cases, Turkey's health minister said on April 19. 

Some 85 percent of new COVID-19 cases across Turkey are due to the U.K. variant, the country's health minister said on April 12, urging people to adhere to coronavirus measures to stem the spread of the virus.

Turkey plans to roll out its domestically developed vaccine against COVID-19 by the end of this summer, the country's health minister has said.

There are 18 Turkish vaccine candidates on the World Health Organization (WHO) list, Fahrettin Koca added, addressing the organization's media briefing on April 1.

Turkey has recorded 37,303 new coronavirus cases in the space of just 24 hours, the highest number since the beginning of the pandemic more than a year ago, health ministry data showed on March 30.

The government said on March 29 it would tighten restrictions on movement and gatherings because of rising infections, less than a month after easing them.