Turkey’s President Erdogan receives COVID-19 vaccine

ANKARA: Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan received the COVID-19 vaccine in front of TV cameras on Thursday, a move which a spokesman for his party said aimed to alleviate any public doubts about the effectiveness of the shot.

Erdogan received his first dose of the vaccine at the Ankara City Hospital. He arrived with Health Minister Fahrettin Koca, who received the first vaccine in the country a day earlier.

The country began administering the shots developed by China’s Sinovac to health workers on Thursday, rolling out a nationwide vaccination programme against a virus that has killed more than 23,000 people in the country. It has so far vaccinated more than 250,000 health workers.

“The number of vaccines in the first stage is clear. Now, another 25-30 million doses will come in the period ahead. We want to continue this rapidly,” Erdogan said while talking to journalists outside the hospital.

Health Minister Fahrettin Koca, speaking after Erdogan left the hospital, said all citizens should get vaccinated when their turn comes, urging the other politicians to do so.