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Turkey to receive coronavirus vaccine on Dec 11

Thursday, 03 December 2020 10:59 PM [ Last Update: Thursday, 03 December 2020 10:59 PM ]

Rahshan Saglam

Press TV, Istanbul

Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca announced that Turkey will start distributing coronavirus vaccine after December 11.

The minister said the Chinese vaccine which Turkey had already made a deal to receive, will be given to all citizens in a four-phase scheme. The first phase will include health workers and senior citizens as well as people with disabilities. The second phase will cover those with crucial and necessary jobs and citizens with chronic diseases.

Turkey made an agreement with China earlier to purchase 50 million vaccine doses. Turkey will be among the first countries in the world to begin vaccinating people for the coronavirus, with the first shipment of vaccines it has purchased to arrive in Ankara sometime after Dec. 11

Turkish president announced Monday a series of measures and restrictions to reduce the number of infections such as imposing a daily curfew that starts at 9pm and ends at 5am as well as a total lockdown during the weekend.

This is the famous Istiklal street where usually some 3 million people would cross it in a single day, however now as part of coronavirus restrictions only 7,000 pedestrians are allowed to venture the avenue at the same time.

Citizens and business owners argue that the closure and lockdown measures are affecting the economy. Meanwhile main opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu criticized government's way of handling the coronavirus crisis, saying the measures taken by the government negatively affected the economy as well as harmed medium and small businesses. He also accused the government of lying about infected and death toll numbers.

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