The Minister of Health, Dr. Fahrettin Koca, delivered a statement following the Coronavirus Scientific Committee meeting.
In his speech, Minister Koca said the number of infected people had reached 69 million globally, and the 1.5 million people had died due to COVID-19.
Noting that there was no country in the world where COVID-19 was not present, Koca continued, "Since day one of our response, the Scientific Committee has guided us. It has been convening regularly and evaluating the course of the pandemic in Turkey and the rest of the world, new scientific developments, and changing conditions."
"Number of tests has reached 20 million"
Referring to the increase in the test capacity, Koca added, "As of today, the total number of tests performed has reached 20 million. The number of cases has exceeded 1.5 million. 550 thousand of these cases had significant disease and more than 15 thousand people died."
Daily talks with provinces
Minister Koca said, "Compared to the previous peak in April, the number of cases have increased more than five-fold and the number of deaths by 55%. Starting from critical provinces, we hold daily talks with governors, health directors, and heads of public health to closely follow the situation."
"Crowded environments make contamination inevitable”
Reiterating the importance of effective protection measures, Koca said, "Wearing a mask, keeping a social distance and hygiene are the top three measures. But, we know that these are not enough. During cold winter months, we spend much more time indoors. And crowded environments make contamination inevitable. It is highly important to adequately ventilate indoor spaces. Effective protection is not only our responsibility for ourselves, but also for the society we are living in and for healthcare workers who are selflessly risking their lives for us."
"Healthcare workers will be started to get vaccinated by the end of December"
With regard to the vaccine, Koca said, "We are not considering to make it mandatory. Our objective is rather to raise public awareness to make mass vaccination widespread. When the public is clearly and transparently informed about the safety and efficacy of the vaccine, I do not think they will do otherwise."
Noting that the vaccines would arrive after December 11, Koca continued, "Following the arrival, the vaccine will be tested at the laboratories of the General Directorate of Public Health and the Turkish Medicines and Medical Devices Institution for 2 weeks. In Turkey, no vaccine is distributed for use before getting cleared by laboratory safety tests. So, it seems like we will be able to start vaccinating healthcare workers first by the end of December."
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