Turkey to receive 10 mln Sinovac, 90 mln BioNTech vaccines by fall

Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on May 18 that Turkey would receive 10 million doses of the Chinese Sinovac vaccine by the end of the week, and some 90 million doses of the BioNTech vaccine by fall. The Health Ministry schedule for vaccinations can allow for herd immunity to be gained by mid-summer, Koca said.

Tuesday May 18 2021 01:10 pm

Duvar English

Ten million doses of the Chinese Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine will be arriving in Turkey within the next week, and 90 million doses of the BioNTech vaccine will be here before fall, Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on May 18.

Some 30 million doses of the BioNTech vaccine will arrive in June, while another 60 million will arrive before September, Koca said after a cabinet meeting, the broadcaster NTV reported.

BioNTech co-founder Uğur Şahin is expected to inform Health Ministry officials about the supply of vaccines in an online meeting of the Turkish Science Committee on May 20, Koca said.

Şahin is also expected to visit Turkey in June to help with vaccination efforts, the minister added.

The Health Ministry schedule for vaccinations can allow for herd immunity to be gained by mid-summer, Koca said, adding that everyone above 20 is expected to become eligible for vaccines by the end of June.

Around 10.8 million people have been fully vaccinated, or 13% of the population, with 14.9 million having received only a first dose, Health Ministry data showed on May 17.