Sinovac Biotech

Industry and Technology Minister Mustafa Varank has volunteered to take part in the phase 1 human trial of a vaccine candidate against COVID-19 that is being developed at Ankara Oncology Hospital.

Varank received the first shot of the vaccine based on virus-like particles' technology.

Turkey has ramped up "vaccine diplomacy" and the work on developing the country's own injection against COVID-19 is making progress, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca has said, as the number of daily infections continues to rise.

Turkey has registered 180,448 U.K. variant cases of the novel coronavirus in 81 provinces, the country's health minister said in a statement on March 31. 

Following a meeting of the Coronavirus Scientific Advisory Board, Fahrettin Koca said the U.K. variant accounts for 75% of all cases in the country.

More transmittable virus variants are now accounting for 80 percent of all COVID-19 cases across Turkey, which has been experiencing a significant surge in the number of infections over the past weeks.

The rate is around 70 percent for Istanbul, the country's largest city by population, which was once the epicenter of the outbreak in Turkey.

Μέχρι στιγμής χρησιμοποιεί εμβόλια της κινεζικής φαρμακοβιομηχανίας Sinovac Biotech Ltd

All air passengers arriving in Turkey are required to fill in an entry form at least 72 hours before their travel starting on March 15, Turkish Airlines has announced.

The required forms can be reached at http://register.health.gov.tr.

Turkish Cargo, a subsidiary of the national flag carrier Turkish Airlines, has carried coronavirus vaccines and other medical equipment supplied by UNICEF across the world.

"As the air cargo brand that utilizes the widest flight network of the world, Turkish Cargo shoulders an important mission in the fight against the pandemic," it said in a press release on March 13.

In a statement on the latest results of Phase 3 trials in Turkey of the Chinese-made Sinovac vaccine, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on March 4 its overall efficiency was 83.5% with a hospitalization prevention rate of 100%.

"Our experience also shows that hospitalizations are being prevented [via vaccine]," he added.

The COVID-19 vaccine developed by China's Sinovac Biotech has an efficacy of 83.5 percent based on the final results of Phase III trials, Turkish researchers said on March 3, a downward revision from a preliminary finding of 91.25 percent.

Turkey is the most successful nation in effectively carrying out its vaccination program, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said, informing that more than 7.5 million doses of the vaccine developed by China's Sinovac Biotech have been given to the Turkish citizens since the start of the campaign in January.