A Turkish health worker analyses samples of COVID-19 vaccines, developed by Chinese company Sinovac, after they were brought to Ankara, Turkey, on Jan. 5, 2021. (Xinhua)
Turkey's vaccination campaign on Tuesday extended to the people staying and working in care and nursing homes and the citizens over 90.
The state-run TRT news broadcaster released footage of the elderly and their caregivers getting their first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by China's Sinovac at the nursing homes on Tuesday.
The elderly over 90 also received their vaccines at home.
In the first phase of the vaccination campaign since Jan. 14, 830,000 health workers have been vaccinated and their inoculation will be completed by Jan. 20, according to Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca.
Turkey confirmed on Tuesday 6,818 new COVID-19 cases, including 761 symptomatic patients, raising the total number in the country to 2,399,781, according to its health ministry.
The death toll from the virus in Turkey rose by 167 to 24,328, while the total recoveries climbed to 2,277,987 after 7,218 more recovered in the last 24 hours.
The rate of pneumonia in COVID-19 patients stands at 5.1 percent and the number of seriously ill patients is 2,162 in the country, said the ministry.
A total of 175,133 tests were conducted over the past day, bringing the overall number of tests in Turkey to 27,698,556.
The Turkish authorities have approved the emergency use of the Chinese COVID-19 vaccine.
