Turkey Buys 50 Million Doses Of Sinovac Vaccine

Ilustasi (Unsplash)

JAKARTA - Turkey has signed a contract to buy 50 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine from China's Sinovac Biotech, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said Wednesday, November 25.

"We have signed a contract for 50 million doses of the vaccine to be delivered in December, January and February," Koca said during a press conference reported by Antara, Thursday, November 26.

According to preliminary test results, Sinovac's experimental COVID-19 vaccine, CoronaVac, triggers a rapid immune response but the levels of antibodies produced are lower than in people who have recovered from the virus.

CoronaVac and four other experimental vaccines developed in China are currently undergoing final stages of trials to confirm their efficacy.

Speaking in Ankara after the coronavirus science council meeting, Koca said Turkey was also holding a series of talks with other vaccine developers.

"What's important here is for us to start using a vaccine that is known to be effective and reliable ... I expect the vaccination calendar to start on December 11," said Koca.

The VOI editorial team will continue to monitor all developments made by the world to fight COVID-19 through vaccines. Dear readers, can monitor the development of the COVID-19 vaccine procurement, both domestically and internationally, by touching this link.