Coronavirus: Erdogan says Turkey to start COVID-19 vaccination Thursday or Friday
January 12, 2021, 11:19 am

Coronavirus: Erdogan says Turkey to start COVID-19 vaccination Thursday or Friday

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. (AFP)

Turkey will begin administering COVID-19 vaccines as of Thursday or Friday, President Tayyip Erdogan said, and will gradually lift restrictive measures as infections decline.

Turkey has agreed to purchase 50 million doses of Sinovac’s CoronaVac vaccine and has taken delivery of an initial 3 million doses. It has also agreed to procure 4.5 million doses of the vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech, with an option to buy 30 million more later.

“Until a lasting solution is found for this problem, we must continue to lead our lives with restrictions,” Erdogan said on Monday after a cabinet meeting in Ankara.

“Surely, we will gradually lift the restrictions once the infection numbers fall under a certain figure,” he said, without elaborating.

Ankara plans to give the first doses to health workers and people over 65, followed by those over 50 with at least one chronic illness, in addition to those in specific sectors or high-risk environments.

The third group will include young adults and those not in prior groups. A fourth group covers the rest.

Turkey has imposed week-long evening curfews and full weekend lockdowns for more than a month in an effort to curb the virus. The curfews have led to a decline in daily infections.

A Turkish official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said earlier on Monday that restrictions could be eased from February if the decline continues.

Reopening schools for face-to-face education would depend on the situation in February, when they are currently slated to resume, the official added.

Turkey recorded 174 COVID-19 deaths in the last 24 hours, according to government data, bringing the toll to 22,981. It also reported 10,220 new coronavirus cases, with the total rising to 2,336,476.

source: Reuters

Image source: AFP

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BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”