Turkey Rolls Out Its Own COVID-19 Vaccine as Infections Surge

Hasan Oz receives a shot of the Sinovac's CoronaVac COVID-19 vaccine as nationwide vaccination began for seniors of 80 years old or older at Sancaktepe Education and Research Hospital, in Istanbul, Turkey, January 27, 2021. (Reuters)
Hasan Oz receives a shot of the Sinovac's CoronaVac COVID-19 vaccine as nationwide vaccination began for seniors of 80 years old or older at Sancaktepe Education and Research Hospital, in Istanbul, Turkey, January 27, 2021. (Reuters)
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Turkey Rolls Out Its Own COVID-19 Vaccine as Infections Surge

Hasan Oz receives a shot of the Sinovac's CoronaVac COVID-19 vaccine as nationwide vaccination began for seniors of 80 years old or older at Sancaktepe Education and Research Hospital, in Istanbul, Turkey, January 27, 2021. (Reuters)
Hasan Oz receives a shot of the Sinovac's CoronaVac COVID-19 vaccine as nationwide vaccination began for seniors of 80 years old or older at Sancaktepe Education and Research Hospital, in Istanbul, Turkey, January 27, 2021. (Reuters)

Turkey began administering its domestically developed COVID-19 vaccine, Turkovac, at hospitals across the country on Thursday, amid a rapid surge in infections due to the omicron variant.

Turkey has already administered more than 130 million doses of vaccines using shots developed by China’s Sinovac and by Pfizer/BioNTech. It also began administering booster shots.

Turkovac received emergency use authorization from Turkish authorities last week, after its launch was beset by delays for months, Reuters reported.

Daily coronavirus cases jumped beyond 30,000 this week for the first time since October. New infections surged 30 percent on Monday and jumped further to beyond 36,000 on Wednesday, the highest daily figure since April 29.

Health Minister Fahrettin Koca has urged citizens to get their booster shots.

Koca met with the country’s coronavirus science council on Wednesday to discuss the Turkovac rollout and rising infections after receiving a booster shot with the domestic vaccine, but said no new restrictions were being considered for now.

“The faster spread of the omicron variant is not causing a change in measures. The importance of personal measures against this variant that spreads faster has significantly increased,” Koca said in a statement after the science council meeting.

“Our domestic vaccine Turkovac will begin to be administered at our city hospitals from (Thursday). It is possible to receive the booster shot with our domestic vaccine. No matter what type of vaccine you received before, you can get your booster vaccine with Turkovac,” he added.

President Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly said his government would make Turkovac available globally, but Ankara has yet to release detailed information about the vaccine’s efficacy rate or results from clinical trials.



Ground Stops Lift at Ottawa, Montreal Airports over Bomb Threats

The Montreal city skyline is seen from Mont Royal in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, May 31, 2018. REUTERS/Hyungwon Kang/File Photo
The Montreal city skyline is seen from Mont Royal in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, May 31, 2018. REUTERS/Hyungwon Kang/File Photo
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Ground Stops Lift at Ottawa, Montreal Airports over Bomb Threats

The Montreal city skyline is seen from Mont Royal in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, May 31, 2018. REUTERS/Hyungwon Kang/File Photo
The Montreal city skyline is seen from Mont Royal in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, May 31, 2018. REUTERS/Hyungwon Kang/File Photo

Ground stops were lifted at international airports in Ottawa and Montreal after a bomb threat on Thursday briefly halted departing flights, a US Federal Aviation Administration spokesperson said.

The Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier International Airport said on X that it was investigating a security incident and warned that operations may be disrupted, urging travelers to check their flight status, Reuters reported.

Air traffic control manager NAV Canada said in a statement that it was made aware of bomb threats affecting several of its facilities.

It said employees at affected locations were safely evacuated and that travelers may face delays.

The Ottawa Police Service also said on X that it was investigating a security incident at the Ottawa airport.