Turkish study shows China's Sinovac vaccine 'significantly effective'

Hospital staff getting the Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine in Ankara, Turkey, January 14, 2021. /CFP

China's Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine is significantly effective, said a Turkish health official based on the analysis results of over 7.5 million people in the country that have been inoculated with the vaccine.

Turkey started its

nationwide COVID-19 vaccinations

on January 14 after the Sinovac vaccine, known as CoronaVac, was granted approval for emergency use a day earlier.

Since the inoculation began, the positive case ratio for people aged 65 and above has dropped to 8.2 percent from 17.7 percent, and has decreased to 1.3 percent from 5.3 percent for healthcare workers. The hospitalization ratio for senior citizens decreased to 31 percent from 57.4 percent, and for medics, the ratio dropped to 0.78 percent from 3.1 percent, Nikkei Asia reported on Tuesday, citing Health Minister Fahrettin Koca, who took the jab shortly after the vaccine was granted emergency authorization.

"Vaccination provides significant benefit regarding cases, hospitalization, receiving intensive care, intubation dimensions," said Koca, who urged eligible citizens to get vaccinated.

The vaccine has

an efficacy of 83.5 percent

against the novel coronavirus, and prevents hospitalization by 100 percent, Ankara-based Hacettepe University announced in March based on third-phase trials in the country.

The Sinovac vaccine was the only COVID-19 vaccine administered in the country until April 2 when Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 shots were introduced.

Screenshot from the Ministry of Health, April 16, 2021.

Turkey has administered over 19.7 million doses of vaccines, according to the Ministry of Health on Friday.