Turkey names it's vaccine Turkovac

Turkey's president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Tuesday, June 22 unveiled Turkovac, the name for the country's indigenously developed COVID-19 vaccine candidate.

The vaccine development program has entered Phase 3 clinical trials on volunteers, starting at Ankara City Hospital, with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan attending via videoconference.

Health Minister Fahrettin Koca witnessed the first volunteers getting the jabs: Erciyes University’s Aykut Özdarendereli, one of the scientists who developed the vaccine, and Dr. Serhat Ünal, its Turkish coordinator.

Speaking at the event, Erdoğan said Turkey stepped up its mass inoculation efforts with vaccines imported from Germany and China, but that domestic vaccines would help control infection in the future.

“It is critical that we have our own vaccine in order to save our country from the grip of the pandemic as soon as possible and to ensure the health and welfare of our nation. With this study, which has entered Phase 3, we have now entered the final turning point in having our own vaccine,” said Erdoğan.

Turkey this week announced the ending of most pandemic restrictions due to dropping case numbers, but Erdogan also called on Turkish citizens to get vaccinated to protect themselves and their loved ones from the virus.

"Turkey will lower the COVID-19 vaccination eligibility age to 18 in the coming weeks," said Erdoğan, adding that with accelerated vaccination, COVID-19 restrictions will be lifted one by one.

Speaking at the event, Koca called it a historic moment.

Telling how domestic vaccine efforts began with the isolation of the virus, Koca added that support from the Health Institutes of Turkey (TUSEB) brought the efforts to their current advanced stage.

Koca said the Turkish vaccine’s safety and efficacy were proved in Phase 1 and Phase 2 studies.

“Today, the vaccine has reached its final phase, which means its formulation will not change from now on. This is the pride of our nation, this pride belongs to our nation,” he said.

“Now we will see the efficacy of the vaccine on volunteers during the Phase 3 trials. And we want to see the efficacy of the vaccine, which will be used widely afterwards,” he added.