80 pct of teachers across country fully vaccinated: Minister

ANKARA

Some 80 percent of the teachers across the country have received two doses of COVID-19 vaccines, Education Minister Mahmut Özer has said, noting that none of the 71,300 schools have been closed due to the virus.

“The rate of the jabbed teachers is going up day by day,” Özet told private broadcaster NTV on Sept. 18.

The rate of teachers having received one dose of a vaccine was 73 percent when the minister took office on Aug. 6.

“As of Sept. 17, 92 percent of teachers have gotten one dose. When we consider that the country average for one dose is 83 percent, we are 8 percent higher than the country average,” he said.

On the other hand, the rate of teachers who were double dosed was 59 percent on Aug. 6. Thanking the teachers, the minister stressed the percentage jumped to 80 percent as of Sept. 17.

There are 71,320 schools across the country, and none of them have been closed due to the virus, he said.

But “some classrooms have been closed. It is normal as cases increase across the country,” he added.

The minister also stressed that his ministry is working closely with the Health Ministry and has taken all needed measures to continue face-to-face education in schools.

According to a map released by the ministry, the rate of vaccination is below 75 percent in only 11 provinces out of 81 and is marked yellow.

Separately, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca shared the number of cases across between Sept. 12 and Sept. 18.

According to the minister, the daily number of cases, which was 21,352 on Sept. 12, jumped to 28,224 on Sept. 15.

With a slight decline, Turkey reported 27,692 new coronavirus cases on Sept. 17 and 26,161 cases on Sept. 18.

“The numbers should not be compared daily but must be considered weekly. The past one week is really warning us,” Koca wrote on his Twitter account late Sept. 18.

He reiterated that members of the public must “obey the measures” and once again urged everyone to get vaccinated.