Authorities sent text messages to invite people for jab

ISTANBUL

The authorities have been sending text messages to invite people, who are eligible for a booster dose, to get vaccinated, a senior official has said, as the country’s vaccination drive continues without interruption.

“Our ministry informs our citizens, who have been vaccinated more than three months ago, according to the determined schedule directly by phone message so that they do not miss the date of their dose,” Health Minister Fahrettin Koca tweeted.

Turkey last week decided to shorten the booster shot interval to three months from the previous six months.

Calling those eligible for the booster dose to have their vaccinations immediately, Koca said that the vaccination done on time would render more protection.

Data from the Health Ministry show that more than 51.2 million people have received two vaccine doses against the deadly virus.

However, only a little more than 14.7 million people have visited health institutions to get the booster shot.

The data also shows that nearly 57 million people, which corresponds to 91 percent of the adult population, have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 jab.