COVID-19 handled well in schools, says minister

ISTANBUL

Turkey has been managing the COVID-19 well at its schools since face-to-face education resumed, Education Minister Mahmut Özer said, reiterating that schools will not close again.

“We are closely monitoring the situation in schools, such as the number of reported coronavirus cases in coordination with the Health Ministry…Our biggest advantage is the high vaccination rate among teachers,” the minister added.

Özer noted that 18 million students and 1.2 million teachers attend classes in more than 57,000 schools.

“Some 87 percent of the teachers have been fully vaccinated and around 5 percent have had COVID-19 and developed immunity…Thus, this, including those double jabbed and already contracted the virus, correspond to some 92 percent of teachers. This is remarkable,” he said.

The minister also stressed that there was a serious acceleration in Turkey’s vaccination drive after announcing on Aug. 6 that the schools would be open.

Meanwhile, Professor Levent Akın from the Health Ministry’s Science Board, said that COVID-19 cases may increase further in Turkey in the coming month.

“My concern is that we may not be able to keep the increase in cases at 25,000-30,000 after a while, especially towards December, it may start to rise a little more,” Akın said, noting that number of cases increases in Turkey usually two-three weeks after an increase in cases in Europe, according to epidemiological data.

Pointing out that society was tired of the pressure created by the pandemic, Akın emphasized that compliance with the measures has declined but events that will increase the possibility of transmission are continuing.

“People do not take any protective measures; they especially do not wear face masks. Also, vaccination rates are not at the desired level,” he noted.

He stressed that those who have received two doses of the Sinovac vaccine should definitely have an extra dose three months after the injection date.

The academic also underlined that different measures may come to the agenda if the increase in cases continues.