Vaccine helped swift recovery from COVID, says Erdoğan

ANKARA

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Feb. 11 said he swiftly recovered from COVID-19 with the help of vaccines.

“I pulled through the illness very easily. Of course, the vaccine contributed. I’ve had two doses of Sinovac and three doses of BioNTech [vaccines]. Thanks to the effect of these vaccines, I recovered comfortably and in a short time,” he told reporters after Friday prayers.

Erdoğan said his COVID-19 test came back negative in four-five days.

“During this process, I did not have any malaise, fatigue, or exhaustion. I carried out my work, international, national, all at home,” he added.

The president said first lady Emine Erdoğan has yet to recover from the infection.

“The [symptoms] of Ms. Emine started one day after me, but my wife has not overcome it yet. Currently, all measures continue. I’m waiting for it to be over by Monday,” he said, recalling their planned visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Feb. 14.

Erdoğan on Feb. 11 met with the Organization of Turkic States Aksakals Council Delegation, six days after his isolation.

Erdoğan has tested negative for COVID-19 two days in a row and is expected to return to work, his doctor announced on Feb. 10.

“We think that the vaccines are definitely very effective. Our president’s stance on vaccines has been very clear since the beginning of the pandemic,” his doctor, Serkan Topaloğlu, told Anadolu Agency.

Topaloğlu said the president was free of any COVID-19 symptoms, while his wife was still displaying mild symptoms in the form of an “upper respiratory infection.”

Erdoğan was due to attend an inauguration ceremony in the Black Sea province of Zonguldak on Feb. 5, but instead, he attended it via videoconference earlier in the day.

“After experiencing mild symptoms, my wife and I tested positive for COVID-19. We have a mild infection, thankfully, which we learned to be the Omicron variant,” Erdoğan said in a tweet on Feb. 5. “We are on duty. We will continue to work from home. We look forward to your prayers,” he said.

Erdoğan to visit UAE

Meanwhile, Erdoğan is scheduled to visit the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Feb. 14-15.

The visit comes as Turkey steps up to restore its ties with the Gulf countries.

Relations between Turkey and the UAE were heavily strained after a Saudi Arabia-led blockade on Qatar by Arab nations, including the UAE, lasted from mid-2017 to early last year. Doha is one of Ankara’s closest allies.

The UAE and Turkey backed opposing sides in the Libyan conflict, where a fragile ceasefire has been in place since October 2020. Erdoğan and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan oversaw the signing of several investments and cooperation deals on Nov. 24 last year.