Experts warn against complacency amid declining COVID cases
ISTANBUL
With Turkey beginning to see a slight decline in the number of COVID-19 cases based on the seven-day rolling average, Turkish health experts express worries, warning authorities and people against complacency.
Professor Levent Akın, a public health specialist, pointed out that the decrease in the daily number of cases may increase complacency due to the boredom among the society.
Akın underlined the decrease in the meticulousness of following preventive measures for COVID-19 might lead to an increase in the number of cases and consequently to increased hospitalizations and deaths.
“The definitive solution is to wear masks and to complete their vaccinations, including booster shots. Otherwise, complacency and the disease are waiting around,” Akın noted.
Mustafa Doğan, an infectious diseases specialist, also stressed that there is complacency in society and that there may be an increase in the number of daily cases, adding that the rate of vaccination of booster dose decreased to 10 percent with the lifting of restrictions.
“Complacency can again have negative consequences for us. There may be an increasing trend in the number of cases again,” Doğan said, repeating the warning to act cautiously, especially in crowded environments.
Pointing out that coronaviruses are types of viruses that mutate rapidly, the expert emphasized that as the contact between people increases, the probability of the emergence of new variants rises.
“For this reason, people in the high-risk group must act with caution,” he said.
Meanwhile, Turkey’s confirmed cases increased by 24,614 in the past 24 hours, and 115 more people have died.
More than 52.9 million are now fully vaccinated, while the number of people who have received their third booster dose crossed 27.4 million.
