Now in its third year since its first reported case, Turkey appears to be leaving the worst of the coronavirus pandemic behind. The skyrocketing number of cases last month had renewed fears but all of a sudden, the daily number of cases plummeted to as low as 25,000 from around 100,000. This trend seems to be linked to the peak theory that says cases need to reach the highest possible point before they begin to decline. In addition, Turkey is witnessing a drop in the number of people hospitalized or in critical care.
Professor Hakan Oğuztürk, an emergency medicine expert at Ankara City Hospital in the Turkish capital, says they are seeing “positive” developments at hospitals as the drop in cases is reflected in their workload. “The rate of hospitalizations, admissions to intensive care clearly decreased,” he says.
Apart from the impact of vaccination and restrictions, this downward trend is mainly linked to omicron, a less lethal variant of the coronavirus, especially for otherwise healthy people. It is more infectious than earlier variants but for many people outside the risk groups, it is not nearly as fatal as severe influenza.
Oğuztürk attributes the decline in cases primarily to the vaccination drive and stressed that both regular doses and booster shots are important in avoiding the devastating effects of the coronavirus.
“Eventually, we will see fewer and fewer cases day by day when people stick to proper vaccination,” he told Anadolu Agency (AA) on Wednesday. He noted that the number of people with booster shots was still low compared to people with two doses of vaccine, urging people who were inoculated with a second dose more than three months ago to get their booster shots.
He said COVID-19 wards were not as full as they were in the past and more hospitals were converting them into wards for patients with other illnesses. Oğuztürk added that the summer would be a better time in terms of the pandemic’s impact.
Turkey on Tuesday reported 24,614 new cases and 115 deaths, while the treatment and quarantine process ended for another 30,553 people. Over 93% of the population aged 18 and above has received the first dose of vaccination while the rate of people with two doses stands above 85%.
Professor Levent Akın, a public health expert at Hacettepe University in Ankara says the decline in cases comes with its dangers, that is, people relaxing their individual measures. “This may revive the surge in cases,” he warned.
Akın told Demirören News Agency (DHA) on Wednesday that Turkey largely relegated the restrictions to individuals rather than a top-down approach and people now have a greater responsibility. The country had recently scrapped the outdoors mask rule and lifted the requirement of a QR pass for entrance to crowded venues. Masks are still mandatory indoors if a crowded place is not ventilated properly.
“You might inadvertently contribute to a new increase in the number of cases if you drop your guard. The outdoors mask rule is lifted but I see many people still stick to it. You should absolutely wear masks while you are outside if you can’t keep your distance at least two meters away from others,” he warned. Akın said although it was spring, the weather was still cold and with precipitation driving more people indoors, masks are still a must for everyone.
