As Turkey continues its fight against COVID-19 with rising vaccination numbers, an expert underlined that the country has reached a stable phase in the struggle.
"Due to the omicron variant, case numbers went up, especially in the United States and Europe ... to reach a stable course later and to decrease after that phase. As Turkey, we are in the stable phase now," associate professor Afşin Emre Kayıpmaz told Ihlas News Agency (IHA) on Sunday.
Kayıpmaz, also a member of the Health Ministry's Coronavirus Scientific Advisory Board, underlined that vaccination is even more crucial given that the omicron variant is highly transmissible, and added that case numbers worldwide first hit a peak, then stabilized and started decreasing after that period. He emphasized that Turkey is on a stable course.
"Scientific studies have shown that the omicron variant is more contagious compared to previous variants, manifesting itself with record-high case numbers," he said.
"We have to underline a fact here: As the omicron variant spreads to more people, it continues to threaten our senior citizens over the age of 65 and people with chronic diseases as it also remains a threat for people who have not gotten their vaccines and booster shots," Kayıpmaz emphasized.
"I can say that the majority of COVID-19 patients we have at Ankara City Hospital are people who have not got any vaccines or booster shots."
Booster shots crucial
Kayıpmaz also said that alongside the domestically developed vaccine Turkovac, the Pfizer-BioNTech and Chinese Sinovac vaccines are also in use in Turkey, and underlined that booster shots are crucial for protection against the deadly disease.
"Vaccines are the tool that protects us from severe illness and hospitalization, and they are the most prominent helper should we ever encounter this virus. That’s why booster shots need to be done," the official added, underlining that full vaccination helps prevent severe illness, even in the case of breakthrough infection.
Emphasizing that wearing masks largely prevents the spread of the omicron variant, Kayıpmaz urged Turkish citizens to continue to abide by the rules of hygiene and social distancing.
Molnupiravir joins arsenal
Kayıpmaz also touched upon Health Minister Fahrettin Koca’s recent announcement that the antiviral drug Molnupiravir has joined Turkey’s arsenal against COVID-19.
Saying that the drug is already in use in many countries such as the United States and United Kingdom, Kayıpmaz said that its ability to prevent severe disease in senior citizens and people with immune deficiencies is crucial.
"This is a drug that helps strengthen our defenses against the disease," he said.
"But let’s not forget, preventive medicine comes first, so we should all focus on proper vaccination, wearing masks, social distancing, hygiene and avoiding large crowds."
On Thursday, Koca announced that Turkey has started to distribute Molnupiravir to senior citizens and people with immune deficiencies.
In a statement, the Coronavirus Scientific Advisory Board said that the drug significantly increases the success rate in COVID-19 treatment.
Professor Alper Şener, a member of the Coronavirus Scientific Advisory Board, also recently said that the drug will be effective in suppressing the virus’s impact on the body.
"I believe it will reduce the rate of hospitalization and intensive care needed, especially among patients aged 65 and above and those with additional chronic illnesses," he said.
Şener told Anadolu Agency (AA) that it will also mark the first time the country will use a locally produced drug against the deadly disease. The introduction of the drug comes at a time when Turkey is struggling with a new wave in the pandemic, aggravated by the fast-spreading omicron variant.
Şener also said that Molnupiravir would be administered to senior citizens and people with chronic diseases like diabetes. The drug primarily aims to prevent the virus from settling into the lungs, the part of the body it affects the most. He added that the drug would be administered twice a day during the five-day treatment. He noted that the doses are far lower compared to favipiravir, another drug widely used in the early days of the pandemic in Turkey, adding that this could alleviate people’s concerns about antiviral drugs used against COVID-19.
Developed by the U.S. pharmaceutical company Merck, Molnupiravir is projected to boost drug sales in 2022 up to $6 billion, according to a financial statement by the company released Thursday. The company announced last year that the drug reduced hospitalizations and deaths by 30% based on clinical trials on adults with high-risk factors. It was approved as a second at-home drug treatment for the virus by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Dec. 23, a day after Pfizer's Paxlovid got the green light. Merck has so far delivered 1.4 million courses of Molnupiravir since its approval. The company is planning to deliver 3.1 million courses across the U.S. in the upcoming months, in addition to supplying 4 million courses to 25 countries this year, CEO Rob Davis said.
Turkey is relying on its vaccination program and has been urging the public to get their booster shots as two doses of vaccines are seen as insufficient for full protection against the infection. The number of doses administered since January 2021 has neared 145 million as more than 57.61 million people have received a first vaccine jab, while nearly 53 million people have received their two doses. Yet, the number of people who have received three doses of vaccines remains at around 26.6 million.
Turkey reported 80,454 new coronavirus cases on Saturday.
According to a chart shared by the Health Ministry, 278 people lost their lives and 96,664 others recovered from the disease over the past day.
Also, as many as 462,252 virus tests were conducted nationwide in the past 24 hours.
Since December 2019, the virus has claimed over 5.87 million lives in at least 192 countries and regions, with over 422.05 million cases reported worldwide, according to the U.S.' Johns Hopkins University.