In case of necessity, the Turkish TURKOVAC vaccine against COVID-19 can be produced in Azerbaijan, President of the Turkish Health Institutes under the Ministry of Health (TUSEB) Erhan Akdogan said in an exclusive interview with Trend.

Akdogan said that the third phase of clinical trials of the TURKOVAC vaccine has begun in Azerbaijan.

“Those involved in clinical trials who have previously received two doses of the Sinovac vaccine will receive TURKOVAC vaccine as the third dose,” the president of the Turkish Health Institutes added.

“Following the results of the third phase of clinical trials in Azerbaijan and through the permission of the government, the process of using the TURKOVAC vaccine may begin,” Akdogan said.

Akdogan also stressed that TURKOVAC, like other vaccines against COVID-19, is prescribed in three doses.

“Some 1,200 doses of TURKOVAC vaccine have been delivered to Azerbaijan,” the president of the Turkish Health Institutes said. “The supplies will depend on the required volume in the future. So far, about five million doses of TURKOVAC vaccine have been produced in Turkey.”

Akdogan added that up to two million doses of this vaccine are produced per month.

“The volume will grow in the future,” he added. “Presently, this vaccine is produced only in Turkey, where it is widely spread.”

While answering the question about the countries in which it is planned to produce the TURKOVAC vaccine, Akdogan said that there are no plans yet.

“The conditions are required for the production of the vaccine, technical and personnel requirements must be met,” Akdogan noted. “If there is a demand for the production of this vaccine in Azerbaijan and if the technical conditions are available, then the production of TURKOVAC vaccine can be launched in the country. If necessary, Turkey is ready to support Azerbaijan in this sphere.”

While speaking about COVID-19, the president of the TUSEB said that COVID-19 is weakening and the patients have mild symptoms.

“But despite this, the elderly and those suffering from chronic diseases must take precautions as they can endure severe COVID-19,” Akdogan said.

While answering the question about how long the vaccination could last, the president of the Turkish Health Institutes said that this will be obvious as a result of the further course of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Moreover, while speaking about the side effects after injecting the TURKOVAC vaccine, Akdogan stressed that this vaccine was recognized as safe according to the results of clinical trials in Turkey.

“Presently, we are monitoring 12,000 people who have received this vaccine and see the side effects if they occur,” the president of the Turkish Health Institutes said. “Severe side effects have not been observed after injecting TURKOVAC.”

Akdogan went on to say that the most common side effect was the injection site pain, which lasted no more than a day.

“The body temperature slightly decreased in rare cases,” the president of TUSEB added. “So, the TURKOVAC vaccine is absolutely safe.”