Turkey begins vaccination of seniors over 80

Turkey on Monday started to vaccinate people over 80 years old as part of its nationwide immunization drive for the deadly coronavirus.

Health Minister Fahrettin Koca confirmed on Twitter that senior citizens would be vaccinated in line with planning by the nation’s Coronavirus Scientific Advisory Board.

According to official ministry figures, Turkey has so far vaccinated more than 1.25 million people nationwide, most of them healthcare staff battling the virus on the front lines.

Koca added that country's daily vaccination program can be monitored online and further information on the vaccination program will be shared in the coming days as efforts progress.

As of late Sunday, Turkey's overall caseload passed 2.42 million and recoveries topped 2.3 million with a death toll of 25,073.

Since it appeared in December 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic has claimed more than 2.12 million lives in 192 countries and regions, according to Johns Hopkins University. More than 98.86 million cases have been reported worldwide.