Turkish vaccine teams target isolated mountain villages

Vaccination teams face challenging terrain as they try to get to hard-to-reach areas.

Vaccination teams in Turkey have been travelling across roads covered with ice and snow to reach residents in the country’s isolated mountain villages.

They are seeking to overcome the challenging terrain as the government bids to inoculate 60% of the country’s people against coronavirus over the next three months.

After much effort, medical workers arrived to vaccinate older villagers in Gumuslu, a small settlement of 350 in the central province of Sivas that lies 140 miles from the provincial capital.

Doctors and health workers of a Covid-19 vaccination team walk in the isolated village of Gumuslu in the district of Sivas, central Turkey — Doctors and health workers from a Covid-19 vaccination team walk in the isolated village of Gumuslu (Emrah Gurel/AP)

“The geography is tough, the climate is tough, as you can see.”

Turkey rolled out the Chinese Sinovac vaccine on January 14 and has so far given out 8.2 million doses.

The vaccine is given in two doses 28 days apart.

A view of the mountainous area of Koyulhisar in the district of Sivas, central Turkey — The mountainous area of Koyulhisar in the district of Sivas, central Turkey (Emrah Gurel/AP)

Health minister Fahrettin Koca said that Turkey aims to vaccinate 52.5 million people by the end of May.

To date, around 10% of Turkey’s 83 million population has received at least the first dose.

Healthcare workers, older people and people with serious medical conditions were among the first to receive the jab.

“I can’t go to the hospital. I have a heart condition and I get motion sickness in cars,” said Gumuslu resident Zeynep Yigit, 70.

Zeynep Yigit, 70, is administered a dose of the CoronaVac vaccine made by China’s Sinovac Biotech Ltd by health worker Yusuf Duran at her house in the isolated village of Gumuslu in the district of Sivas, central Turkey — Zeynep Yigit is given a vaccine by health worker Yusuf Duran at her house in Gumuslu (Emrah Gurel/AP)

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is expected to announce the easing of coronavirus restrictions on Monday.

He previously said the government would evaluate the situation on a province-by-province basis before allowing restaurants, cafes and other shuttered businesses to reopen.

Weekend and evening curfews could also be relaxed.

Still, infections have spiked in recent days, with Turkey recording more than 9,000 daily cases, the highest level since mid-January.

Global Covid-19 cases and deaths — (PA Graphics)

Experts say all confirmed numbers worldwide are undercounts due to missed cases and limited testing.