How Turkey is battling the pandemic’s second wave

As Turkey faces a dramatic rise in Covid-19 infections during the pandemic’s second wave, healthcare workers welcome restrictions and look forward to a vaccination program to reduce the coronavirus infections in the country. 

“We have seen the virus cases increase almost six-fold compared to the first wave in April,” Dr  Ilhan Cetin, dean of the Faculty of Medicine at Sivas Cumhuriyet University told TRT World. “The restrictions undertaken by health authorities have helped reduce the number of cases.”

“Along with personal precautions...and societal awareness, I believe that vaccination is of utmost importance when it comes to gaining immunity as a society,” added Dr Emin Akkoyunlu, a pulmonologist at Medipol University Hospital in Istanbul. 

Turkey on Monday reported 19,103 more coronavirus infections and 254 new fatalities, the highest daily death count so far, over the past 24 hours, according to the Health Ministry data. The number of daily patients has dropped by over 50 percent since Turkey’s peak numbers last month.

Turkey is also due to roll out the coronavirus vaccine developed by Chinese pharmaceutical Sinovac. 

“Getting a large number of vaccines does not mean everyone will be vaccinated in one go, it’s not possible, technically speaking,” Akkoyunlu explained to TRT World. “Therefore the authorities will undertake a vaccination program, starting with healthcare workers, then those with chronic illness, and at-risk groups, and finally everyone else. 

He said his hospital was expecting the vaccines to arrive in the next few weeks.

Cetin added that he and other healthcare professionals were currently working to assuage some public doubts about the efficacy of the vaccines in light of fake news, conspiracy theories, and news of new strains of the virus identified in Europe and some other countries.

Prefab hospitals weather surge in pandemic cases

Two prefabricated infirmaries in Istanbul, constructed in less than 45 days and opened in the early days of the outbreak are dealing with some of the country’s most serious cases and are offering state-of-the-art intensive care facilities dedicated to Covid-19 patients.

Named after renowned Turkish physicians who died from the disease, Prof. Dr Feriha Oz and Prof. Dr Murat Dilmener, the hospitals are located near airfields to give ease of access to sufferers from across Turkey and are built to similar specifications, each with 1,008 beds, 16 operating theatres, dialysis units and wards for infected pregnant women and babies.

The new restrictions on everyday life have proved successful in reducing the number of patients admitted, according to Dr Nurettin Yiyit, chief physician of Prof. Dr Feriha Oz Emergency Hospital. 

“With the start of the restrictions, we saw a significant drop in the number of patients admitted as walk-ins,” he said. “When we compare it with the week before, we see a 30 percent decrease in walk-in admissions.”

In late November, the Turkish government imposed night-time curfews and weekend lockdowns to try to slow the surge, as well as announcing additional events restrictions and a four-day lockdown from New Year’s Eve. Restaurants can only serve takeaway meals, while some businesses such as hairdressers are allowed to operate within restricted hours. Children and the elderly have additional curfews and have been barred from using public transport.

Turkey also suspended flights from the UK, Denmark, and other countries in an effort to block the spread of a new strain of the virus. 

Despite the new measures, critics have called for more drastic measures, including full lockdowns of at least two weeks. 

However, doctors say increased precautions from the public may play a bigger role in reducing infections. 

“Generally speaking, it’s expected that people will lower their guards as the number of cases decrease. If this happens, there is a possibility for another spike in January,” explained Akkoyunlu. 

“If people continue with their precautions, however, this pandemic may cease to be a pandemic in the coming months, and along with vaccination efforts, if successful, we may see an end to this situation.”