Turkey's Erdoğan ready to set an example for COVID-19 vaccination

Getting ready to set an example for vaccination, with doses due in Turkey soon, the president on Friday urged the public to join him in showing a willingness to get vaccinated for coronavirus.

"I already announced that I would be vaccinated following a Friday prayer at the Hagia Sophia Mosque. I urged the public to [also] show sensitivity [on this issue]," Recep Tayyip Erdoğan told reporters following Friday prayers in the metropolis of Istanbul.

Officials earlier said first shipments of Chinese-made coronavirus vaccines are set to be shipped on Sunday, with millions of doses due in the early months of 2021.

Erdoğan also underlined that the holding of New Year's parties in hotels or villas will not be tolerated due to the pandemic and that authorities will enforce the law on this matter.

As vaccinations are not being made mandatory in Turkey, officials are encouraging the public to get the shots to ensure that as much of the country as possible is protected from the pandemic.

As of Thursday, Turkey registered a total of 19,115 deaths from COVID-19, while over 1.93 million people have recovered from the disease. There have been over 2.1 million confirmed cases in the country.