Turkey to get a further 6.5 million Sinovac vaccines on Monday

Three million doses of the CoronaVac have already arrived and 10 million more doses were expected in total in Turkey's second consignment from Sinovac Biotech.

Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said 6.5 million doses of the coronavirus vaccine made by China's Sinovac will arrive in Turkey on Monday, part of a second planned shipment, allowing the nationwide rollout to continue.

An employee picks up a vial containing CoronaVac, Sinovac Biotech's vaccine against the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), at Butantan biomedical production center in Sao Paulo, Brazil. (Reuters)

Three million doses of the CoronaVac have already arrived and 10 million more doses were expected in total in Turkey's second consignment from Sinovac Biotech.

"It will reach us in accordance with the procurement plan and the vaccine programme will continue without interruption," Koca said on Twitter on Sunday.

Some 600,000 people were vaccinated in just two days when the vaccine rollout began in mid-January, but the pace later slowed as it moved beyond healthcare workers.