Turkish president reports no side effects after Covid-19 vaccine

Istanbul: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he did not see any side effects of the Covid-19 vaccine that he received the previous day.

Speaking to the reporters after Friday prayers in Istanbul, Erdogan noted that he is so far feeling good and will take the second dose of the vaccine 28 days later, Xinhua news agency reported.

After receiving the jab at a hospital in the capital Ankara, Erdogan called on all political party leaders and lawmakers to encourage people to get vaccinated.

On Thursday, Turkey started its mass vaccination program with the Covid-19 vaccines developed by the Chinese company Sinovac.

The vaccination program will move on to adults living in nursing homes, people aged 65 and above, and those working in specific sectors after covering over one million healthcare workers.

According to the Health Ministry's data, the country has so far vaccinated 537,000 people.

Turkey received the first shipment of three million doses of vaccines from China at the end of December, as part of a bigger deal, and expects to get more in the upcoming period.