ISTANBUL, April 19 (Xinhua) -- Turkey has administered over 20 million COVID-19 vaccines across the country since the start of the mass vaccination program in mid-January, the country's health ministry announced Monday.
So far, over 12.2 million people have received their first doses, and 7.8 million others have taken their second shots, according to the data released on the ministry's website.
In Istanbul, the country's largest city with a population of more than 16 million, 1.9 million citizens have gotten their first doses and 1.2 million others their second ones, the data showed.
The "vaccination program will continue with determination despite all difficulties," Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said via his Twitter account.
The ministry reported a record high of 318 new COVID-19 deaths on Sunday, and 55,802 new COVID-19 cases.
Turkey launched its nationwide rollout on Jan. 14 with the COVID-19 vaccine developed by China's Sinovac Biotech. It recently included the Pfizer-BioNTech jabs in the program.
