A Turkish expert on Thursday advised people who got vaccinated against the coronavirus to take care of their sleep and eat healthy.

“After getting the COVID-19 jab, you should sleep regularly because the vaccine will regulate your immune system and fight against the virus,” Coskun Usta, a medical professor at the Akdeniz University in the Mediterranean resort city of Antalya, told Anadolu Agency.

Referring to the studies conducted to increase the benefit of existing vaccines, Usta said a new study on the subject was published in one of prominent medical journals recently.

“It is found out that the antibody responses were much stronger if people slept well that night and within the first 10 days after getting flu or hepatitis vaccines,” he stated.

Regarding the questions about in what part of the day one should be vaccinated, he said the vaccines administered in morning hours are proved to be producing more antibodies.

“Our immune system works faster in morning hours,” Usta said.

“Get vaccinated with COVID-19 jab before the noon if possible to produce more antibodies, be careful about your sleeping pattern in the first 10 days, eat healthy, get natural minerals and vitamins,” he advised.

He said the virus will continue to affect the daily life until social immunity is established, and urged people to comply with the rules of hygiene, mask, and physical distancing.

In January, Turkey began a mass COVID-19 vaccination campaign, and a gradual normalization from coronavirus restrictions on March 1.​​​​​​​

More than 12.55 million doses of a Chinese vaccine have been administered across Turkey so far, according to official figures./aa

Positioned on the migratory route of numerous birds due to its climate and water resources, Turkey's southernmost province of Hatay boasts 375 bird species.

The latest species to be spotted in the province is the Mongolian plover (Charadrius mongolus).

These birds, distinguished by their long legs and black beaks, had been seen before in other parts of Turkey.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Ali Atahan, president of the Subasi Bird and Butterfly Watching Association, said they came across the Mongolian plover during regular observations in the Milleyha wetland area of Samandag district.

Underlining that the species was spotted in Hatay for the first time, Atahan said: "The bird's homeland is China and the east coast of Russia, and it incubates in these regions. But it spends the winter in the regions from India to the northern coast of Australia."

He went on to say that the Mongolian plover was seen in Turkey for the third time.

The first time the birds had been spotted was in Bitlis province in 2004, and the second in 2012 in the Tuzla area of Adana province, he added./aa

Turkey’s vice president on Wednesday highlighted the country’s achievements in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic during a speech at the World Economic Forum (WEF). 

Speaking at a special session of the WEF, Fuat Oktay said Turkey became a role model for the whole world in the fight against the virus owing to its accomplishments in many areas, including health, social security, digitalization and production.

“Turkey has written a success story,” he noted.

Referring to Turkey’s attainment of a positive economic growth rate for 2020, Oktay said “Turkey and China became the only G-20 countries which grew last year.”

Turkey's economy expanded 1.8% year-on-year in 2020 amid the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic, the country's statistical authority announced on March 1.

The country's gross domestic product (GDP) at current prices stood at 5.1 trillion Turkish liras (around $717.1 billion) last year, according to the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat).

He also revealed the country’s ambition of being one of the major global manufacturing hubs in the post-pandemic era.

“We determined artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, augmented reality, big data, data mining, cybersecurity, robotics and sensor technologies as critical technologies that we will

prioritize”, Oktay said.

The vice president also detailed Turkey’s contribution to the global fight against the virus. Stressing that Turkey is among the five most vaccine administered countries in the world, Oktay noted that the country has sent medical supplies to 12 international organizations and at least 157 countries.

According to the Health Ministry's official figures, Turkey has so far administered over 12.35 million coronavirus vaccine jabs across the country.

Over 7.98 million people to date have received their first doses of a vaccine against the novel coronavirus, while second vaccine doses were given to nearly 4.36 million.

On March 1, Turkey started easing weekend curfews while continuing weeknight curfews to stem the spread of the virus. The country allows more face-to-face education and restaurant dining based on local risk assessments.

Oktay also warned against vaccine nationalism.

“No country would be safe without the equal access of all countries to COVID-19 vaccines,” he said.

At the same special session, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and Minister of Finance and Treasury Lutfi Elvan also spoke on Turkey’s foreign policy priorities and reform agenda, said diplomatic sources./aa

Turkey’s opposition Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) without question has organic ties to the PKK terror group, the country’s communications director said late Wednesday.

Turkey's top prosecutor filed an indictment earlier in the day seeking the dissolution of the HDP, calling it an undemocratic party that colludes with the PKK terrorist group and seeks to destroy the unity of the state.

“It is an indisputable fact that the HDP has organic ties to the PKK, which Turkey, the United States and the European Union consider a terrorist entity,” Fahrettin Altun said on Twitter.

Altun said the HDP’s senior leaders and spokespeople, through their words and deeds, have repeatedly and consistently proven that they are the PKK’s political wing.

“Whether that relationship warrants the HDP’s closure or its subjecting to another punitive measure is a question that the Constitutional Court alone can answer,” he said.

He also urged all parties to respect Turkey’s independent judiciary and count on its legal system to deliver justice.

The move follows growing calls by Turkish political leaders for the HDP to be officially closed down. In recent years, more and more HDP executives and elected officials have been charged with terrorism-related offenses.

Turkish leaders have long argued that the HDP is little more than a front group for the terrorist PKK.

In Turkey, the closure of political parties is decided by the Constitutional Court, based on an indictment filed by the Supreme Court Chief Public Prosecutor's Office.


Instead of permanent dissolution, the 15-member Constitutional Court may decide to partially or completely cut off state aid to the party, depending on the severity of the acts in question.


In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US and the European Union – has been responsible for the deaths of at least 40,000 people, including women, children and infants.

Supporters of the PKK terror group attacked the home of the head of the Switzerland Turkish Society on Wednesday, marking the fifth such incident in two years. 

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Seref Yildiz, who heads the umbrella organization of nearly 100 associations and 13 federations established by Turks in the country, condemned the attack.

His home in the city of Basel was attacked at 01.26 local time (1226 GMT), and the attackers wrote the name of the PKK terror group’s ringleader on the wall of the house, according to Yildiz.

He said there were three people wearing ski masks caught by security cameras of the house and he delivered the footage to the police.

Yildiz said the attackers also punctured the tires of two vehicles parked in front of the house.

He called on the Swiss police to find and punish the perpetrators as soon as possible.

“The security of our property and lives is the job of the Swiss security forces. We expect the perpetrators to be caught and receive the punishment they deserve,” he said.

Yildiz added that he is considering moving from his home of 18 years as the increased attacks worry his children.

The last attack by supporters of the terrorist organization on Yildiz's home was on Nov. 25, 2020.

Yildiz become the head of the society in August 2020.

In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US and the European Union – has been responsible for the deaths of at least 40,000 people, including women,/aa

Greece on Wednesday registered 3,465 new coronavirus infections in the last 24 hours, marking the highest daily figure since Nov. 12, when it had recorded 3,316 cases. 

The nationwide tally of cases now stands at 227,247 since the start of the pandemic (daily change: +1.5%), according to the National Public Health Organization (EODY).

Of 3,465 cases, 1,701 were detected in Attica region. 

Fifty-six new deaths were confirmed, bringing the total of pandemic victims to 7,252.

In a daily briefing Health Minister Vassilis Kikilias appealed to private sector and doctors, saying “with 3,465 COVID-19 infections reported today, we can confirm we are at the toughest point of the pandemic's development, and the National Health System is on high emergency mode". However, he said it is manageable.

He said that the virus is obviously spreading in rural areas, too and urged more doctors to volunteer. If no more come forward, he said he would demand the prime minister to force them to do so.

Last week two private hospitals joined efforts with the public sector in the battle against the virus while so far 45 specialists and general pathologists had signed up through the Athens Medical Association and the Attica Region director's efforts.

He pointed that 4,648 COVID-19 patients are currently hospitalized, 1,000 of whom were admitted this week. 

Meanwhile, the National Network of Sewage Epidemiology of the National Organization of Public Health (EODY) said that the viral load of SARS-CoV-2 in the urban wastewater of most areas shows growth trends, which in some areas of the country reach up to 1,000%. 

In Attica Region, the average weekly viral load of sewage recorded an increase by 87% over the last week, the organization said./aa

Turkey’s health minister said early Thursday that 4.5 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine will arrive in the country this month.

Speaking after a meeting of the country’s Coronavirus Scientific Advisory Board, Fahrettin Koca said the first 58,000 doses of the vaccine, which will be used in tests, have arrived in Turkey.

Koca said “4.5 million more doses will arrive this month to be administered. Meanwhile, tests of the vaccine will be completed.”

He added that the vaccine will be administered to those whose turn it is. As of next week, vaccination of those aged between 60-65 will be started, he said.

By anticipating possible problems with vaccine supply, he said the country took concrete steps in overcoming issues with global vaccine access and developing a domestic vaccine.

Underlining that mutant variants of the virus have been observed in Turkey, Koca said mutant viruses can be transmitted easier.

Urging people not to underestimate the virus, he highlighted the importance of strictly following measures.

"Unfortunately, there has been an increase in cases in most of our provinces in the last 15 days,” he said, adding the results have not started to be reflected in hospitals yet.

Noting that COVID-19 will no longer be a mass problem within months, he said: “Humanity has overcome the desperation of 2020. 2021 is the year of hope and victory.”

The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was developed by Ozlem Tureci and Ugur Sahin, a couple who are both children of Turkish immigrants in Germany.

BioNTech aims to produce a total of 2 billion doses of the vaccine this year at six production facilities in various countries.

In January, Turkey began a mass COVID-19 vaccination campaign, and a gradual normalization from coronavirus restrictions began on March 1.​​​​​​​

More than 12.35 million doses of a Chinese vaccine have been administered across Turkey so far, according to official figures.

The country has so far confirmed over 2.93 million cases, a total of 29,696 fatalities and over 2.75 million recoveries.

Since originating in Wuhan, China in December 2019, the pandemic has claimed over 2.67 million lives in 192 countries and regions.

Over 121 million cases have been reported worldwide, with recoveries now exceeding 68.6 million, according to figures compiled by US-based Johns Hopkins University.

The US, Brazil and India remain the worst-hit countries in terms of cases./aa

UNICEF on Wednesday condemned the "horrific killings" of civilians in Niger after at least 58 people, including six children aged 11-17, were killed in the Tillabery region.

The UN agency said it was deeply saddened and outraged that civilians, including children, were among the casualties late Tuesday.

“The surge in armed violence across the Central Sahel region is having a devastating impact on children’s survival, education, protection and development. Mounting insecurity along the borders with Burkina Faso and Mali has exacerbated the needs in the Tillabery region where more than 95,000 people are displaced," said Marie-Pierre Poirier, the group’s regional director for West and Central Africa.

“Niger continues to face a combination of quick onset and protracted humanitarian crises that have been exacerbated by the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Some 3.8 million people, including 2 million children, need humanitarian assistance across the country," Poirier added.

The region has been frequently targeted by terrorist groups based in Mali since 2017, with a state of emergency declared in the area.

Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali in the Sahel are at the epicenter of one of the world's fastest-growing displacement and protection crises.

The region hosts 851,000 refugees and nearly 2 million displaced people, according to the UN Refugee Agency.

In January, around 100 people were killed in attacks in two Tillabery villages after the first round of presidential elections./aa

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Wednesday called for developing effective mechanisms to eradicate anti-Muslim tendencies and hatred towards Islam.

“Populism, racism, xenophobia and hate speech are on the rise all over the world. The emergence of COVID-19 has further increased these trends,” Mevlut Cavusoglu said via video message at an online conference on the International Day to Combat Islamophobia, organized by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

He pointed out that attacks, insults and acts of institutional discrimination against Muslims have become common and stressed that such actions pose one of the biggest threats to peaceful coexistence.

“Recent reports show that the number of hate crimes targeting immigrants is also on the rise in host countries,” Cavusoglu said.

“We must stand together against all acts of violence caused by religious hatred, including anti-Islam, anti-Semitism, and anti-Christianity,” he said, noting that Turkey will continue to support the UN’s Alliance of Civilizations initiative to improve mutual respect between cultures.


He went onto say that in order to raise awareness, Turkey will start publishing annual reports on xenophobic, anti-immigrant, racist and anti-Islam trends across the world.

“This is an issue beyond everyday politics. I call on UN member states to commemorate March 15 as the International Day to Combat Islamophobia,” the foreign minister said noting that they are preparing a UN General Assembly resolution.

During his speech, he thanked the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, UN General Assembly President Volkan Bozkir and UN High Representative for the Alliance of Civilizations Miguel Angel Moratinos for their support./aa