Turkey starts initial talks to procure Russia's Sputnik-V vaccine

ANKARA - Turkey has begun initial talks to procure the Sputnik-V vaccine from Russia, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Thursday, adding Ankara would receive a total of 100 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines from various suppliers by the end of May.

"Initial talks have begun for the procurement of Sputnik-V. This vaccine will be eligible for widespread use following the testing process for its compatibility," Koca said, adding Ankara was in talks with other vaccine providers. Turkey has until now been using COVID-19 vaccine shots developed by China's Sinovac Biotech Ltd and it has carried out 14.39 million inoculations, with 8.18 million people having received a first dose, since Jan. 14 when the nationwide rollout began.