Read < 1 minute

Turkey has begun its first clinical trials of China’s COVID-19 vaccine, testing it on three volunteers, the country’s health minister has said.

According to the state-run Anadolu agency, Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said the trial of the Chinese Sinovac vaccine will be held in two phases: on 1,200 volunteers in the first round, and 10,000 in the second.

He told a news conference that the scientific community is of the consensus that the vaccine studies will “show positive results by the year-end.”

Turkey’s total confirmed COVID-19 cases increased by 1,648 on Thursday to 298,039, while the death toll amounted to 7,315, according to data shared by the health ministry.