“Under COVID-19 Platform, 7 vaccine, 7 drug development projects being conducted”

 

Industry and Technology Minister Mustafa Varank participated in the Vaccine and Drug Development virtual conference.

Turkey has had remarkable progress in vaccine development projects to fight the coronavirus outbreak, determining innovative approaches to get fast results, the country’s industry and technology minister said on Thursday.

Mustafa Varank said under COVID-19 Platform, seven vaccine projects, and seven drug development projects using chemical and biotechnological methods are currently being conducted.

Amid official efforts to stem the spread of coronavirus, the Turkish government is providing support to institutes and researchers in the country working to find vaccines.

"The more we can make the disease curve flattened, the greater the chances of scientific solutions coming into play," Varank said.

After surfacing in Wuhan, China last December, coronavirus has spread to at least 180 countries and regions.

The global death toll from COVID-19 has surpassed 47,200, with more than 938,300 cases confirmed worldwide, according to U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University. Over 194,400 have recovered from the infection so far.