Erdogan bets a lot on hearing the name of his country - whose economy is faltering - on something positive. As in the construction of an effective coronavirus vaccine.
And indeed Erdogan's ardent desire was to prepare the Turkish "Turkovac" vaccine. But it is not easy to make and perfect a vaccine for a virus.
So while he is trumpeting (without proof of course) that Turkovac is ready, the Turkish Medical Association (TTB) solemnly denies it. "Turkovac is not a vaccine yet," he said. Besides, as the Turkish doctors say about this vaccine, the required research has not been done regarding its safety but also its effectiveness.
"TTB bears the scientific and social responsibility to publicly state that tackling the pandemic must take into account all aspects of health and in the light of transparent data," he said in a statement. "All our warnings concern public health alone."
Angry sultan
Erdogan's reaction was fierce and as if he knew from such scientific and medical issues he called the members of the Medical Association "liars" and "swindlers". In fact, he implied that the scientific association as it is a medical association seeks to undermine "national fight against pandemic".
TTB raised its glove and in a new announcement states: "It is our duty as doctors to maintain the same scientific sensitivity and to demand scientific data on behalf of society during the pandemic. "The attitude of the Association for vaccine studies in Turkey is also very clear - its only priority is science."
He continues: "We will gladly welcome a Turkish vaccine that could put a brake on the pandemic in our country and in the world, but we must take into account the data of Phase 3 before we can praise the preparation." 
At the same time, the Turkish press, which faithfully follows Erdogan's line, writes that people are queuing in front of hospitals to be vaccinated with the Turkish vaccine. While Erdogan and Bahceli continue to call on Turkish citizens to be vaccinated with the "vaccine of our homeland"
However, TBB President Dr. Sebnam Fisanci, a well-known medical examiner and human rights activist, notes that Turkovac is not recognized by the EU for an active vaccination certificate. He even says that Turkovac is based on the Chinese Sinovac vaccine which is widely used in Turkey and has not managed to prevent the big wave of infections in the country.
in.gr