Mass vaccination of all project employees against COVID-19 infection has started at the Akkuyu NPP construction site. Vaccination is carried out in a certified medical office on site of Akkuyu NPP construction and fully equipped with all the necessary materials and equipment, including special freezers requiring for storage the vaccine. Everyone interested can be vaccinated. A team of doctors is on duty in the medical office during the working day.
AKKUYU NUCLEAR JSC had purchased 1200 doses of the two-component Sputnik-V vaccine for the first wave of vaccinations which was earlier organized at the site, and first 600 Russian citizens had been vaccinated. Currently, the second wave of the vaccination campaign is ongoing. An additional batch of Russian vaccine, 1620 doses in total, have been delivered to the Akkuyu NPP construction site, which will make it possible to deliver the vaccine to all Russian employees and their family members who wish to be vaccinated. A team of qualified doctors, who were trained and experienced to work with the technology of using the Russian vaccine, arrived at the Akkuyu NPP site for vaccination from Russia.
Vaccination of Turkish citizens started in May 2021 and is carried out on a scheduled basis in the medical institutions close to the NPP site according to the priority criteria established by the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Turkey. AKKUYU NUCLEAR JSC has earlier compiled lists of employees who wish to be vaccinated in the first wave of vaccination. The lists were sent to the Turkish Ministry of Health, which sent notifications of the date and time of vaccination to candidates for vaccination through the state digital healthcare system. Citizens are offered a choice of two vaccines - the Chinese CoronaVac and the German Pfizer/BioNTech.
Managing Director for GR and International Cooperation of AKKUYU NUCLEAR JSC Aleksey Frolov, who is also heading the Company’s Operational centre on countering coronavirus infection, commented on the vaccination of citizens participating in the construction of the first nuclear power plant in Turkey: “AKKUYU NUCLEAR JSC takes a very responsible approach to preservation of health of employees working at the NPP construction project, because it is an integral part of our safety culture. We started preparing the mass vaccination of employees at the beginning of this year. The lists of those wishing to undergo the procedure were formed in advance, the required amount of vaccines was ordered, and the vaccination station was equipped. Invaluable support was provided by the relevant government departments of Turkey - the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources and the Ministry of Health - with their assistance, the vaccination of the Turkish project staff is already in full swing’’.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, all the necessary anti-epidemic measures have been observed at the Akkuyu NPP construction site; regime of enhanced medical supervision is introduced, personnel are regularly tested for COVID-19, all employees are given personal protective equipment and temperature is measured daily, common areas and production facilities are equipped with antiseptic dispensers, regular disinfection of dormitories and office premises is carried out, restrictions are imposed regarding meetings and public events.