President Ersin Tatar has said that the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus was one of few countries where the vaccination rate was high.

In a message issued on Thursday to mark the second year of the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, Tatar said that the Turkish Cypriot people had been struggling against Covid-19 for the past two years after the outbreak of the virus in the Chinese city of Wuhan.

He said that he had taken important steps towards strengthening the country’s health infrastructure during his term as prime minister, including the construction of an emergency hospital.

“The TRNC is doing relatively well thanks to the hospital constructed and the vaccines obtained from Turkey and the EU. The TRNC is one of few countries with a high rate of vaccination,” Tatar said.

The president also highlighted the importance of getting vaccinated and booster shots, stating that the TRNC and Turkish Cypriot people had learned to live with the virus despite the various variants that have emerged in the past two years.

Thanking the current health minister Ali Pilli, his predecessor Ünal Üstel and health care workers for their efforts over the past two years, Tatar underlined the importance of continuing to adhere to the measures in place particularly with the arrival with the Omicron variant.

He said it was important to carry out booster shots, to avoid crowded venues and to practice social distancing.

President Ersin Tatar concluded his speech by wishing everyone a happy and healthy new year.