Istanbul, Jul 6 (IANS): The phase-2 trials of the locally developed vaccine against Covid-19 started to be administered to volunteers in Istanbul on Monday, local media reported.

Volunteers aged between 18 and 59, who do not have serious chronic diseases, are included in the trial, a media report said.

The report said that the phase-2 trials include 330 volunteers, while experts plan to increase this number to approximately 15,000 in phase-3, the Xinhua news agency reported.

The vaccine is reportedly expected to be used in the fall in case of successful results obtained in all the phases.

Last week, Turkey started to inoculate healthcare workers and people aged 50 and above with the third dose of Covid-19 jabs as part of the ongoing nationwide vaccination campaign.

So far, the number of citizens who received at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine reached 53.6 million across the country with a population of 83 million, according to the health ministry.