Turkish woman scientist at BioNTech marks Women's Day

A Turkish woman scientist who helped develop a vaccine against the novel coronavirus has on the occasion of International Women's Day called on young women to have a broad vision and adhere to it resolutely.

In a video message posted on the Antalya Diplomacy Forum's social media account, Özlem Türeci shared her advice with young women.

Türeci shared a quote from Amelia Boone, "the most competent obstacle racer in the world. She once said: 'I am not the strongest. I'm not the fastest. But I'm really good at suffering and perseverance.'"

"For me, this means the following: Have a broad vision and adhere to it resolutely, regardless of the obstacles you face," she added, while sending her greetings to all women and congratulating them on International Women's Day.

The BioNTech-Pfizer vaccine was developed by spouses Özlem Türeci and Uğur Şahin, who are both children of Turkish immigrants in Germany.

The couple, who founded the pharmaceutical company BioNTech, made headlines in international media and have been widely praised as "an immigration success story."

BioNTech aims to produce a total of 2 billion doses of the vaccine this year at six production facilities in various countries.