Iran to begin vaccination against COVID-19

By Trend

Iranian Minister of Health announced on Sunday that the vaccination against Covid-19 will begin in February 9.

Saeed Namaki made the announcement at the unveiling event for the clinical trial of an Inhaled vaccine developed by Iran`s Razi Vaccine and Serum Research Institute, Trend reports citing Mehr News Agency.

"I have no doubt that Iran will become one of the axes of vaccine production in the world in near future," he said, noting that the outbreak of Covid 19 triggered the vaccine movement.

He went on to say that the government considered various sources for providing vaccines, and the chosen vaccine will be provided by Covax.

"16.8 million doses of vaccine from the Covax are not enough,” he said adding that the Ministry thought of getting the vaccine from other sources, like Russia."

The announcement comes amid fears of a fourth wave of the coronavirus that was first reported in Iran in February last year, marking one year of the pandemic

The first shipment of the Sputnik V vaccine, the only foreign vaccine to be registered and approved in Iran, arrived by Iran's Mahaan Airlines on Thursday

Iran is also present in the process of producing a homegrown vaccine, with many knowledge-based firms engaged in the preliminary trials.

One of the vaccines produced by Baraket Pharmaceutical Group, Coviran Baraket, has passed the human trial and is likely to be ready for mass usage by summer.