TEHRAN (Iran News) – Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said he has ordered the Health Ministry and the Vice Presidency for Science and Technology to focus efforts on the development of a vaccine for the novel coronavirus.
Addressing a meeting of the chairs of the Coronavirus Fight National Headquarters committees on Saturday, Rouhani said he has assigned the Ministry of Health and Medical Education and the Vice Presidency for Science and Technology to support and strengthen domestic knowledge-based companies and research centers at medical sciences universities in order to synthesize coronavirus medicines, develop methods to diagnose the disease and conduct tests, and produce a vaccine for curing COVID-19.
“Considering the scientific capabilities of our country’s experts, attaining the drug and vaccine would not be out of reach,” the president underlined.
“On the basis of the studies carried in Iran and exchange of experiences and research studies with other countries, the country’s experts and physicians have fortunately been able to get close to the behavioral patterns of the virus and ways to contain its outbreak to a large extent, which is highly significant,” he stated.
Rouhani also ordered the Health Ministry and the Vice Presidency for Science and Technology to conduct a study on the use of a new diagnostic test kit for detecting people with immunity to infection.
The president also noted that the new phase of the smart social distancing scheme in Iran has been devised in compliance with Iranian lifestyle and domestic patterns and also in conformity with the principles formulated by the World Health Organization.
In March, Vice President for Science and Technology Sorena Satatri said local researchers in knowledge-based companies were working on the most complicated pharmaceutical products to prevent and cure the novel coronavirus.
Meanwhile, Minister of Science, Research and Technology Mansour Gholami has assigned universities across the country to help the medical society in the fight against COVID-19, calling on genetics and biotechnology research teams to work on plans to contain the disease and develop vaccines with new methods.
- source : Tasnim, Irannews
