TEHRAN (Iran News) – Iran imports 1m doses of COVID-19 vaccine from China. Iran received the largest shipment of coronavirus vaccine, containing 1 million doses, from China on Sunday, IRNA reported.
Imported through consultation conducted by the Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS), the vaccines were handed over to the Ministry of Health.
However, the report did not mention the brand of vaccines and their manufacturer.
“Given the current situation, it is very difficult to purchase a vaccine. However, the Red Crescent Society has made special efforts to provide the vaccine,” IRCS spokesman Mohammad Qousian said.
In less than a month, the Society has managed to import 1.4 million doses of approved vaccines into the country and provide them to the Ministry of Health, he added.
Earlier, four types of vaccines, including Sputnik V from Russia, COVAXIN from India, AstraZeneca Oxford from Russia, and AstraZeneca Oxford from South Korea, received emergency licenses in the country. Currently, five vaccines have so far received emergency use permits.
Mass vaccination against COVID-19 started on Iranian citizens with the Russian-made Sputnik V vaccine on February 9.
While Iran continues efforts to mass-produce local candidates, several foreign vaccines have already been imported and others are expected soon.
Domestic vaccines
COVIRAN BAREKAT, the first coronavirus vaccine made by Iranian researchers, started the third phase of the human trial on Sunday by being administrated to 20,000 people.
Developed by researchers at the Headquarters for Executing the Order of the Imam, the vaccine was unveiled on December 29, 2020, and started to be mass-produced on March 29.
Meanwhile, a vaccine developed by the Razi Vaccine and Serum Research Institute (Razi Cov Pars) is expected to become the second Iranian-made vaccine to be administered among the population in early August; which started the clinical trial on February 27.
Iran has also started human trials of Fakhra vaccine, the third domestically developed COVID-19 vaccine, named after nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh (he was assassinated in late November near Tehran), that was unveiled and started the clinical trial on March 16.
“Osvid-19”, the fourth domestic vaccine produced by Osvah Pharmaceutical Company is also undergoing human trials, which will also be available in early September.
New cases and mortalities
In a press briefing on Sunday, Health Ministry’s spokesperson, Sima-Sadat Lari, confirmed 18,698 new cases of COVID-19 infection, raising the total number of infections to 2,534,855. She added that 1,988,165 patients have so far recovered, but 5,443 remain in critical conditions of the disease.
During the past 24 hours, 394 patients have lost their lives, bringing the total number of deaths to 72,484, she added.
So far, 16,101,399 COVID-19 diagnostic tests have been performed in the country.
