TEHRAN (Iran News) – No homegrown COVID-19 vaccine will be exported until the domestic need is fully met, although several countries have asked for purchasing the COVIRAN BAREKAT vaccine, Mohammad Mokhber, the head of the Headquarters for Executing the Order of the Imam, has said.

COVIRAN BAREKAT, the first coronavirus vaccine made by researchers at the Headquarters for Executing the Order of the Imam which was unveiled on December 29, 2020, started to be mass-produced on March 29.

“We have so far produced 300,000 doses of the vaccine, which will reach 1 million doses by the end of the current month (May 21),” he added.

By June, this number will reach 12 million doses per month, and in August, and by September we will produce 20 to 25 million doses of vaccine, he noted, YJC reported on Tuesday.

Mokhber went on to explain that the third phase of the clinical trial started earlier this week by being administrated to 20,000 people, after the satisfactory result is proved, a general permit will be issued to start the mass vaccination.

“We do not think about exporting at all, and our main obsession is our people,” he further highlighted.

At least two European countries and three countries in the region are now seeking to negotiate on purchasing vaccine, but we will export once the domestic needs are met, Mokhber stated on April 14.

Homegrown vaccines

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 successfully completed the first phase of the human trial for Fakhra vaccine, the third domestically developed COVID-19 vaccine, named after nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh (he was assassinated in November 2020 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 Tuesday, Health Ministry’s spokesperson, Sima-Sadat Lari, confirmed 13,930 new cases of COVID-19 infection, raising the total number of infections to 2,779,415. She added that 2,258,046 patients have so far recovered, but 5,173 remain in critical conditions of the disease.

During the past 24 hours, 310 patients have lost their lives, bringing the total number of deaths to 77,532, she added.

So far, 18,285,393 COVID-19 diagnostic tests have been performed in the country.