Iran’s Health Minister: No Cases of Omicron Variant Identified in the Country Yet

Iran’s Health Minister says no cases of the Omicron variant of coronavirus have been identified in the country yet.

Bahram Einollahi said on Sunday, December 28: “What is causing concern around the world is that the new variant may be vaccine-resistant. Some countries have banned entry from infected countries, and we are also monitoring the virus.”

Following reports of the discovery of the Omicron variant, which has been reported to originate in South Africa, several countries including European nations, the United States, and Iran have restricted flights from South Africa. Some European countries, Israel, and Russia have also confirmed the entry of the new coronavirus variant into their territories.

Iran banned flights from six African countries on Saturday.

Iran’s Health Minister also stated that it is still unclear whether existing coronavirus vaccines are effective against the new variant, urging those who have not yet been vaccinated to act quickly, and asking those who have received two doses of vaccine to get a booster shot.

Iran was one of the first countries to be severely affected by the coronavirus two years ago when the global pandemic began. Due to the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s ban on the import of vaccines produced by the United States and Britain, as well as the government’s delay in importing vaccines in hopes of domestic production, Iran faced its largest wave of coronavirus outbreak this summer.

In recent months, Iran has increased coronavirus vaccine imports, and currently more than 53 percent of Iran’s population has received two doses of coronavirus vaccine, and the number of daily cases and deaths have significantly decreased.

Source: Radio Farda