Corona in Iran; 700,000 vaccines and promise of universal vaccination

The spokesperson for the Food and Drug Administration in Iran has promised that public vaccination will be completed by the end of 1400. This is despite the fact that so far only 700,000 vaccines have been distributed from three countries: India, China, and Russia, and most of the advertising is for domestic production.

Kianoush Jahanpour, spokesman for the Food and Drug Administration, says that according to the plan of the National Vaccine Committee and the Ministry of Health, all Iranians will be vaccinated by the end of the Islamic calendar year. He expressed hope that by jointly producing a vaccine with partner countries, this plan will be realized even by the end of 2021.

Jahanpour, who is also the director of public relations for the Ministry of Health, made this promise and optimism despite the fact that the number of vaccines distributed in Iran's health network is only 700,000 doses. This limited number of vaccines, which were supplied by China (Sinopharm), Russia (Sputnik), and India (Covaxin), have been used for medical staff, the elderly, veterans, and people exposed to infectious waste.

Jahanpour said in a radio program that in the second phase of the vaccine, people over 65 and patients with underlying conditions aged 16 to 64 will be given priority for injection. He added that public vaccination will reach its peak in the summer with the domestic vaccine entering the market in the final weeks of spring: "In the fall and at the latest in winter, public vaccination will end with herd immunity, and after this period, we will have the announcement of the end of the epidemic and we will return to normal life."

The Public Relations Director of the Ministry of Health has reiterated that the import of the AstraZeneca vaccine is subject to the final decision of the Ministry of Health, the Food and Drug Administration, and the National Vaccine Committee. This is despite the fact that the European Medicines Agency three days ago declared the resumption of the administration of this vaccine as permissible.

The AstraZeneca vaccine was to be sent to Iran as part of the World Health Organization's COVAX program. This program is specifically designed to deliver vaccines to countries that cannot afford to buy the coronavirus vaccine. According to the WHO's schedule, AstraZeneca was to be imported to Iran from South Korea in the spring.

Iranian vaccines about to enter the market

The spokesperson for the Food and Drug Administration has announced the final stages of the production of a joint vaccine between Iran and Cuba and several domestically produced vaccines. He said that the joint vaccine with Cuba is in the third phase of clinical studies, but at the same time added that 100,000 doses of this vaccine have been imported to Iran: "As soon as the phase three reports of this vaccine are confirmed, its mass production will begin in Iran and Cuba."

The domestic vaccines are named "Barkat," "Fakhra," and "Razi." Jahanpour said Barkat will enter mass production in late spring. The Fakhra vaccine, which is the product of a company affiliated with the Ministry of Defense and named in memory of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, will be available in late summer, he said.

The mass production of the Razi vaccine will also be in the fall. The Public Relations Director of the Ministry of Health has also announced the production process of several other domestic vaccines, while none of the three vaccines mentioned have the seal of approval of international authorities.

Red provinces, Nowruz travelers

While Ministry of Health officials have promised general immunization by the end of 1400 and mass production of domestic vaccines, Nowruz trips have taken place as before, and Gilan province alone has hosted 1 million 200 thousand passengers. Traffic police say that Nowruz trips in 1400 have increased by 47% compared to last year.

Many images have also been published of Nowruz travelers in various cities taking selfies or group souvenir photos without social distancing or masks.

Alireza Raisi, spokesman for the National Headquarters for Combating Coronavirus, warned on Monday that the spread of the virus is on the rise in various parts of Iran. He reported an increase in hospitalized patients in Tehran and said that the provinces of Kurdistan, West Azerbaijan, and Bushehr are on the verge of becoming red.

At the same time, the president of Iranshahr University of Medical Sciences has announced 29 cases of the English-type coronavirus.

According to the latest statistics from the Iranian Ministry of Health, in the past 24 hours, 80 more patients have died from coronavirus in the country, bringing the total death toll to 61,877.

Source: DW