Omicron Surge in Iran; Need for Import of ‘More Effective’ Vaccines and Warning Against Repeating ‘Miscalculations’

Following the surge in Omicron cases in Iran, the head of the Virology Research Center at Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences emphasized the need for vaccines “with higher efficacy” in an interview with “Khabaronline.”

Alireza Naji, warning about the spread of Omicron, added: “If it is decided that this matter will be handled solely based on domestic production, we will face problems and these miscalculations should not be repeated.”

He said that domestic vaccines have not yet been used “on a large scale” in adults and cannot be tested in children or the effects of these vaccines against Omicron determined.

Research conducted on the effectiveness of vaccines with inactivated virus platforms such as Sinopharm against Omicron has shown that administering a third dose does not lead to a significant increase in neutralizing antibody levels, while vaccination with a different platform such as recombinant protein or “mRNA” may have higher efficacy against Omicron.

Previously, the head of Iran’s Food and Drug Administration stated that “we currently have no coronavirus vaccine imports and are relying on domestic production.”

Behram Daraeian had emphasized that domestic coronavirus vaccine manufacturers are scheduled to deliver 15 million doses of vaccine each month and said that domestic vaccines can be used for the third dose.

Following widespread criticism of these statements, he denied his remarks about “vaccine import prohibition” and said vaccine imports will continue if necessary.

Iran’s Ministry of Health does not provide detailed vaccination statistics and it is unclear how much stock each vaccine has.

Recently, a new shipment of Japan’s donated AstraZeneca vaccine arrived in Iran, but reports published on social media indicate a shortage of this vaccine. Users say AstraZeneca is even difficult to find for the second dose injection.

Iran’s health authorities say AstraZeneca vaccine is only administered to people who intend to travel abroad.

Meanwhile, recently Iran’s health minister stated that they are pursuing approval of Iranian vaccines and Barkat vaccine has passed “basic stages.”

This is while the updated list of the World Health Organization does not mention Barkat vaccine among those whose approval process has begun by the organization.

Behram Einollahi also claimed that “in terms of effectiveness, there is no difference between AstraZeneca and other vaccines.” While scientific evidence for vaccines produced within Iran is very limited.

Source: Voice of America