Rouhani orders to purchase coronavirus vaccine “as quickly as possible”
The head of government, in light of the news that some countries have obtained the coronavirus vaccine, asked the Minister of Health to take action to purchase it as soon as possible. According to statistics from the Ministry of Health, as of September 29, 373,570 cases of coronavirus have been identified in Iran.
On Sunday, September 29, in a conversation with the Minister of Health, the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran asked him to take the necessary measures to prevent "fatigue and burnout" of medical staff and, if necessary, to take steps to train new personnel more quickly and replace them.
More than six months after the official confirmation of the coronavirus outbreak in Iran, many officials have expressed concern about the exhaustion of medical care and have called on citizens to follow health recommendations more closely.
Alireza Zali, commander of the headquarters to combat the coronavirus in the Tehran metropolis, warned about this situation on September 2, saying: "Comparative statistics show that Iran, the United States, and Russia are three countries where, in terms of the absolute number of infections, the rate of infection of medical personnel in these countries is higher."
Zali told Mehr News Agency that the "chronic fatigue process" among medical staff reduces their body's immunity and defenses, and due to the "destructive nature of Covid-19," people's motivation to use protective equipment decreases.
Quick purchase of the coronavirus vaccine if it is produced
According to the government information website, on Sunday, referring to the news published about some countries obtaining the coronavirus vaccine, Hassan Rouhani ordered Saeed Namaki: "The necessary steps should be taken as soon as possible to purchase this vaccine and carry out the usual testing and diagnostic steps so that, if possible, effective measures in this field can be initiated in the country as soon as possible."
Currently, many companies and research institutes in different countries around the world are testing and trialing a coronavirus vaccine. The first government license for such a vaccine was recently issued in Russia, but there are serious doubts about whether it will go through the necessary production steps.
The United States is one of the leading countries in researching and developing a vaccine for the coronavirus, and President Donald Trump has repeatedly promised that the vaccine will be ready by the end of this year. However, many experts consider it unrealistic to develop a coronavirus vaccine before 2021.
In Iran, the trend of infections and deaths related to COVID-19 has been declining for some time, and over the last two days, new cases of infection have fallen to less than 2,000 per day.
1,754 new infections, 103 deaths
The Ministry of Health spokesperson announced in a press conference on September 29 that 1,754 new cases of coronavirus had been identified in the past 24 hours and 103 people had died from the disease.
According to Sima Sadat Lari, the total number of infected people in Iran has reached 373,570 and the number of Covid-19 victims has reached 21,462. She says that despite the relative decrease in cases and deaths, 28 provinces of Iran are still in a state of emergency and alert due to the spread of the coronavirus.
In recent days, concerns and warnings about a resurgence of the coronavirus outbreak have increased due to the mourning ceremonies of the month of Muharram and increased travel during the holidays of this month.
Minoo Mahrez, a member of the National Committee to Combat Corona, complained yesterday that in recent days, due to the Muharram holidays, many citizens have preferred to travel rather than stay at home.
Concerns about the worsening of the coronavirus due to travel
In an interview with Borna News Agency, Mahrez warned: "In the near future, we will witness an increase and intensification of the coronavirus wave in the country due to the large number of trips these days."
The Ministers of Interior and Health, as heads of the security and health committees of the National Headquarters for Combating Corona, have also shared this concern with the 12th Prime Minister.
According to the government information website, Hassan Rouhani, in response to these concerns, said: "Those who have traveled during the recent holidays should not allow their failure to comply with protocols to cause a resurgence of the spread of Covid-19 and negatively affect the round-the-clock and exhausting efforts of medical staff in combating the second wave of the coronavirus outbreak."
Photos and videos published on social media show that in many mourning ceremonies in recent days, health recommendations, especially physical distancing and the use of masks, were not properly observed, and the influx of travelers to northern cities was very intense.
Source: DW
