Head of the Medical System: Are those who made statements against vaccine imports held accountable today?

The head of the Medical System Organization once again emphasized that the actual number of coronavirus cases is higher than the announced cases and criticized those who "made statements to restrict the import of vaccines."

Mohammad Reza Zafarghandi tweeted on Sunday evening, August 8, referring to the highest number of coronavirus infections and deaths in Iran, saying that these new records were broken while "the number of tests conducted has decreased and the actual number is much higher than the announced cases."

Mr. Zafarghandi continued, referring to the "reduction in mortality rates in countries that have carried out vaccinations without restrictions and borders," and added: "Are those who issued statements restricting the entry of vaccines held accountable today?"

The Leader of the Islamic Republic announced in January 2020 that he had "banned" the entry of American and British coronavirus vaccines into Iran and that the production of vaccines within the country should not be "denied."

Following these statements, many Iranian officials defended Ali Khamenei's words and, while opposing the import of high-cost global vaccines, emphasized the production of the coronavirus vaccine domestically.

The slow vaccination trend in the country due to vaccine shortages and the widespread outbreak of the Delta virus that led to the recent coronavirus crisis in the country has caused concern among citizens and criticism from some officials in recent months. However, Iranian authorities continue to remove American and British vaccines from the import list and emphasize importing vaccines from China, Russia, and India.

Meanwhile, Mohammad Hassan Ghosian Moghadam, Secretary General and Spokesperson of the Iranian Red Crescent Society, criticized what he called "stone-throwing" and "sabotage" on Monday and said that if we can secure foreign exchange, another 30 million doses of the vaccine will soon enter the country.

Karim Hemmati, head of the Iranian Red Crescent Society, also said on Saturday that the organization had announced its readiness to import vaccines since mid-2020, but the Ministry of Health agreed to the organization's request on April 4, 1402, and the first shipment of vaccines entered the country a few days later.

Meanwhile, many experts and officials consider the city lockdown as a measure to weaken the chain of transmission of the coronavirus and reduce the severity of the current crisis, but so far, not only has no action been taken in this regard, but there has also been much criticism of the lack of oversight over the implementation of health protocols.

In this regard, Hamid Suri, head of the National Committee for Covid-19 Epidemiology, criticized the management of the pandemic in the country in a report published by the Hamshahri newspaper on Monday, saying: "We are not witnessing serious action to combat the coronavirus in the country. Since the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak, there has been no demand or commitment to solve the problem."

According to the announcement of the Iranian Ministry of Health on Sunday, August 8, the death toll reached 524 and new cases reached about 40,000 per day, the highest number since the outbreak of the coronavirus in Iran.

Source: Radio Farda