News / Iran Corona

Iran receives 250,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine from China

Sunday, 28 February 2021 10:34 AM [ Last Update: Sunday, 28 February 2021 11:54 AM ]

China’s Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines are being unloaded from a Mahan Air plane at Imam Khomeini International Airport in Tehran, February 28, 2021. (Photo by Tasnim)

Iran has received 250,000 doses of Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine from China as the country continues the nationwide vaccination of priority groups.

The vaccine consignment arrived at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport on Sunday morning.

Iran’s Food and Drug Organization had already authorized the conditional emergency import and use of the Sinopharm vaccine.

In recent weeks, Iran has imported two batches of the Russian vaccine Sputnik V, containing 120,000 doses in total.

The vaccination drive against the coronavirus pandemic began in Iran on February 9, with the frontline health workers receiving the Sputnik V vaccine.

Iran launches nationwide vaccination campaign against COVID-19

The second phase of the rollout started on Thursday covering other vulnerable groups such as the elderly, the disabled and those injured during the 1980s Iraq-imposed war.

Kianoush Jahanpour, spokesman of Iran’s Food and Drug Organization, tweeted on Saturday that the inoculation of the COVID-19 vaccine to medical staff, the elderly and the war veterans living in nursing homes will reach 110,000 doses this week.

The first phase of vaccinations will continue until Nowruz, the Iranian New Year, he said, adding that there will be no changes in the prioritization of the vaccination program and no VIP jabs.

In addition to the Russian and Chinese COVID-19 vaccines, Iran is expected to receive 16.8 million doses of vaccines from COVAX, a multi-agency group dedicated to assuring fair access to vaccines for low- and middle-income countries.

At the same time, Iranian scientists have been working on domestic vaccines, two of which - named COVIran Barekat and Razi COV-Pars - are currently in the human trial phase.

A volunteer gets the Iranian Razi COV-Pars COVID-19 vaccine in Tehran on February 28, 2021. (Photo by IRNA)

Razi COV-Pars, an mRNA recombinant vaccine that is administered via injection and inhalation, went into clinical trial at Tehran’s Rasoul Akram Hospital on Sunday.

A total of 133 volunteers would get the vaccine, which is a product of the Razi Vaccine and Serum Research Institute.

Iran has been fighting the deadliest pandemic the world has seen in many decades amid the illegal US sanctions that have seriously hampered efforts to stem the outbreak.

So far, more than 1.63 million Iranians have been infected with COVID-19. The Health Ministry announced on Sunday that the death toll from the pandemic had crossed the 60,000 mark.

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