TEHRAN – The second phase of vaccination against coronavirus began in Iran on Tuesday with vaccinating people above 80 years and those elderly with comorbidities.

“The vaccination will pace up, because, in addition to domestic vaccines, our orders will also be imported so that the target groups will be vaccinated according to the national document priority,” Health Minister Saeed Namaki said, IRIB reported.

The domestic companies are endeavoring to produce vaccines jointly with three countries of Cuba, Russia, and Australia, he added.

While Iran continues efforts to mass-produce local candidates, several foreign vaccines have already been imported and others are expected soon.

Mass vaccination against COVID-19 started on Iranian citizens with the Russian-made Sputnik V vaccine on February 9.

So far, 718,510 doses of coronavirus vaccine, including the first and second doses, have been injected in the country.

Domestic vaccines

COVIRAN BAREKAT, the first coronavirus vaccine made by Iranian researchers, started the third phase of the human trial on Sunday by being administrated to 20,000 people.

Developed by researchers at the Headquarters for Executing the Order of the Imam, the vaccine was unveiled on December 29, 2020, and started to be mass-produced on March 29.

Meanwhile, a vaccine developed by the Razi Vaccine and Serum Research Institute (Razi Cov Pars) is expected to become the second Iranian-made vaccine to be administered among the population in early August; which started the clinical trial on February 27.

Iran has also started human trials of Fakhra vaccine, the third domestically developed COVID-19 vaccine, named after nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh (he was assassinated in late November near Tehran), that was unveiled and started the clinical trial on March 16.
“Osvid-19”, the fourth domestic vaccine produced by Osvah Pharmaceutical Company is also undergoing human trials, which will also be available in early September.

New cases and mortalities

In a press briefing on Tuesday Health Ministry’s spokesperson, Sima-Sadat Lari, confirmed 20,963 new cases of COVID-19 infection, raising the total number of infections to 2,438,193. She added that 1,907,190 patients have so far recovered, but 5,287 remain in critical conditions of the disease.

During the past 24 hours, 462 patients have lost their lives, bringing the total number of deaths to 70,532, she added.

So far, 15,435,147 COVID-19 diagnostic tests have been performed in the country.

FB/MG