Iran unveils, tests new COVID-19 vaccine

Fakhra vaccine is named after martyred nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh

TEHRAN – Fakhra vaccine, named after martyred nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, was unveiled and started the clinical trial on Tuesday, IRNA reported.

Iran suspends Iraq flights due to virus strain

TEHRAN – The Iranian Civil Aviation Organization of Iran on Monday announced all flights to the country from Iraq have been suspended for a week to curb the spread of a Covid-19 strain.

COVID-19 inflicts $1.1 billion in losses on Isfahan tourism

TEHRAN – The tourism industry of Isfahan province has suffered a loss of some 48,000 billion rials (about $1.1 billion at the official rate of 42,000 rials per dollar) since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, a provincial tourism official announced on Sunday.

IRGC sets up modern mobile hospital to combat COVID-19

TEHRAN - On Sunday, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) launched a modern mobile hospital in a bid to help the health sector in the fight against coronavirus.

IRCS to tighten COVID-19 control across borders

TEHRAN – The Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) will launch a program this week aiming to take strict measures for curbing coronavirus across border areas of the country.

By Faranak Bakhtiari

More refugees in Iran under insurance coverage

TEHRAN – The number of refugees covered by social insurance services has increased by 20 percent in Iran, as 120,000 foreign nationals will be under the insurance coverage.

Iran to begin COVAX COVID-19 vaccination in weeks

TEHRAN – Iran will start the first phase of vaccinating prioritized groups against coronavirus using COVAX Facility vaccines as the country is projected to receive one million doses of the vaccine in the next two weeks.

Iran suspends flights to and from 32 countries over coronavirus

Rapid COVID-19 testing in Ahvaz as virus roars back

TEHRAN – A COVID-19 rapid testing program is being implemented across the city of Ahvaz, southwestern Khuzestan province, as a new wave of the virus has pushed the city into a high-risk red zone.

‘Martyrs of health’ honored

TEHRAN – A ceremony was held in Tehran on Saturday to honor 100 healthcare workers who lost their lives in the fight against coronavirus.

Coronavirus: Iran sets travel restrictions for four provinces

TEHRAN – Restrictions aimed at slowing a surge in coronavirus cases have been set for four Iranian provinces, which have recently been designated as high-risk “red zones”.

The elderly, war-disabled getting COVID-19 vaccine

TEHRAN – The vaccination against COVID-19 of the elderly and the disabled war veterans being kept in nursing homes across Iran began on Thursday, ISNA reported.

We have gained permission for limited New Year travels: deputy tourism minister

TEHRAN – Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Ministry has gained official permission for organizing limited intercity travels during the Iran New Year vacations, which begins on March 21.

Iran closes Iraq border points to contain UK mutant coronavirus

TEHRAN – Iran has closed five crossing points with Iraq to prevent the spread of the UK variant of coronavirus, ISNA reported.

Iranian-made coronavirus vaccine 90% immunogenic: study

TEHRAN – Tests performed on volunteers who received the Iranian-made COVID-19 vaccine showed that the immunogenicity of “COVIRAN BAREKAT” is about 90 percent.

Iraqi travelers worsen pandemic in Khuzestan: governor general

TEHRAN – Iraqi nationals visiting Iran have worsened the coronavirus pandemic in the southwestern Khuzestan province, IRNA quoted the province’s governor general as saying on Saturday.

Russia approves its third COVID-19 vaccine, CoviVac

Russia on Saturday approved a third coronavirus vaccine for domestic use, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said on state TV, though large-scale clinical trials of the shot, labelled CoviVac and produced by the Chumakov Centre, have yet to begin.

Foreign arrivals to Iran plunge 94 percent in face of virus

TEHRAN – The number of foreign visitors to Iran plunged 94% in the first nine months of the current Iranian calendar year (started March 20, 2020), from a year earlier, government data showed on Wednesday, as the coronavirus pandemic takes a heavy toll of the tourism industry.

Persian New Year: tourism ministry proposes models for domestic travels

TEHRAN – With a month to go till the start of the Iranian New Year, which has long been associated with millions of domestic travels, the Iranian tourism minister wants to find a way to partially revive the already-slumped travels in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Centuries of friendship: Iranian travel insiders mark Chinese Spring Festival online  

TEHRAN – For the third consecutive year, a host of Iranian travel insiders mark the Chinese Spring Festival during an online campaign named “Centuries of Friendship; the Third Chinese Spring Festival in Iran”.

Refugees in Iran to get better healthcare

TEHRAN – A trilateral meeting on offering better healthcare to refugees in Iran was held in Tehran on Tuesday with the representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Ivo Freijsen, in attendance.

No vaccine as effective as Iranian vaccine against UK variant

TEHRAN –Test results have shown that the Iranian-made coronavirus vaccine is highly effective against the British mutated coronavirus virus and no other vaccine in the world has been so effective, Minoo Mohrez, member of the National Headquarters for Coronavirus Control, has stated.

Indonesian Shia leader Jalaluddin Rakhmat dies from Covid-19

TEHRAN - Jalaluddin Rakhmat, leader of the Indonesian Shia Muslims, died from Covid-19 at the age of 72 in Santosa Hospital in Bandung on Monday.

Rapid spread of mutated COVID-19 in Iran ‘a real concern’

TEHRAN – The rapid spread of the more-contagious UK variant of COVID-19 in Iran is a real concern, the country’s health officials have warned.

Iran may face new wave of COVID-19, Rouhani warns

TEHRAN – Iranian President Hassan Rouhani emphasized the necessity for people to follow health protocols, as a new wave of coronavirus may hit the country within the next two months.

Indian, Chinese coronavirus vaccines awaiting Iran's approval

TEHRAN – The Food and Drug Organization of Iran is weighing up importing India’s Bharat Biotech and China’s Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines in a bid to boost the country’s drive against the disease.