Iran Hopes to Start Using Two Home-Made Vaccines in May, June

Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani said the US obstructionism has hindered delivery of medicine and medical equipment to Iran, adding that COV-Pasteur and Barekat coronavirus vaccines will be given to the public in mid-May and mid-June respectively.

“Although the US cruel sanctions had made it impossible for Iran to do bank dealings and import medicine and medical equipment,” Rouhani said, adding, “Iranian researchers and scientists, with the help of God, succeeded to attain great achievements… and we will hopefully operationalize COV-Pasteur vaccine in mid-May and Barekat vaccine in mid-June.”

He expressed hope that the purchased vaccines will enter the country within a month in a bid to accelerate vaccination of the risky groups like medical staff and elderly people.

In relevant remarks on May 1, senior member of Iran’s National Task Force for Fighting COVID-19 Minou Mohraz said that the coronavirus vaccine, COV-Iran, which has been developed by the Iranian scientists at the Headquarters for Executing the Order of Imam Khomeini (HEIKO) has shown no side effects.

“Fortunately, I have had no side effects to date. Meantime, 330 volunteers who have received the vaccine have not had any side effects either so far,” said Mohraz, who has earlier received the COV-Iran vaccine.

“The vaccine is effective against the British virus, but we are still not sure if it is effective against the Coronavirus mutations in South Africa and India,” she added.

Mohraz, also a senior member of the team to assess the efficiency of the Iran-made vaccine, said that nearly 30 million doses of the vaccine will be delivered by the HEIKO to the health ministry by mid-Summer.