1115 GMT January 18, 2021
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said the people should not worry about the purchase of coronavirus vaccine, saying that the government has made prepayment for the purchase of vaccines from COVAX, an initiative sponsored by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Speaking after a meeting of the heads of three branches of the government on Tuesday, President Rouhani appreciated the people for their cooperation with the Health Ministry and observance of health protocols, which have led to the significant decrease in the number of coronavirus cases and fatalities in the country, IRNA reported.
Iran has managed to decrease the number of fatalities and new cases in recent months after it imposed tough restrictions in the country in November to stem the spread of the deadly virus.
Undoubtedly, one of the most important issues for the government at this time is providing the people with the coronavirus vaccine, whether by the homegrown vaccine or through purchasing from reliable foreign companies, Rouhani said.
The government has made prepayment for the purchase of vaccines from COVAX and millions of doses of vaccines will be made available to the public, Rouhani said.
“We are also looking for vaccines from other sources. So people should not worry about this at all,” he added.
Head of the Medical Council of the Islamic Republic of Iran Mohammadreza Zafarqandi also said on Monday that Iran plans to import about two million coronavirus vaccines from India, China or Russia in the coming months.
Zafarqandi said that the coronavirus vaccine which has been produced in the country is more reliable than the foreign ones, but since its mass production takes time, the Health Ministry has decided to import coronavirus vaccines produced in India, China or Russia, according to IRNA.
Coronavirus cases
Iran’s Health Ministry said on Tuesday the total number of coronavirus positive cases approached 1.3 million.
Speaking at a daily press conference, Health Ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said the number of new cases across the country rose by 6,408 to 1,299,022, according to IRNA.
Of the new cases, 683 people have been admitted to the hospitals across the country, Lari added.
Among those undergoing treatment in medical centers, 4,507 coronavirus patients have critical health conditions, Lari noted.
She also said that the number of fatalities reached 56,360 following the death of 98 people from Monday to Tuesday.
At least 1,088,456 people have recovered so far or have been discharged from hospitals across the country, the ministry’s official said.