Officials Give Mixed Messages on Prospects for Iranian-Made Vaccine

February 2, 2021

2 min read

The first shipment of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine is to arrive at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport on February 4

In the past 24 hours alone, 6,200 outpatients with coronavirus symptoms visited hospitals in Tehran province

In recent days the number of Covid-19 infections in certain Iranian province have been increasing again

On Thursday, February 4, the first shipment of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine is due to arrive at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport. According to Mohammad Hossein Zibakhsh, a spokesman for Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization, it will land aboard a Mahan Airlines flight from Russia. Frontline medical personnel and health workers will be the first to receive the jab. Meanwhile, Covid-19 infection rates in certain Iranian provinces appear to be running rampant again.

“As soon as the high-risk groups are vaccinated, the situation will improve. Then, vaccination of the public will start,” said President Hassan Rouhani in a video conference on February 2. He claimed the government has procured millions of doses of reliable Covid-19 vaccines, and further, that Iran’s domestically-produced CovIran Barekat would “hopefully” be in use by the summer.

In fact, Mohammad Reza Mokhber, head of the Executive Headquarters of Imam's Directive, the Supreme Leader-controlled conglomerate developing the Iranian vaccine, predicted that CovIran-Barekat would be ready for use by April. He said phase 1 of the clinical trials will be complete a few days from now, and phase 2 of the clinical trials will start on receipt of permission from the Health Ministry. Phase 1 included a sum total of 56 volunteers.

Mokhber claimed that CovIran-Barekat has been proven effective against the highly contagious variant of coronavirus discovered in Britain. He also ventured to say that it would be effective against other mutations of coronavirus, such as that recently discovered in South Africa. When asked about the safety of this vaccine, however, he called it “good” without offering any figures or documentation to prove it.

The head of the same parastatal body also claimed that various countries, including neighboring countries of Iran, have expressed interest in CovIran-Barekat vaccine – but then added that no “official” request for a contract had yet been received. He also said three other Iranian-made vaccines are now ready for clinical trials and are awaiting permits from the Health Ministry.

Iran’s Latest Coronavirus Statistics

In her daily briefing for February 2, Health Ministry spokeswoman Dr. Sima Sadat Lari announced the official coronavirus statistics for the past 24 hours: