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Special Features

Sinopharm in Doubt as Vaccinated Iranians Die of Covid-19

August 28, 2021
Pouyan Khoshhal
5 min read
More than 60 percent of vaccine doses imported by Iran are the Chinese-made Sinopharm
More than 60 percent of vaccine doses imported by Iran are the Chinese-made Sinopharm

Concerns over the efficacy of Iran’s Covid-19 vaccination drive – relying in large part on imports of the Chinese Sinopharm vaccine – are rising as the country records instances of a higher death toll among vaccinated people than the world average.

The Chinese city of Wuhan is reportedly where the coronavirus pandemic started: now Iranians are hearing about China and Wuhan again but not for the same reason. More than 60 percent of covid vaccines imported to Iran are by the Chinese firm Sinopharm. Iran’s Red Crescent Society began importing this vaccine in May and recently announced that it was planning to accelerate imports.

Reports indicated that China has sold Iran two types of vaccine: one made in Beijing in 0.5ml vials and the other made in Wuhan in 1ml vials. Both the Red Crescent Society and Iran’s Food and Drug Administration have categorically denied these reports. But Red Crescent is refusing to divulge details about the imports, which has led to worries about the efficacy of these vaccines, especially after it was reported that at least 2,000 Iranians who had received both Sinopharm doses had lost their lives to Covid-19.

The worries began after the Health Ministry’s Center for Statistics and Technology reported that more than 2,000 fully-vaccinated Iranians have died – which is 75 times the international average for people who have received both doses of vaccine. Experts offered various analyses to account for this differential; some speculated that, considering the slow pace of vaccination in Iran, the Health Ministry published this figure to deter some Iranians from demanding to be vaccinated.

Others have meanwhile claimed that some or all vials of Sinopharm are being used to vaccinate two people – though these reports are difficult to verify. But guidelines issued by the World Health Organization (WHO) and even Iran’s own Health Ministry stipulate that each vial containing 0.5ml is to be used for one person; meaning that Iran’s program, if these reports are accurate, is leaving people only half-vaccinated.

The newspaper Mardom Salari also reported a similar experience shared by a member of its Telegram channel: “This morning, August 21, some of my friends and I went to the [vaccination center] but we were surprised when we saw that they were using one dose for two people. When we objected, the vaccination supervisor said ‘They have told us to do this because of the vaccine shortage.’”

A pharmacologist in Iran, who asked not to be named, told IranWire: “After the deaths of many vaccinated people were reported, my pharmacologist colleagues said that those who were given Sinopharm are not really vaccinated against coronavirus because the dose was inadequate. But … the problem went much further than what we imagined.”

Health professionals who work at vaccination centers have also said that, previously, they used 1ml Sinopharm vaccine vials to dose individuals; recent deliveries, though, have come in only 0.5ml vials.

A further complication came on August 26 when the newspaper Jahan-e Sanat reported that Iran has imported two kinds of Sinopharm vaccines: “The first is from Wuhan, is of lower quality, and sells for $10 per dose. The second is made in Beijing, is of higher quality, and costs $25 per dose. The rumor is that the efficacy of the Wuhan vaccine is much lower than the original [Beijing] Sinopharm and perhaps this has been the cause of increasing fatalities among Iranians who have been vaccinated.”

Kianoush Jahanpour, spokesman for the Food and Drug Administration, denied that Iran had imported “low quality” vaccines from China. He told Jahan-e Sanat that Sinopharm did sell two versions of its vaccine, “but the Wuhan Sinopharm is not licensed for use in Iran. The only Chinese vaccine that is permitted to be imported and used in Iran is the Beijing Sinopharm. It is iimpossible that the Red Crescent has imported the Wuhan vaccine because it is cheaper… In any case, the Red Crescent Society does not import, it just acts as an intermediary. The number of fatalities among covid patients has nothing to do with the vaccine. Contrary to all the negative propaganda, we have been transparent in offering information to the people. The name of the vaccine that we have acquired is Sinopharm (Beijing): BBIBP-CorV. Around 1.55 million doses of this vaccine were donated and we paid for the rest.”

Jahanpour added that the private sector intends to buy the Wuhan vaccine but that so far it has been unsuccessful in this effort.

“Mr. Jahanpour has never issued a ‘mea culpa’ so it is only natural for him to deny these reports,” IranWire’s pharmacologist source said. “The important point is that the Beijing and Wuhan vaccines are made using different methods. When we say they have different efficacies, it means that their IgG [Immunoglobulin G] antibodies are different and that the slightest shortfall in the level of antibodies in a dose means that the second dose does not boost the first dose. The resulting immunity is much lower and the chances that the person will be infected by coronavirus is therefore higher – especially with the Delta variant which is now the dominant variant in Iran.”

Reports published by the Iranian media have also confirmed that these two versions of Sinopharm’s vaccine have different levels of efficacy. The WHO has also not so far endorsed the Wuhan version. “Although both vaccines are made by the same company, they are very different,” wrote Khabar Online. “The Beijing vaccine is 79 percent effective and has been endorsed by the WHO, but the Wuhan vaccine has an efficacy of 72.5 percent and has not yet been endorsed by WHO.”

Health experts are worried about the efficacy of the vaccination program if people receive a first dose of Beijing and a second dose of Wuhan – given the differentials in antibodies described by IranWire’s source. Iranian health authorities have yet to conduct studies on he efficacy of the vaccines they are using and the Islamic Republic has given priority to quantity over quality.

Iran has imported a total of 29 million doses of vaccine to date.

Official Coronavirus Statistics

The number of Covid-19 infections, hospitalizations and fatalities has risen over the past few weeks. According to the Health Ministry’s weekly statistics, a total of 4,462 patients are known to have lost their lives to Covid-19 in the week ending August 26: an increase of 421 people over the preceding week’s death toll of 4,040. With 709 deaths, August 24 had the highest level of officially-recorded number of fatalities during that week.

Sinopharm in Doubt as Vaccinated Iranians Die of Covid-19

At the week’s end, 7,788 Covid-19 patients in Iran were being treated in ICUs. According to the Health Ministry, at the time of writing the total number of vaccine doses injected, both first and second shots, had reached 24,922,555.

Sinopharm in Doubt as Vaccinated Iranians Die of Covid-19

There are currently 359 Iranian cities on red alert for coronavirus transmission. Another 59 are rated orange and 30 are yellow. No city in Iran is currently on “blue” alert.

Related Coverage:

Number of Delta Variant Cases Continues to Rise Across Iran

Covid-19 Deaths Surge in Iran Amid Vaccine Delays and 40 Percent Hesitancy

Cash-for-Beds Rackets Exposed as Delta Variant Overwhelms Iranian Hospitals

Coronavirus: Delta Variant Infiltrates Iranian Heartlands

Saeed Namaki's Farewell Letter as Health Minister Delays Vaccine Delay Explanations

Iran to Hold Shia Mourning Ceremonies Despite Record Covid-19 Infections]

No Beds in Hospitals as Iran Faces Fifth Coronavirus Outbreak

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