Iran Receives 250,000 Doses of COVID-19 Vaccine from China

Iran has imported the first consignment of the Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines from China. The cargo comprising 250,000 doses of Sinopharm vaccines arrived at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport in the early hours of Sunday. The vaccines have been scheduled to be handed over to the Health Ministry. According to Alireza Raisi, the deputy health minister, the country would receive doses of other vaccines, including those from India, in the "near future”. This month, Iran imported 120,000 doses of the Sputnik-V vaccine from Russia. Reports have said Iran has purchased a total of 2 million doses. Iran in December began human trials on the first vaccine manufactured in the country, which is expected to be distributed in the spring. The country is also working on a joint vaccine with Cuba. The country plans to import some 17 million doses of vaccine from the international COVAX program and millions more from individual countries. - Mehr