Published 19:09 IST, February 9th 2021
Iran starts COVID-19 vaccination campaign with Russian Sputnik V jabs
After receiving 10,000 doses, Iran on February 9 embarked on the coronavirus immunisation campaign with the rollout of the Russian-made Sputnik V vaccine.
- World News
- 2 min read
Iran on February 9 embarked on the coronavirus immunisation campaign with the rollout of the Russian-made Sputnik V vaccine. In a broadcast address, Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani signalled the start of the campaign. The Iranian health minister’s son was among those who received the first shots.
Sputnik V was approved by the Russian health ministry in August last year and has been used in multiple nations for mass inoculations. Sputnik is based on a modified version of adenovirus, a common cold virus. The vector stripped of its disease-causing genes and modified to carry genetic instructions for making the coronavirus spike protein. This prompts the cells to cause an immune response which eventually protects against the SARS-CoV-2.
COVID-19 in Iran
Iran received the first batch of 10,000 doses from Russia last week, days after the Islamic Republic approved the drug for mass use. Iran also has unveiled its second indigenously-developed COVID-19 vaccine called Razi Covo-Pars vaccine, which is the first injectable-inhalable vaccine of COVID-19 recombinant protein. It is worth noting that Iran has completed the first phase of the human trial of its other COVID-19 vaccine called COVIran Barekat, which began in December last year after a successful test on animals.
Iran announced the clinical trial of its second COVID-19 vaccine on Sunday. The vaccine has been developed by Razi Vaccine and Serum Research Institute (RVSRI). Iran’s Minister of Agriculture Kazem Khavazi, while speaking at the launch event on Sunday, said the vaccine has been developed by following World Health Organization's (WHO) instructions.
The second vaccine will be tested for both the injection-based regimen and inhalation regimen and based on results, experts will decide what method to use while inoculating the mass. Iranian Health Ministry has said that several countries have shown interest in procuring Iran's vaccine after announcing the completion of a successful human trial of its first vaccine.
Iran is one of the worst affected nations in the world with more than 1.46 million COVID-19 cases and over 58,000 deaths so far. Although the daily infection rate in Iran has dropped from its peak in November, it is still relatively high and poses a significant risk to the health infrastructure. Iran registered more than 7,000 new cases, lower than its peak of more than 13,000 daily cases in December.
Updated 19:09 IST, February 9th 2021