Human Test of Iranian COVID-19 Vaccine to Begin in Days: Minister
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – One of the four Iranian companies working on a vaccine for the coronavirus infection will start human tests of its vaccine next week, the health minister said.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Saeed Namaki said 12 Iranian companies have launched projects to produce a coronavirus vaccine, four of which have made remarkable advances.
One of the companies has received approval for human tests, due to begin next week after the final tests on animals, he added.
Namaki also pointed to plans to supply the domestic need for the coronavirus vaccine through various methods, saying 16.8 million doses of vaccine would be imported under the World Health Organization’s program, which would be used to vaccinate around 8 million Iranians.
Iran has also signed a contract with a renowned company for the joint production of 5.5 million other doses of vaccine, and 20 million other doses would be also purchased from another company, the minister added.
He noted that with a total of 41 doses, around 21 million Iranian people would get the vaccine, considering that it requires two doses taken days apart.
The number of people tested positive for COVID-19 infection in Iran has surpassed 894,000 and the death toll has exceeded 46,000.