Rouhani Hopes COVID-19 Will Be Contained in Iran by Summer
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said fighting the coronavirus pandemic has become easier compared to 14 months ago when it began spreading rapidly, expressing hope that the disease will be contained in the country by the time he leaves office in August.
“I think the peak of the disease has passed (in Iran),” Rouhani said at a meeting of the Coronavirus Fight National Headquarters on Saturday.
“It is possible that we may see a rise (in COVID-19 cases) but fighting this disease has become easier compared to 14 months ago,” he added.
“We hope that by the end of this administration’s term (August) the disease will be fully contained and that by the end of the current (Iranian calendar) year of 1400 (March 2022) all Iranian people will be vaccinated (against the coronavirus”.
The president also said Iran will hopefully be able to export its homegrown coronavirus vaccine by the end of the year.
Iran reported 7,980 new coronavirus cases and 81 deaths on Friday.
The total number of COVID-19 cases in the country has exceeded 1,838,000 and the death toll has reached 62,223, the Health Ministry said Friday.
Earlier this month, Iran unveiled a new homegrown vaccine for the coronavirus.
The new vaccine, called ‘Fakhra’, has been developed by the Sepand Organization of the Defense Ministry.
In February, the Headquarters for Executing the Order of Imam Khomeini, the institution that has developed the first Iranian vaccine, said the first stage of human trials has produced promising results as the vaccine is one hundred percent effective against the mutated variant of coronavirus found in the UK.
Officials say Iran will receive around 16 million doses of vaccines through the World Health Organization's COVAX program, import more than 25 million doses from abroad, and produce 25 million other doses inside the country.