4th Wave of Pandemic Over across Iran: President
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said all provinces in the country have gotten past the final peak of the coronavirus pandemic in its fourth wave and are observing a downward trend in infection rates.
Speaking at a meeting of the Coronavirus Fight National Headquarters on Saturday, President Rouhani said all provinces of Iran have already experienced the coronavirus peak in the fourth wave of the pandemic.
Despite a surge in the number of infections in the most recent wave of the pandemic, the death toll has equaled that of the third wave, meaning that the health sector has become more skilled at dealing with the disease and the people have observed the health protocols more strictly, he added.
The president also said the purchase of 30 million doses of coronavirus vaccine has been finalized and arrangements are being made to import them, noting that the homegrown vaccines will be up for public vaccination program by summer.
Rouhani further described the fight against COVID-19 as a national concern that requires collective cooperation, emphasizing that the sensitive struggle should never be politicized for purposes serving the parties and factions ahead of the presidential election.
Iran is working on at least four homegrown vaccines for COVID-19, one of which has undergone the third phase of clinical trials and is expected to be mass produced within the next couple of weeks.
The country has also imported several consignments of vaccine from abroad, including seven shipments of Sputnik V vaccine from Russia.
More than one million Iranians, mainly the health society personnel, have received the first dose of the coronavirus vaccine so far.
