Iran to Vaccinate 70% of Population by End of 2021

Health Minister Saeed Namaki on Monday said Iran is expected to inoculate its most vulnerable groups by the end of summer and 70% of the population by the end of the autumn 2021.
“Some 70% of high-risk groups that would break the chain of transmission will be immunized by the end of autumn,” Namaki was quoted as saying by ISNA.
According to the minister, Iran is estimated to be in a position to export vaccines to other countries in three months. 
He said, “We’ll produce one of the most effective vaccines in the Pasteur Institute of Iran and make in available on the market by late May.”
The vaccine, jointly produced with Cuba, is currently undergoing third phase of human trials and can be accessed sooner than Iran’s locally-made vaccines.
“Some 300,000 more shots of Sputnik V are on the way and another source is China’s Sinopharm vaccine which will arrive shortly,” Namaki said. “We’re hoping to vaccinate vulnerable groups before the New Year [which starts March 21].”
Iran has so far imported 220,000 doses of Russian-developed Sputnik V and is vaccinating its health personnel as a top priority group.

Five Local Vaccines

At least five domestic knowledge-based companies are set to launch first phase of human testing by the end of March, head of the National Coronavirus Taskforce’s science committee, Mostafa Qanei, was quoted as saying by IRNA.
“Currently eight knowledge-based firms are developing local Covid-19 vaccines,” the official pointed out. 
Qanei said that Cov Iran Barkat, the local vaccine developed by scientists at Execution of Imam Khomeini’s Order, will conclude first phase of human trials by late March.
“First phase of human testing for Iran CoV Razi will begin this week,” he added.
Iran has ramped up efforts to vaccinate its population as the British variant of the coronavirus spreads throughout the country, expected to drastically increase hospitalizations and deaths over the next months. 
Iran recorded a further 7,700 new Covid-19 patients on Monday, taking the national number of cases to 1.526 million, spokeswoman for the Health Ministry, Sima Sadat Lari, said.
The official noted, “Over the past 24 hours, 84 coronavirus patients died, bringing the toll of fatalities to 59,028.”
Over 1.3 million have recovered from the infectious disease and 3,700 remain in critical condition, Lari said.
“Iran has performed some 10.1 million PCR tests since the start of the pandemic,” she said.
The tally of worldwide Covid-19 cases rose to 109.4 million and fatalities reached 2.41 million.