Covid Fifth Wave Is Past Its Peak

Iran has now passed the fifth peak of its coronavirus outbreak with the viral infection on the decline all across the country, spokesman for the National Coronavirus Headquarters, Alireza Raeisi, said on Thursday. 
“We have completely passed the peak in some 21 provinces…The disease is on a downward trend in provinces Tehran and Alborz,” Raeisi was quoted as saying by ISNA.
The prospect of rapid vaccinations promises to lower the disease’s death rate in the near future. Iran reports at least 500 fatalities on a daily basis but infection rates have dropped from August 17’s all-time high of 50,000 to some 26,000.
“Throughout this week, 16 million vaccine doses have arrived in the country,” Raeisi said, adding that 5.5 million of the jabs had been delivered only in the past day.
He noted that 14 million more shots will be imported during the coming week and that 30 more million jabs were scheduled for arrival next month. 
“The first target group, 61.2 million people, will receive their first vaccination dose and those waiting for the second shot can be vaccinated with this volume,” he said.
The majority of vaccines given in Iran have been imported by the Iranian Red Crescent Society.
Head of the organization, Karim Hemmati, announced the delivery of another five million jabs of the Chinese Sinopharm vaccine on Thursday.
“Overall, the society has imported 30.390 million shots,” he said. 
Hemmati expressed hope that his organization could start bringing in one-shot Covid vaccines from Europe to boost immunity among the vaccinated.
Iran’s Customs Administration announced on Friday that 46.6 million vaccine shots had been imported since February. According to the Health Ministry, 32.4 million of the doses have been administered so far.
Some 43% of the jabs have been delivered only in the past 20 days. 
Over 22 million Iranians have been given a first vaccine dose and 11.280 million of its population of 85 million people have been fully vaccinated.