TEHRAN, Iran, Aug. 9
Trend:
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi received the first dose of Iranian "Cov-Barakat" coronavirus vaccine, Trend reports citing IRNA.
“Public vaccination is an unavoidable necessity and one of the government's priorities,” Raisi said.
After receiving the vaccine, the president thanked the medical staff for their efforts to protect the lives of the people.
He called all those involved in the production of vaccines in the country to do their utmost to accelerate the production of domestic vaccine.
He went on to say that the reports received about the number of patients and victims are alarming.
Iran continues to monitor the coronavirus situation in the country. Reportedly, the disease was brought to Iran by a businessman from Iran's Qom city, who went on a business trip to China, despite official warnings. The man died later from the disease.
The Islamic Republic of Iran only announced its first infections and deaths from the coronavirus on Feb. 19. The pandemic hit a wide range of businesses in Iran since its outbreak in mid-February.
The outbreak in the Chinese city of Wuhan - which is an international transport hub - began at a fish market in late December 2019. The World Health Organization (WHO) on March 11 declared COVID-19 a pandemic. Some sources claim the coronavirus outbreak started as early as November 2019.