TEHRAN, Iran, Dec.24
Trend:
The Central Bank of Iran (CBI) has issued an order to allocate money to pay for the COVID-19 vaccine, for purchase from abroad, said the Governor of the Central Bank of Iran Abdolnasser Hemmati, Trend reports via IRNA.
Hemmati said an agreement with South Korea was reached, and an order was issues to allocate funds for the purchase of the vaccine.
"I have mentioned in one of my previous posts that the US sanctions and the need to obtain OFAC agreement have delayed the issue, and created the problem with purchasing of the coronavirus vaccine," he said.
"The necessary cooperation is being carried out with the Ministry of Health, so the people can be sure that the purchase and bringing the coronavirus vaccine to Iran, would be done properly and as soon as possible," he said.
Iran continues to monitor the coronavirus situation in the country.
The country continues to apply strict measures to contain the further spread. 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 coronavi