TEHRAN, Iran, Apr. 23
Trend:
Head of Iran`s presidential office Mahmoud Vaezi said that the priority of the government is to provide the required COVID-19 vaccines from abroad, instead of waiting for the domestic coronavirus vaccine, Trend reports via IRNA.
"Transparency in vaccination process is very important and that is why the president ordered the Ministry of Health to inform him regularly,” Vaezi said.
"According to the National Committee on Combating Coronavirus, the vaccine distribution plan, the medical staff must be the first group who receives the vaccine," Vaezi said. “Elderly people and those who have underlying condition are also in the second group of vaccine priority.”
"Our first priority, until the domestic production be ready, to import the required amount of vaccine with the approval of the Ministry of Health,” Vaezi said.
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.