COVID-19 Vaccination Programme Begins in Iran With Russia's Sputnik V
The COVID-19 vaccination campaign in Iran has started on Tuesday using Russia's Sputnik V vaccine. Doctors and nurses at Imam Khomeini hospital in Tehran received the first shots of Sputnik V. The first shipment of the COVID-19 reached Iran on Thursday.
Tehran, February 9: The COVID-19 vaccination campaign in Iran has started on Tuesday using Russia's Sputnik V vaccine. Doctors and nurses at Imam Khomeini hospital in Tehran received the first shots of Sputnik V. Iran ordered two million doses of Sputnik V. The first shipment of the COVID-19 reached Iran on Thursday. COVID-19 Vaccine Update: Mexico Approves Russia's Coronavirus Vaccine Sputnik V.
"We begin our national vaccination against the COVID-19 virus... (in) memory of the martyrdom of health workers," reported global news agency AFP quoting Iran's President Hassan Rouhani as saying. Notably, the remaining doses of Sputnik V will reach Iran in two shipments. COVID-19 Vaccine Update: Russia Approves Sputnik V For People Over 60 Years.
According to reports, these shipments will reach Iran by February 18 and 28. Registered by Russia on August 11, Sputnik V became the world's first coronavirus vaccine. The vaccine was developed by the Gamaleya National Research Center of Epidemiology and Microbiology. It is reportedly 91.6 percent efficacy against symptomatic forms of coronavirus.
Last week, Iran's Health Minister said that the country would also receive 4.2 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University. Iran reportedly started the development of its own COVID-19 vaccine in December last year.
On February 8, the country also starting working on the second vaccine development programme. Till now, close to 1.4 million people have been affected by COVID-19 in Iran, while over 58,000 people succumbed to the deadly virus.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 09, 2021 09:09 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).