Iran has granted emergency use authorization to Chinese COVID-19 vaccine “Sinopharm,” said spokesman of Iran’s Food and Drug Administration (IFDA) Kianoush Jahanpour.
The license was issued after receiving all the information and technical documents by the manufacturer and submitting it to the IFDA, Jahanpour explained.
In late February, Iran received the first consignment of the Chinese COVID-19 vaccine, which included 250,000 doses.
In late January, it granted emergency use authorization to Russia’s Sputnik V and launched its vaccination campaign on Feb. 9.
Jahanpour noted that the Chinese vaccine will be included in the vaccination system after finishing Sputnik V’s doses.
Meanwhile, Iran is simultaneously developing its local vaccines to ensure all Iranians are vaccinated.
The Health Ministry announced Wednesday recording 8,603 new coronavirus cases, raising the infection tally to about 1,715,000 cases.
According to Sima Sadat Lari, the spokeswoman for the Iranian Ministry of Health and Medical Education, 61 new deaths were recorded in the past 24 hours, taking the death toll to 60,928.
Lari said 3,823 remain in intensive care units, while over 1,464,000 have recovered and were discharged from hospitals.
