TEHRAN – Iran started the human trial of its second coronavirus vaccine, Razi Cov Pars, by injecting it into two volunteers during a ceremony on Sunday.

The vaccine is both injectable and intranasal based on recombinant COVID-19 proteins, Mohammad Hassan Fallah, deputy head of Razi Vaccine and Serum Research Institute, said.

Through the first phase of the human trial, 133 people will receive the vaccine, 13 of whom are injected in the first group and the rest in four groups consisting of thirty members, he noted.

After 23 days, phase one of vaccination should be completed.

“The second dose of the vaccine will be injected to the volunteers 21 days later and the third dose will be inhaled 51 days later,” he explained.

He went on to say that the vaccine was produced according to the instructions of the World Health Organization, adding, Razi Institute started making vaccines in March 2020 and used the recombinant protein-based method, which is one of the safest vaccines.

Mass vaccination

Iran started mass vaccination with Russian-made Sputnik V vaccine, with the priority given to medical staff, the elderly, and people with underlying diseases; and is also going to be co-produced by the two countries.

Importing vaccine from COVAX, a global initiative to ensure rapid and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines, is also on the agenda.

COVIRAN BAREKAT, the first coronavirus vaccine made by Iranian researchers of the Headquarters for Executing the Order of the Imam, was unveiled and injected into three volunteers during a ceremony on December 29, 2020; which will soon start the second phase of the clinical trial.

On January 27, Health Minister Saeed Namaki said that there are four different ways to supply the coronavirus vaccine, including direct purchase from a foreign country, procurement from the World Health Organization’s COVAX facility, a joint production with a Cuban company as well as domestic production of the vaccine.

He emphasized that Iran will soon be one of the world’s important manufacturers of the COVID-19 vaccine.

New cases and mortalities

In a press briefing on Sunday, Health Ministry’s spokesperson Sima-Sadat Lari confirmed 8,010 new cases of COVID-19 infection, raising the total number of infections to 1,631,169. She added that 1,393,125 patients have so far recovered, but 3,732 remain in critical conditions of the disease.

During the past 24 hours, 93 patients have lost their lives, bringing the total number of deaths to 60,073, she added.

So far, 10,853,008 COVID-19 diagnostic tests have been performed in the country.

Lari noted that currently, 11 cities are at high-risk “red” zones, 32 cities in medium-risk “orange” zones, 251 cities in low-risk “yellow” zones.

FB/MG