TEHRAN – Twenty shipments of COVID-19 vaccine have so far been imported into the country, and the volume will soon reach 13 million doses.

Since mid-February, 20 vaccine consignments have been delivered to the country, which is estimated at 9.4 million doses.

Toshimitsu Motegi, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, announced on Tuesday that the Japanese government will donate 2.9 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine to Iran through the COVAX facility.

The COVAX Facility is a partnership, co-led by Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), Gavi-The Vaccine Alliance, and the World Health Organization (WHO), alongside key delivery partner United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).

Vaccines imported from several countries, including Russia, India, Italy, and South Korea, have been imported to Iran.

Iran has so far received two batches of vaccines from the COVAX facility. The first shipment, included over 700,000 doses of Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine manufactured by South

Korean firm SK Bioscience, and the second one consisted of 1,452,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine manufactured by Catalent Anagni of Italy.

In Early-May, the country imported 1 million doses from China, through consultation conducted by the Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS).

Iran also has so far taken delivery of nine batches of the Russian “Sputnik V” vaccine, containing 90,000 doses.

While the country continues efforts to mass-produce local candidates, several foreign vaccines have already been imported and others are expected.
Mass vaccination against COVID-19 started on Iranian citizens with Sputnik V on February 9.

The Islamic Republic is currently producing vaccines jointly with three countries of Cuba, Russia, and Australia, which may also be released by September, while two homegrown vaccines have so far received the emergency use license.

FB/MG