Iran vaccine maker says COVID jab output tops 5 mln

Iran’s flagship coronavirus vaccine has hit a production milestone of five million doses nearly a month after it was approved for emergency use in the country.

A senior official from Iranian conglomerate SETAD which owns production facilities for Coviran Barekat vaccine said on Tuesday that nearly 1.3 million doses of the jab had been supplied to the Iranian health ministry for use in a nationwide vaccination campaign against the coronavirus.

“The rest of the produced vaccines will be supplied to the ministry on a regular weekly basis after the jabs have been tested and approved in terms of quality and other standards,” said SETAD’s chief coordinating office Mostafa Seyyed Hashemi.

Seyyed Hashemi said a second production line for Barekat vaccine will soon start a 10-day pilot operation period before it reaches full production capacity.

Iran has accelerated its inoculation drive against the coronavirus since earlier this month after the health ministry announced it can rely on abundant supplies of foreign jabs as well as regular deliveries of vaccines that are being manufactured inside Iran.

Leader urges vaccine self-reliance, says grievances valid

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has blamed the disruption in people’s access to coronavirus vaccines on breach of promises by foreign vaccine sellers, reiterating his call for self-reliance in vaccine production.

More than 10 million vaccinations have been carried out in the country while around three million people have been double-vaccinated against the disease.

Local media reports show people going to vaccination sites across Iran have a preference for Barekat vaccine mainly because they trust it more compared to jabs supplied from abroad.

State TV reports aired earlier this week showed empty lines in front of desks offering Chinese vaccines in a vaccination center in Tehran where there was a long queue for Barekat.

The popularity of the vaccine saw a major boost after the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei received his second dose of the jab on Friday.

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