Supreme Leader to receive first dose of Iranian vaccine in coming days

Khamenei.ir carried the report on Wednesday, citing Dr. Alireza Marandi, president of the Academy of Medical Sciences of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
“The Leader lays especial emphasis on the use of Iranian vaccine. This vaccine is the result of young Iranian scientists’ endeavor and enjoys a high immunization level,” Marandi said.

The official said Ayatollah Khamenei did not have any objection to receiving vaccination from the onset of the outbreak of the coronavirus crisis.

The Leader had, however, set two prior conditions, insisting not to receive the remedy outside the schedule that had been devised for the rest of Iranians in the first place, Marandi noted. Secondly, Ayatollah Khamenei had required to receive only Iranian remedy, he added.

“Therefore, once the vaccination process involving the Iranian countrymen above 80 years of age began, the Leader refused to receive foreign vaccine and waited for the Iranian one,” the official stated.

Marandi pointed out that Ayatollah Khamenei was to have a first dose of the Iranian vaccine administered, while the Iranians fitting within the age bracket had already received their first dosage from the country’s imported vaccine reserves.

The website hailed that the scientists, who had produced CovIran Bareket, were all among those, who had studied at domestic academic institutes. It added that production of the cure had made Iran the sixth country across the world to score the achievement after India, China, the UK, the US, and Russia, and the first West Asian nation to triumph in the area.

The Iranian vaccine was approved for emergency mass application by the country’s Health Ministry earlier this month.

Simultaneously, the Shafa Pharmed pharmaceutical complex that has been working on the cure as part of a project led by the Headquarters for the Execution of Imam Khomeini's Order, a charitable organization, released an official report, verifying its high level of effectiveness.

The organization’s head, Mohammad Mokhber wrote to Ayatollah Khamenei, congratulating the Leader on the occasion of the monumental success.

Mokhber put the triumph down to divine grace, the Leader’s support, and the diligence of the country’s youths and researchers.

The vaccine, he noted, was so far the only one among the six vaccine production platforms run by the Headquarters that had secured the Ministry’s permission. The organization has completed animal trials of other vaccines that are respectively based on the DNA, mRNA, recombinant protein, measles’ recombined virus, and stem cells.

The mass-production line for the DNA-based vaccine was ready, while creation of similar production means for the other types was underway, Mokhber noted.