First Volunteer Injected in Iran COVID-19 Vaccine Trial

The first phase of human trial of the coronavirus vaccine developed by Iranian scientists began today. Two volunteers were injected, the first of scores of people recruited for the study. The first person who received the jab was a lady, the daughter of chairman of the Headquarters for Executing the Order of Imam Khomeini, the institution that has produced the Iranian vaccine. The volunteers injected with the homegrown vaccine are accommodated at a hotel in Tehran. The event on the beginning of the human trial was attended by the health minister and the vice president for science and technology. Mohammad Mokhber, whose daughter received the first injection, had announced earlier that some 60,000 Iranian citizens have volunteered to participate in the human tests despite a propaganda campaign launched by hostile and anti-Revolution media outlets, noting that only 56 individuals from different races and age groups are required for the trial. He also noted that Iran complies with all safety standards set by the World Health Organization in the human trial phase and would not hurry to carry out any process. Mokhber said that the monthly capacity of vaccine production at the Headquarters for Executing the Order of Imam Khomeini will reach 1.5 million doses within the next 40 days. The production capacity will stand at 12 million doses per month in the next six months, as Iran will begin to export the coronavirus vaccine after fulfillment of the domestic needs, he said on Sunday. Source: Tasnim News Agency