Iran was one of the first countries to be hit at the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic last year and has one of the higher death tolls in the world. As the country grappled with crippling US sanctions, it struggled to contain the virus by using intermittent lockdowns and other short-term actions to slow the spread. Officials now say they will begin producing a domestic vaccine and will become the largest producer of a conronavrus vaccine in the region.
Mohammad Mokhber, head of the Execution of Imam Khomeini’s Order, otherwise known as the Executive Headquarters of Imam’s Directive, or Setad, said they are in the second and third phases of human testing for the domestic Iranian vaccine, which is called COV Iran Barkat. He did not specify if the second and third phases are being conducted concurrently.
