Iran hopes to unveil homemade coronavirus vaccine in March

As Iran reports considerable relief from the coronavirus pandemic, hopes are growing that the country’s indigenous vaccine could become available sooner than expected.
Men walk while wearing face masks amid the COVID-19 pandemic in the Iranian capital Tehran, on November 30, 2020. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP) (Photo by ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images)
Men walk while wearing face masks amid the COVID-19 pandemic in the Iranian capital, Tehran, on Nov. 30, 2020. - ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images
Al Monitor: The Pulse of the Middle East
Al-Monitor Staff

​Iran’s top epidemiologist, Dr. Minou Mohraz, said an Iranian-made vaccine against COVID-19 is expected to become available in the country before the end of the Iranian year, March 20, 2021.

Mohraz, who is also a senior member of the Iranian government’s special coronavirus task force, announced that clinical trials on some 60 volunteers from diverse age groups will begin as early as next week. According to Mohraz, the Iranian vaccine will have no side effects.

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