Tehran to begin vaccinations as Iran remains divided over Russian shot
Iran’s president is hopeful that his country’s vaccination drive will kick off in the coming weeks despite growing criticism from the Iranian medical community against the Russian vaccine.
President Hassan Rouhani said Iran's coronavirus vaccination rollout could begin by Feb. 20. He said millions of doses will be available for the vaccination program, which will prioritize the front line medical community as well as high-risk individuals.
Rouhani did not specify the origin of the vaccine that will be distributed. The Iranian government recently approved the importation of of the Russian vaccine, Sputnik V. The decision was made public by Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif during his visit to Moscow last week. Later, Iran’s ambassador to the Russian Federation, Kazem Jalali, declared that the first batch will be on board a Tehran-bound plane by Feb. 4 and be followed by regular shipments every two weeks.
