'Coviran Barekat' Iran begins trial of locally developed coronavirus vaccine

Iran tested its locally developed Coviran Barekat Coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine for the first time on Tuesday.

According to the state broadcaster, three test subjects were given the vaccine in the presence of the Iranian health minister.

An additional 56 people are set to receive the vaccine in the first phase of testing, and results should be announced in less than a month.

President Hassan Rowhani said Iran would import foreign vaccines as well as use those produced locally.

Due to U.S. sanctions, Iran doesn’t have access to the global banking system, leading to issues with payments and consequently with ordering vaccines.

However, the country’s central bank has already allocated roughly 245 million dollars for the import of coronavirus vaccines.

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases has decreased in Iran in recent weeks due to a strict lockdown, though the number of new daily infections remains at almost 6,000 and fatalities at over 120.

Since the pandemic broke out, Iran has seen more than 54,000 coronavirus-related deaths and over 1.2 million infections.

A mass vaccine campaign is planned for its 83 million residents in March.