Iran Purchased Two Million Doses of Sputnik-V Vaccine for COVID-19: Official

“The first batch of the Russian vaccine arrived in the country today and our colleagues received it at Imam Khomeini International Airport,” Shanehsaz said in a televised interview on Thursday.

According to Press TV, he said the arrival of the Sputnik-V vaccine shipment showed the beginning of the implementation of a deal between Tehran and Moscow over the purchase of the vaccine.

The official said the next shipments will be delivered to Iran “very soon.”

He explained that other reliable and authorized vaccines have been identified by Iranian experts and that the purchase of vaccines from companies in India and China is on the agenda.

“Also, we are trying to co-produce this vaccine with Cubans,” he said.

Iran received the first shipment of the Sputnik-V vaccine earlier on Thursday, after the vaccine’s efficacy was reported to be around 92%. The medical journal the Lancet published an article proving its effectiveness based on trial vaccination of nearly 22,000 volunteers. Seventy-five percent of the participants received the vaccine, while the rest were given placebos.

Iran’s Ambassador to Moscow Kazem Jalali said the delivery was made after an agreement on January 29 to enable joint work on the vaccine’s production.

Iran expects to receive two more such cargos by February 18 and February 28, the envoy said.

Jalali added that following the third shipment, more cargoes are to be sent over at respectively two-week- and one-month-long intervals.

The vaccine imports are made as inhumane US sanctions have affected Iran’s ability to make the payment for importing vaccines as well as life-saving medical equipment.

Iran is also testing its own coronavirus vaccine, called Coviran Barekat, which will be rolled out in early April.