Iran's Health Ministry says the first shipment of the World Health Organization’s COVAX global vaccine plan, containing more than 700,000 doses of the Oxford–AstraZeneca vaccine, has been sent to Tehran from Amsterdam.
“The first shipment of vaccines prepared by the COVAX scheme, containing more than 700,000 does of the Oxford–AstraZeneca vaccine manufactured by SK-Bio Institute of South Korea was loaded and sent to Tehran from the Amsterdam route minutes ago,” Kianoush Jahanpour, the spokesman for Iran Food and Drug Administration (IFDA), wrote in a tweet late on Sunday.
According to Jahanpour, Iran has bought 16.8 million doses of vaccine via the COVAX global initiative.
Iran began its COVID-19 vaccination campaign with Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine on February 9, starting with front-line medical workers who have already fought off three tough coronavirus waves in the country.
According to the spokesman of the National Headquarters for Managing and Fighting the Coronavirus, Iran has so far received 790,000 vaccine doses from other countries.
“Some vaccines are on the way and will arrive in Iran this week. Of course, there is a special situation regarding vaccines in the world and the disputes that have arisen among some countries due to vaccine [distribution and supply],” Alireza Raeisi said.
Raeisi also pointed to the purchase of vaccines via the COVAX initiative, saying while Iran expected to receive 4.2 million doses before the Iranian New Year on March 21, the plan has been postponed repeatedly, and instead, 780,000 doses will arrive in the country by Wednesday.
He added that so far 250,000 people in Iran have been vaccinated, of whom 56,000 have received their second jabs.