Iran starts human trials of Covid vaccine it developed, targets summer release

According to a report by state-owned media, the COVIRAN vaccine was given to three volunteers. The country is working on developing three separate vaccines.

A firefighter wearing protective clothing, mask and goggles, sprays disinfectant on Tabia't bridge pedestrian overpass, near an Iranian flag, in Tehran | Photo: Ali Mohammadi | Bloomberg File Photo

Tehran: Iran started human trials of a locally developed coronavirus vaccine on Tuesday, with the aim of making it available to the general public by summer, state-owned IRIB News reported.

The COVIRAN vaccine was given to three volunteers, including the daughter of the head of Setad, the state-run foundation that developed the vaccine, the report said. A total of 56 people are slated to receive the shots in the first of three clinical trial phases.

Iran is the epicenter of the Middle East’s virus outbreak, with more than 1.2 million known cases and almost 55,000 deaths.

On Monday, President Hassan Rouhani said the country is working on developing three separate vaccines. It also aims to secure more than 16 million doses of vaccine made outside the country — enough for about 10% of the population — through the World Health Organization.- Bloomberg