Iran Steps Up COVID Vaccination Amid Warnings
TEHRAN (Dispatches) -- Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani warned Saturday of a COVID-19 "fourth wave” as cases rise in certain areas hit by the pandemic.
"This is a warning for all of us,” Rouhani said in televised remarks.
He said some cities in the southwestern province of Khuzestan were now "red” — the highest on Iran’s color-coded risk level — after weeks of low alert levels across the country.
"This means the beginning of moving toward the fourth wave. We all have to be vigilant to prevent this,” Rouhani added.
The country of more than 80 million people has lost close to 59,000 lives out of more than 1.5 million cases of COVID infection.
Iran has officially registered less than 7,000 daily infections since late December, but the number has crossed this level since early February.
Daily deaths have been below 100 as of early January, the lowest level since June.
Rouhani’s remarks come a day after Iran received 100,000 doses of Russia’s Sputnik V jab "ahead of schedule” on Friday, according to health ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour.
Iran on Friday declared 10 southwestern communities as high-risk COVID-19 "red” zones.
Iran launched a vaccination drive on Tuesday, two weeks after declaring there were no "red” cities. The inoculation focuses on hospital intensive care personnel as authorities await enough vaccines for the general population.
But Ahvaz, capital of oil-rich Khuzestan province and nine other cities and towns were declared "red” zones after a rise in cases and health authorities ordered non-essential businesses to close, ISNA said.
"Following a decrease in the observance of health precautions and the belief that the situation has returned to normal, the number of referrals to hospitals has increased,” Farhad Abolnejadian, head of the medical university in Ahvaz, was quoted by ISNA as saying. "Three hospitals in Ahvaz are at full capacity.”
National television said 100,000 of the 2 million doses of Sputnik V vaccine that Iran had ordered arrived on Friday and Russia may increase the order to 5 million shots and allow Iran to produce the vaccine locally.
Iran plans to vaccinate 1.3 million people by March 20.
Tehran launched human trials of the first of its three domestic vaccine candidates in December.
"This is a warning for all of us,” Rouhani said in televised remarks.
He said some cities in the southwestern province of Khuzestan were now "red” — the highest on Iran’s color-coded risk level — after weeks of low alert levels across the country.
"This means the beginning of moving toward the fourth wave. We all have to be vigilant to prevent this,” Rouhani added.
The country of more than 80 million people has lost close to 59,000 lives out of more than 1.5 million cases of COVID infection.
Iran has officially registered less than 7,000 daily infections since late December, but the number has crossed this level since early February.
Daily deaths have been below 100 as of early January, the lowest level since June.
Rouhani’s remarks come a day after Iran received 100,000 doses of Russia’s Sputnik V jab "ahead of schedule” on Friday, according to health ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour.
Iran on Friday declared 10 southwestern communities as high-risk COVID-19 "red” zones.
Iran launched a vaccination drive on Tuesday, two weeks after declaring there were no "red” cities. The inoculation focuses on hospital intensive care personnel as authorities await enough vaccines for the general population.
But Ahvaz, capital of oil-rich Khuzestan province and nine other cities and towns were declared "red” zones after a rise in cases and health authorities ordered non-essential businesses to close, ISNA said.
"Following a decrease in the observance of health precautions and the belief that the situation has returned to normal, the number of referrals to hospitals has increased,” Farhad Abolnejadian, head of the medical university in Ahvaz, was quoted by ISNA as saying. "Three hospitals in Ahvaz are at full capacity.”
National television said 100,000 of the 2 million doses of Sputnik V vaccine that Iran had ordered arrived on Friday and Russia may increase the order to 5 million shots and allow Iran to produce the vaccine locally.
Iran plans to vaccinate 1.3 million people by March 20.
Tehran launched human trials of the first of its three domestic vaccine candidates in December.