Speaking at a meeting of the Coronavirus Fight National Headquarters on Saturday, Raisi said the arrangements for the import of 30 million doses of coronavirus vaccine have been finalized as part of the necessary measures to expedite the process of public vaccination against the pandemic.
Experts believe that 60 million doses of vaccine must be supplied in Iran in order to contain the outbreak, the president noted.
He also pointed to plans to provide medicine for the coronavirus patients, saying the highly-needed drugs will soon be distributed among 300 pharmacies to prevent the formation of queues.
The president further noted that devising and announcing the health protocols would not suffice for the battle against the pandemic, stressing the need to ensure public compliance with the rules and protocols and force the citizens to respect the social rights of others amid the pandemic.
In a televised speech on Wednesday, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei referred to the unreliability of Western governments regarding the sale of coronavirus vaccines to Iran, saying, “The administration and the Ministry of Health had purchased vaccines from certain places and certain countries and through the COVAX. They even paid for it, but the Western sides broke their promises. However, after the arrival of our own vaccine into the market and after the people began to use them, the importation issue improved as well. In other words, the path was cleared.”
The Leader also stressed the need for intensified efforts for both the importation of vaccines and for their domestic manufacture, adding, “They should provide the people with the vaccine in whatever way possible. Millions of vaccines should become available.”
In another piece of advice, Ayatollah Khamenei pointed to the problems related to medication and the distribution network, demanding firm action regarding the violations and the brokerage markets that limit the people’s access to necessary medicines.