Iran's outgoing President Hassan Rouhani expressed concerns on Saturday about the country entering a fifth wave of the coronavirus pandemic, particularly linked to the highly contagious Delta variant. During the weekly meeting of the National Covid-19 Combat Committee, Rouhani stated, "I fear we are on the path to the fifth wave throughout the country." He added, "In recent weeks, the Delta variant has entered the country through the southern and southeastern regions, and we must work to stop its spread."
According to the Ministry of Health, many provinces in the south and southeast, especially Sistan-Baluchestan, Kerman, Hormozgan, and Fars, are now classified as "red," the highest level in the epidemic classification used by the Islamic Republic. The number of areas classified as red has recently increased, affecting Tehran Province, where ten cities, including the capital, have returned to the highest level.
Iranian officials have complained about the impact of U.S. sanctions on the country's ability to import vaccines to combat the coronavirus, particularly the difficulty in making the necessary financial transfers to obtain them. According to the Ministry of Health, over 4.4 million people out of a total population of nearly 83 million have received one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, while only 1.7 million people have received two doses since the national vaccination campaign began in February.
Rouhani promised that "the situation will improve with vaccination starting next week." In an effort to make up for the shortage of imported vaccines, Iran has been working on developing several local vaccine projects. Authorities recently announced emergency approval for the use of two of these vaccines, although none have yet received widespread health usage authorization.
In April, Iran confirmed the emergence of a coronavirus strain first discovered in South Africa in three cases in the south of the country. At that time, the Iranian Minister of Health indicated that cases involving the variant found in India were detected near the Indian border, and the Iranian government began testing all Indian citizens in Iran.
