In a meeting with the head of Iran's Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization on Sunday, Saeed Namaki said he has no doubt that the Iranian vaccine for COVID-19 will become available by the end of spring.
He also gave an assurance that the pilgrims planning to take part in the next year’s Hajj in Saudi Arabia will have access to both the domestically-made vaccine and vaccines purchased from other countries.
The minister further noted that no country could open its borders and resume free travels relying on vaccination programs.
It is impossible to claim full immunity to the coronavirus infection with vaccination alone, Namaki added.
He also warned of the coronavirus mutation in Iran given the country’s ethnic and genetic diversity, saying such mutation would be more probable than in some other parts of the world.
Last week, the first human trial in Iran of a homegrown coronavirus vaccine began in Tehran.
President Hassan Rouhani says Iran is on par with other countries in combating the coronavirus pandemic, giving an assurance that his administration has made arrangements to obtain reliable vaccines from abroad and develop a homegrown vaccine for the disease as well.