Imam Khamenei: Efforts of Iranian scientists to produce Covid vaccine should be appreciated

In the Name of God, the Beneficent, the Merciful

I am truly grateful to all those who worked hard using their knowledge and experience and who made scientific and practical efforts to provide the country with such a great, prestigious capability, i.e. the Covid vaccine. Once again, I would also like to thank Dr. Namaki, the honorable Minister of Health, and all those who were involved in this endeavor. I thank Dr. Mokhber for his hard work and effort. Praise God, he was successful in this endeavor as he was in the other endeavors that he was involved in. He has shown and proved that he is caring, enthusiastic, competent and innovative in various areas. I also sincerely thank Dr. Marandi and Dr. Sajjadi for their continuous diligence in taking care of my health, and I hope that, God willing, all these gentlemen will always be successful.

They have been insisting for several months now that I should be vaccinated. First of all, I did not want to use the non-Iranian vaccine. I told the friends, both those who insisted and some other friends, that I would wait for the vaccine to be produced inside the country, God willing, and that I would use our own vaccine. It is very important to honor this national achievement in the true sense of the word. Why should we not use it when we have the opportunity to prevent or cure a disease inside the country? Of course, there are times when foreign vaccines are needed and used in addition to domestic vaccines. This is not a problem and I am alright with this. But in the end, we should respect and appreciate the Iranian vaccine, their efforts and the scientists who worked with Mr. Mokhber. These scientists are frequently young, hard-working and‌ very active. They have worked hard to achieve this.

We should also thank the other centers involved in this endeavor. A number of other centers are also busy working to produce the Covid vaccine and they are in different phases of development. This was the first reason why I did not accept to get vaccinated until today. Secondly, I said that I would be willing to get vaccinated when it was my turn to do so according to the country’s regulations. Well, most of the elderly who are my age - the elderly who are 80 years old and above - have already been vaccinated. However, some may not have been vaccinated yet. I said that I would get vaccinated at the same time that these people are getting vaccinated. That is why there has been a delay until today. Now, praise God, you have worked hard and the vaccine has been administered. I hope that everything will go forward very well and that Dr. Marandi will recover his health very soon,  by the right of and because of Muhammad and his Household.

May God’s greetings, mercy and blessings be upon you

• Imam Khamenei also spoke of an important matter after Dr. Mokhber, the Head of The Execution of Imam Khomeini's Order, presented a report:
   

One point that I have been reminded of is about you dear developers whom, praise God, have been prompt and dedicated in developing a suitable Covid vaccine. You should publish the relevant scientific papers and documents for the world’s information. This is very important and must be done.




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