Vaccination Is Not Mandatory in Iran

"Rozaneh" program had a phone call interview with Dr. Payam Tabarsi, (Head of the Infectious Diseases Department of Masih Daneshvari Hospital and the faculty member of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences and the member of the Scientific Committee of the National Corona Countermeasures), regarding the requirements for the injection of the third dose of the Corona vaccine.

In this interview with "Rozaneh" program, Payam Tabarsi, while pointing out that vaccination is not mandatory in Iran, said; “Those who do not receive the Corona vaccine will face several restrictions.”

Regarding the purchase of plane tickets, he explained: “The vaccinated population can travel by air, but those who didn’t receive the vaccine should take a PCR test prior to the air travel and submit a negative result to the country's aviation authorities before the flight.”.
“Fortunately, 80 percent of Iranians have received the corona vaccine so far,” said the head of the infectious ward at Masih Daneshvari Hospital, emphasizing that the corona vaccine would reduce mortality rate and hospitalization.

“People who are prone to heart disease are the ones who transmit the virus in the community,” he added.

Payam Tabarsi explained that in many cases, the immunity of the vaccine decreases after 6 to 8 months; “Decreased immunity to the vaccine is more common in people with underlying diseases.”.
He continued; “It’s recommended that the elderly and those with underlying disease inject a booster dose of Corona vaccine 6 to 8 months after receiving the second dose.”

The member of the scientific committee of the National Anti-Corona Headquarters then added; “Currently, a reminder dose of the corona vaccine is being injected into the medical staff in Iran.”

He also explained about the inactivated vaccines and said; “When injected the third dose, Sinopharm" and "Barakat" vaccines show much better performance.”

Regarding the difference between the second dose and the third reminder, Tabarsi stated; “Only Sinopharm and Barakat vaccines have the third dose.”

“If the Corona virus has multiple mutations in the future, just like the flu, vaccination against the disease may continue periodically and annually,” he said.


By Sepehr Nasihtar