The Iranian Health Ministry, on Wednesday, urged caution over the new Russian coronavirus vaccine Sputnik-V, which has drawn international criticism for not completing phase three clinical trials.
“Before all clinical trials are completed, the use of vaccines is like a Pandora’s Box and, therefore, potentially dangerous,’’ spokesperson, Kianush Jahanpur, tweeted.
In Greek mythology, the box opened by the curious Pandora contained all the evils in the world, including sickness.
Mr Jahanpur added that countries should remember that the goal of a vaccine must be the safety and health of the population.
Like many countries, Tehran has said it is also working on a vaccine.
Iran has been hit hard by the pandemic, with more than 330,000 infections and 18,800 fatalities.
Moscow’s announcement, on Tuesday, that it was the first country in the world to register a vaccine drew scepticism over the speed of its regulatory approval and because Russia had not shared data from large-scale clinical trials.
