“I have repeatedly said it is very wrong to think that coronavirus is over. It is a type of virus that will live on for years,” the minister said in an interview with the state television on Thursday.
The problem with containing the virus is that the world is not acting in a harmonious way in facing the disease, he explained, adding that there are still countries in Africa where the rate of vaccinations stands at only 6 to 8 percent and the virus lingers.
In countries without proper vaccinations, the immune system in individuals remain weak, a situation that helps the Coronavirus generate new variants, which affect other parts of the world as well, Einollani said.
The daily Covid-19 caseload is steadily soaring in Iran following weeks of retreat in almost all parts of the country.
Health officials have called on the public to go for a booster shot as soon as possible to strengthen their immune system in the face of the new wave, driven by BA.4 and BA.5 sub-strains of the Omicron variant.
