How favoritism trumped science in Iran's covid response
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Today on Post Reports, how government officials in Iran cut corners to expedite a yet-unproven vaccine developed by a company close to the supreme leader.
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Last year, as Iranian regulators considered endorsing a locally developed coronavirus vaccine, a top health official issued a warning, saying the test results were insufficient, and the vaccine\\u2019s approval could undermine efforts to contain the deadly spread of covid throughout Iran.
But the vaccine had influential backers \\u2013 it was the highly touted project of a company called Barkat, part of a corporate empire close to Iran\\u2019s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Business reporter Yeganeh Torbati reports that government officials cut corners to expedite the yet-unproven vaccine, even as the supreme leader barred the import of some Western-made vaccines, and imports of other vaccines encountered delays.
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