Photo: AFP

TEHRAN, Feb. 9 (Xinhua) -- Iran on Tuesday started the nationwide vaccination campaign against COVID-19, using Russia's Sputnik V jabs, official news agency IRNA reported.

The first person to receive the vaccine in the country was Parsa Namaki, the son of the Minister of Health and Medical Education Saeed Namaki.

According to the health ministry's plan, the first to be inoculated are the medical and service workers employed at intensive care units where COVID-19 patients are hospitalized.

In a second stage, people aged over 65 with underlying diseases across the country will be vaccinated.

The Iranian Ministry of Health announced 89 new deaths related to COVID-19, bringing the death toll to 58,625.

As reported by the ministry's official website, 7,640 new infections were confirmed between Monday and Tuesday, leading to an overall count of 1,481,396 cases in the country.