TEHRAN, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Saturday that vaccination against the COVID-19 in the country will start in the next few days, official IRNA news agency reported.

A handout picture provided by the Iranian presidency on January 7, 2021, shows the Islamic republic's President Hassan Rouhani during a video conference from his office in the capital Tehran. (File photo: AFP)

Rouhani said that the use of foreign vaccine is necessary before the domestic vaccine is produced.

The Iranian officials started human trial of a domestic vaccine on Dec. 29, 2020, and have promised for its nationwide application at the beginning of next Iranian calendar year starting on March 20.

Iran's health ministry on Saturday reported a total of 1,367,032 infections and 57,294 death cases since the outbreak of the disease in the country in February 2020.