TEHRAN, March 1 (Xinhua) -- Iranian researchers are working on medicines as well as a vaccine to deal with the coronavirus, the Press TV reported Sunday.

A man disinfects the shrine of Fatima Masumeh, in Qom, Iran, against coronavirus. (Photo: AP)

Three research teams in Iran's Baqiyatallah Medical Sciences University are working on COVID-19 treatments, Alireza Jalali, chancellor of the university, was quoted as saying.

"One of the drugs developed by the researchers has passed laboratory tests and we hope we could gain a positive result in the clinical stage," Jalali said.

He also said that Iranian researchers were working on a coronavirus vaccine. He expressed hope that the vaccine would be developed within less than a year.

Iran's Ministry of Health and Medical Education announced on Sunday that the outbreak of the COVID-19 has affected 987 people in the country and 54 of them have died.