Bangladesh to get Oxford Covid-19 vaccine by Jan. 25
Bangladesh will get the first phase of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine from an Indian pharmaceutical company by Jan. 25_ a Health Ministry official confirmed Monday.
We will bring 5 million doses of the vaccine this month as the first phase and will distribute it all to the people_ the ministry's health service director Dr. ABM Kurshid Alam told reporters in Dhaka.
The South Asian nation of around 165 million people will get a total of 30 million doses of the Oxford vaccine from the Indian company in six phases_ Alam added.
Citing the main concern of people about the safe reach of the vaccine to remote parts of the country_ he added: Members of all law enforcement agencies will ensure full-fledged security.
The vaccine is to be brought to Bangladesh by the local Beximco Pharmaceuticals company according to a tripartite agreement in December last year with the Serum Institute of India_ the world's largest vaccine manufacturer that has been producing the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.
However_ Dhaka is in talks with Germany s BioNTech SE and the US s Pfizer Inc. to get more vaccines_ and the country is hopeful to get help from the World Health Organization's global scheme to deliver COVID-19 vaccines to poorer countries.
Bangladesh is also in contact with a Chinese company to get their vaccines.
Speaking to about Chinese vaccines_ Alam said Bangladesh s Health Ministry had recently sent a letter to Chinese company SinoVac Biotech Ltd._ which is interested in conducting phase 3 or human trials of COVID-19 vaccines in Bangladesh.
We are waiting for the reply from the company with details of the trial_ he said_ adding that on the basis of the information_ the Bangladeshi government would make the final decision.
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