Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal Thursday said Serum Institute of India will repay Bangladesh’s money that was paid to them to buy 3 crore doses of Covishield, the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine.
“We had signed a contract with the Serum Institute (of India) as per international rules and regulations, since they are unable to ship rest of the vaccines, it is their obligation to repay our money,” the minister said while responding to a reporter after virtual meetings of the cabinet committee on economic affairs and purchase committee, on Wednesday .
One and a half million people have been waitingto take their second shots of Covishield, the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine manufactured by Serum Institute of India, under Bangladesh government’s free vaccination program.
The minister, however, said the Indian institute did not say if they would not be able to provide Bangladesh the rest of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
Mustafa Kamal said: “We have always tried to buy vaccines from different sources and even manufacture it if possible in the country by bringing the technology from the inventing countries”
Meanwhile, the government is eyeing on Russia and China for 4.5 million vaccine doses. And, Renatais trying to import Moderna vaccine from the US.
Bangladesh administered around 8.84 million doses of vaccine until Monday, and it has 1.45 million doses in hand. A crisis is looming as the country needs 2.79 million doses more to complete the immunization program.
According to the government’s Covid-19 vaccination update, more than 100,000 doses are being administered every working day across the country.
On Monday, some 86,926 people got their second doses. If the vaccination continues at the same pace, the stock will run out within 10 working days. It means some 1.34 million recipients will need to wait for their second doses.
The government recently approved the Russian Sputnik V vaccine and the Chinese Sinopharm vaccine continue the vaccination program without interruption.
Officials believe that the country may get four million doses of the Russian vaccine within May.
Health Minister Zahid Maleque on Monday had said Bangladesh would receive 500,000 doses of the Sinopharm vaccine from China as a gift by May.
