Health Minister Zahid Maleque on Thursday reaffirmed that the government is making all-out efforts to collect Covid-19 vaccines from different sources mentioning that now the government is at the stage of signing a deal with Russia to procure Sputnik-V vaccine.
Speaking at a virtual discussion arranged by Bangladesh Private Medical College Association, the minister said they are also trying to procure the Oxford produced AstraZeneca vaccine from other countries besides India.
”We’ve been using the AstraZeneca vaccine from the start. We placed an order for 3 crore doses but we’ve got only 70 lakh jabs in addition to 30 lakh that came as a gift. Now we are running out of vaccine in our stock and whatever is left will be given as the second dose,” the minister said
Prime Minister, Health Ministry, Foreign Ministry, and all other relevant departments are making joint efforts to procure vaccines from other sources, he further added.
”We already have made huge progress in discussions with Russia over procuring Sputnik V vaccine. Now we’re at the stage of signing a deal in this regard,” Maleque said.
He said that the government Is also in talks with China to have Sinopharm’s vaccine. ”They informed us that 5 lakh vaccine doses will arrive in Bangladesh by May 12. We’ve also sent a letter to them asking for more doses.”
The minister said the Chinese government is now assessing the possibility of vaccine export to Bangladesh.
The minister also said they will encourage the private sector if it tries to manufacture vaccines in Bangladesh. ”If anyone can produce vaccines, we’ll provide all-out support, and it’s my commitment.”
