ZCZC
BSS- 56
COVID-19-VACCINE-MALEQUE LEAD
Four crore people to get COVID-19 vaccine by July: Maleque
(updates with more information)
DHAKA, March 3, 2021 (BSS) – Health and Family Welfare Minister Zahid
Maleque today said the government is planning to bring four crore people
under COVID-19 vaccination coverage by July this year.
“Bangladesh will get 1.9 crore COVID- 19 vaccines from Covax facility
under the supervision of World Health Organization (WHO),” he told a meeting
on “COVID-19 vaccine” at his ministry, an official release said.
Secretary of Health Service Division Abdul Mannan, Director General of
Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) Prof Dr Abul Bashar Mohammad
Khurshid Alam and Director General of Directorate General of Drug
Administration Maj Gen Md Mahbubur Rahman, among others, were present at the
meeting.
Maleque said the countrywide vaccination campaign has been lauded
nationally and internationally. He urged all relevant organizations to work
sincerely to continue this successful vaccination drive to get remedy from
the deadly disease.
Maleque said donor agencies are keen to provide 3,500 million US dollar
financial support to Bangladesh for purchasing more vaccines to make
vaccination drive successful.
The minister said a total of 46,36,396 people have so far been registered
to receive COVID-19 vaccines as the vaccination campaign was launched on
January 27.
“The number of vaccine receivers is 33,41,505 as the countrywide
vaccination campaign was launched on February 7. Of them, 21,50,355 are male
and 11,91,150 female,” he added.
Bangladesh received its first ever COVID-19 vaccine consignment on January
21 (Thursday) as India sent 20 lakh doses of vaccine developed by the
University of Oxford and AstraZeneca as gift. Bangladesh has so far received
70 lakh vaccine doses as part of a tripartite memorandum of understanding
(MoU) signed on November 5 and a subsequent agreement on December 13 among
Bangladesh Government, Beximco Pharmaceuticals Ltd (BPL) and the Serum
Institute of India (SII).
Bangladesh earlier received 70 lakh vaccines meaning the country has so far
collected 90 lakh vaccines. The agreement ensures availability of three crore
COVID-19 vaccine doses by June this year from the Serum Institute of India.
The government will procure another three crore doses of the COVID-19
inoculates, the health ministry sources said.
Bangladesh will get nearly seven crore COVID- 19 vaccines from Covax
facility under the supervision of World Health Organization (WHO) by this
year.
BSS/PR/MMR/ARS/2027 hrs