Bangladesh is buying 3O million doses of Oxford University/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine once approved by the WHO.
The ministry of health signed a tripartite MoU with the local Beximco Pharmaceuticals Ltd and the Serum Institute of India to buy those doses against the pandemic virus which has killed over a million of people worldwide crippling the economy.
Beximco is the local distributor of the Serum Institute which received the Oxford/ AstraZeneca contract for making 1 billion doses for the low and middle-income countries. The vaccine is at the final stage trial. Oxford hopes they would come by the end of the year.
Additional secretary to Health Service Division Mostafa Kamal and representatives from the Serum Institute and Beximco Pharma signed the MoU at the health ministry.
Health and Family Welfare Minister Zahid Maleque, Secretary for Health Md Abdul Mannan and Indian High Commissioner Vikram Kumar Doraiswami witnessed the signing, among others.
As per the MoU, Serum institute will provide SARS-Cov-2 AZD 1222 (Oxford/Astrazeneca Vaccine) to Beximco Pharma.
“Once the vaccine is developed, the Serum Institute will provide three crore (30 million) doges of vaccine in the first phase, and BPL will bring it to Bangladesh,” the health minister said.
“We would be able to provide the vaccine to 1.5 crore people once it’s available in Bangladesh as two shots of vaccine is needed for one person,” he said.
The process to bring Oxford/Astrazeneca Vaccine will start in January next, the minister said, adding that a decision was taken in principle that Serum Institute will provide the vaccine at the same price they would procure.
The government earlier said that discussions were underway with different countries to bring vaccine against the Covid-19 as soon as it is available in the world.
The health minister said they have adequate funds for procuring vaccines and more will be sought from the finance ministry.
“Everyone won’t get the vaccine at a time as it’ll be distributed in groups. The country has all the preparations to fight the second wave of Covid-19,” he said.
Bangladesh first confirmed the Covid-19 cases on March 8 and the first death on March 18.
The government confirmed 414,164 cases so far with 6,004 deaths.
