Health Minister: Another 2 million doses of vaccine will arrive from India soon

The next shipment of the Covid-19 vaccine purchased by the Bangladesh government from the Serum Institute of India (SII) will arrive in Dhaka in a few days, according to Health Minister Zahid Maleque.

“This is what Beximco Pharma, the vaccine supplier in Bangladesh, has told us. The next shipment is likely to contain two million doses,” he told Bangla Tribune on Thursday.

Zahid Maleque continued: “I spoke to Beximco yesterday [Wednesday]. They told me that they are expecting to receive some vaccines within two to four days. They are in touch with Serum. We are doing whatever necessary [to bring more vaccines].”

It would be “unfair” if Bangladesh did not receive the vaccines as “the government had already paid for them”, the health minister added.

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The Bangladesh government signed a deal in November last year to buy 30 million doses of the Oxford-Astrazeneca Covid-19 vaccine from the SII, the world's largest vaccine manufacturer.

Beximco Pharma, the sole distributor of the vaccine, is responsible for supplying the doses in the country, according to the agreement.

Meanwhile, India has suspended all major exports of the Oxford-Astrazeneca vaccine manufactured by the SII to satisfy the domestic needs as Covid-19 cases and fatalities keep surging, as reported by Reuters.

India has exported over 60 million Covid-19 vaccine shots globally, according to the country’s foreign ministry.

Bangladesh kicked off its nationwide vaccination programme in February after receiving 5 million doses in late January. The country also received an additional 3.2 million doses as a gift from India.