BAF aircraft returns with 300,000 Covid vaccines as gift from China

A Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) aircraft has returned with 300,000 doses of Sinopharm Covid vaccine and medical equipment as a gift from China.

A C-130J transport aircraft carrying the vaccine landed at Air Force Base Bangabandhu in the capital’s Kurmitola on Sunday, said a media statement.

The vaccine and the medical equipment are gifted as a token of friendship between the Bangladesh Armed Forces and the People's Liberation Army of China.

Earlier, the BAF aircraft led by Wing Commander Md Habibur Rahman GD (P) left Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka for China on Saturday to bring the vaccine from China. 

Director General Medical Services Major General Md Mahabubur Rahman briefed the media in this connection on Sunday.

Till now, a total of 13.5 million Sinopharm vaccines have arrived from China.

Of them, 1.1 million doses of the vaccine were received under the Covax facility.

The Cabinet Committee on Public Procurement also approved a proposal regarding the purchase of 60 million doses of Covid vaccine from Sinopharm on August 11.

The country is currently administering vaccines developed by four companies — AstraZeneca, Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Sinopharm.