Health Minister Zahid Maleque hopes that as many as 500,000 doses of China’s Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine will arrive in Dhaka by May 10.
“China will send us 500,000 doses of their coronavirus vaccine as a gift. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is making arrangements to transport the vaccine doses to the country. But the arrival of vaccine doses the government wants to buy will take more time,” Maleque said at a media briefing at the Secretariat in Dhaka on Monday.
“Bangladesh is trying to reach deals with both China and Russia to buy more vaccine doses.”
The government approved the emergency use of China’s Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine amid a supply squeeze on Apr 29. The government also decided to extend its current pandemic restrictions to May 16 to curb the spread of COVID-19. Various city corporation areas with the highest rates of infections and deaths will remain under strict surveillance.
Long-haul buses, trains and launches will remain shut, but the government will allow public transport to resume services within the boundaries of cities and districts on May 6 as long as they follow strict rules, said Cabinet Secretary Khandker Anwarul Islam.
