Kazi Zahidul Hasan & Reza Mahmud :
Although the countries around the globe are in race to guarantee early access to a Covid-19 vaccine, an indifference of government policymakers plants Bangladesh at the backstage of the race, public health experts said on Wednesday.
On the other hand, a vaccine diplomacy heats up the global arena and countries engage in negotiation with potential vaccine manufacturers in their quest to secure supplies of Covid-19 vaccines quickly, where Bangladesh seems to be an onlooker of the development .
Even richer countries, including the United States, Britain, Japan, and Australia, ink deals with pharmaceuticals developers for early doses for their own citizens pouring billions of dollars.
A finance ministry official said the government has decided to set aside Tk 8,000 crore to buy Covid-19 vaccine from the international market under a fast-track vaccine collection plan.
“The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Foreign Ministry, Health Ministry and Finance Division are involved in the collection of vaccines from abroad,” the official told The New Nation yesterday on condition of anonymity.
The officials, however, declined to make any comment from where the authorities are planning to procure the vaccine.
Not only that, even the National Technical Advisory Committee (NTAC) on Covid-19 also is in dark about the government’s step about how they are dealing to obtain a corona vaccine.
When the NTAC stressed on the Health Minister to cut deal with any one of the reliable sources so that country can get a vaccine at early stage, the minister said only that they were doing everything about it. But he did not disclose the details.
“The NTAC is in dark that how the government is dealing to get a vaccine. The minister told us that he as well the government are doing everything to get a vaccine soon. But he did not disclose the details from which country we are going to get a vaccine,” Professor Dr. Nazrul Islam, Member of NTAC and former Vice-Chancellor of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), told The New Nation.
The prominent virologist said when the coronavirus death rate has increased and the contamination was not decreased notably, the vaccine is a must to prevent the fatal virus.
He said Indonesia booked several million doses of Covid Vaccine, Saudi Arabia, Brazil and other countries are also trying their best to get a vaccine on early basis, but Bangladesh is getting behind the race to access a vaccine quickly.
The professor said that the committee urged the government to join with any country which one has started procedures to produce a vaccine. “We also suggested accepting proposals of vaccine trials in Bangladesh when multiple vaccines worldwide move into large-scale late-phase trials. But the government did no pay heed to it, which also skidded Bangladesh from the race of getting an early vaccine.”
Even, CinoVac, a Chinese company, has proposed Bangladesh to join its third phase trials but the authorities are yet to accept or deny the CinoVac company’s proposal, Prof Nazrul Islam said.
Worried by the government’s missteps, he said, “If we want to wait for World Health Organisation (WHO) for its free vaccine it will be delayed as supply shortages for any approved products are likely to persist for months or even years.”
Contacted, Dr. Ehteshamul Huq Choudhury, Secretary General of Bangladesh Medical Association (BMA) told The New Nation, “So far we know, Prime Minister herself is dealing about the process of obtaining a Covid vaccine. We hope she will make a declaration about it by December.”
He said diplomacy is going on about vaccine and it is a part of business also.
The public health experts, warned that if the country fails to secure a vaccine quickly, it will be disastrous. In case of delaying, the contamination and death rate of Covid patients will be increased in Bangladesh.
The Oxford vaccine is one of the most advanced and promising protective methods in the world. British drugmaker AstraZeneca is developing the vaccine in partnership with Oxford University. Bangladesh can sign a deal with AstraZeneca to secure an early access of the virus, said another public health expert.
