Reza Mahmud :
Anxiety deepens due to uncertainty of administering second dose of covid vaccines for at least 17 lakh first dose receivers as there is a supply shortage.
Sources said, India’s Serum Institute is the sole supplier of the jab as per the agreement signed with Bangladesh government with the company.
As per the agreement, Bangladesh was supposed to get about 1.5 crore doses of covid vaccines by March.
But the country has gotten 70 lakh doses only of the jabs from the Serum.
Besides, the Indian government has gifted a total of 32 lakh doses of the vaccines as a friendship gesture.
Bangladesh got a total of one crore and two lakh doses of vaccine.
The Serum Institute failed repeatedly to provide jabs in the stipulated time as per the agreement signed with Bangladesh government and the mediator Beximco Pharmacuticals Limited.
It was supposed to provide 50 lakh doses of the vaccine every month by the Indian company and deliver a total of three crore doses of the vaccine within six months.
Bangladesh government has paid money of a total 1.5 crore doses jabs in advance.
Meanwhile, Serum delivered 50 lakh doses of the jabs in January. It gave 20 lakh doses only in February saying it would hand over the rest 30 lakh doses shortly.
But the company failed to deliver any more consignment so far.
Besides, the Bangladesh government has sent letter to the Serum institute in March asking deliver the rest of the vaccines as per the MoU, but they are yet to reply.
Sources said, the Indian government has imposed ban on the Serum institute for not exporting jabs as the covid situation of the neighboring country worsen.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh government started mass vaccination programme on February 7.
The country also started administering the second shots among the first dose taker from April 8. So far, 58, lakh 19 thousand 758 people have taken the first dose of the vaccine. Besides, 31 lakh six thousand 709 people was taken the second shots.
In this view, a total of 69 lakh 26 thousand 466 people have been administered with the jabs so far.
The Directorate General of the Health Services said it in a regular press release on Tuesday.
In these circumstances, the DGHS said there are bout 32 lakh doses of the jab are remaining in stock which may be administering until May 15.
“The usual practice should be the same vaccine in 1st and 2nd dose even if necessary as booster dose,” Professor Dr. M. Muzaherul Huq, former Advisor of the World Health Organisation told The New Nation on Tuesday.
The expert said, the Bangladeshis who had got 1st dose of AstraZeneca they should wait for the same for their 2nd dose.
“They can delay for the 2nd dose upto 8- 10 weeks. Hope by then it can be made available from other sources if not from India. The government can try from USA, UK and other countries,” the Professor said.
When contacted, Abul Bashar Mohammad Khurshid Alam, DG of the DGHS told The New Nation on Tuesday, “As per the human health experts same jab is needed for second dose. In this view, there may be shortfall of about 17 lakh doses of the AstraZeneca vaccines for administering as the booster shots.”
“The remaining jab of AstraZeneca may be continue until May 14 to 15 as the following pace of vaccination. Then the stock will be ended,” the DG said.
He said, the government is trying to get more AstraZeneca jabs from USA, UK and other sources.
“It is not more than 20 lakh doses of the AstraZeneca jabs we need. It may be collected soon and we are hopeful that the boosting dose vaccination may not be disrupted,” the DG said.
