Reza Mahmud :
Government is trying hard to contact with new sources of covid-19 vaccine as the India’s Serum Institute repeatedly failing to keep its promises alive.
“The high-ups of the government are trying to bring different vaccine to prevent covid spreading which is on rise alarmingly in recent days. Chinese Sinovac and Russia’s Sputnik is including the list with whom the government is trying to connect a jack to bring their vaccine in the country,” said Professor Dr Mohammad Robed Amin, Director of Non-communicable diseases and a spokesman for the Directorate General of Health Services told The New Nation on Thursday.
The Spokesman said that the efforts yet to reach in a stage of signing MoU with any country like China or Russia, but the process is on continuing.
Professor Robed Amin said, “We hope the india’s embargo of exporting vaccine may be withheld shortly and we hope the company will send more consignment soon.
He also expressed hope that the COVAX’s vaccine also reach in the country within May. Sources said, as per the agreement signed with India’s Serum Institute, Bangladesh has to get about 1.5 crore doses of covid vaccines by March.
But the reality is the country has gotten only 70 lakh doses of the jabs from the Serum.
Besides, India government has gifted about 32 lakh doses of the vaccine as a friendship gesture.
The Serum Institute failed to provide its jabs as per the MoU with Bangladesh government and the mediator Beximco Pharmacuticals Limited.
The Serum Institute supposed to provide 50 lakh doses of the vaccine in per month and have to deliver total three crore doses of the vaccine within six months.
Meanwhile, Serum delivered full 50 lakh doses of the jabs in January only. It provided only 20 lakh doses in February saying it would make the complete 50 lakh doses shortly.
But the company failed to deliver any more consignment so far.
Besides, Bangladesh government has sent letter to the Serum institute in March to send the rest of the vaccines as per the MoU, but they yet to reply.
Sources said, Indian government has imposed ban on the Serum institute for not exporting jabs before meeting the country’s needs.
With this account, Bangladesh got a total of one crore and two lakh doses of vaccine.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh government started mass vaccination programme on February 7.
Meanwhile, the country also started administering the second shots among the first dose taker from yesterday (Thursday, April8).
Lokman Hossain Mian, Secretary of the Secretary of Health Service Division of the Health and Family welfare ministry told journalists that the government is trying its best to find new sources of covid vaccine.
“All-out efforts are ongoing to find out alternative countries or producers of the covid vaccine as it is the government’s top priority,” the Secretary said while talking with journalists in his office in the secretariat.
He asked all to follow every health safety measures outlined by the World Health Organisation and the health ministry.
