Bangladesh signs agreement with China to purchase vaccines

A health worker prepares a dose of Sinovac's CoronaVac coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine, during a mass vaccination program in Apodaca, on the outskirts of Monterrey, Mexico on 25 May 2021Reuters

Bangladesh has signed an agreement with China to buy Covid-19 vaccines, an official release said.

“An agreement was signed with China to purchase Covid-19 vaccines… we expect that China will take all necessary initiative to provide coronavirus vaccine very soon,” health and family welfare minister Zahid Maleque told a programme at the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases in Dhaka Saturday.

Secretary of health service division Lokman Hossain Mian, Director General of Directorate General of Health Service (DGHS) professor Abul Bashar Mohammad Khurshid Alam and senior officials of different relevant organisations, among others, were present at the programme with Director of the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases Mir Jamal Uddin in the chair.

The health minister termed the report of Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) on health sector as false and baseless as they (TIB) presented the report incorporating incorrect information.

When Bangladesh has been lauded globally to contain the Covid-19, the TIB released the report to undermine success of the government to fulfill their ill motive.

On 3 June, Directorate General of Drug Administration (DGDA) approved Chinese Covid-19 vaccine “CoronaVac”, manufactured by Sinovac Life Sciences Company Limited.

According to the DGDA, “CoronaVac” is the fifth vaccine to be given the emergency use authorisation.

Earlier, on 27 May, the DGDA approved emergency use of Pfizer mRNA Covid-19 vaccine in the country.

The vaccine produced by Pfizer Manufacturing Belgium NV is the fourth Covid-19 vaccine approved so far by the DGDA for emergency use in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh has so far approved five Covid-19 vaccines to control the deadly disease.

These vaccines are “CoronaVac”, manufactured by Sinovac Life Sciences Company Limited, Pfizer mRNA Covid-19 vaccine, Covishield produced by Serum Institute of India, Sputnik V manufactured by Generium Joint Stock Company of Russia, and Sinopharm produced by Beijing Institute of Biological Products Co Ltd of China.