Bangladesh receives another shipment of 780,000 AstraZeneca vaccine doses from Japan

A second shipment of 781,320 Oxford-AstraZeneca doses has arrived in Bangladesh from Japan under the global COVID-19 vaccine-sharing initiative COVAX.

Staff Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 31 July 2021, 11:36 AM
Updated : 31 July 2021, 11:36 AM

A Cathay Pacific Airways flight landed with the consignment in Dhaka's Shahjalal International around 3:15 pm Saturday, according to foreign ministry officials.

Ito Naoki, the Japanese ambassador to Bangladesh, subsequently handed over the vaccine doses to Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen and Health Minister Zahid Maleque at the airport.

After receiving the vaccines, Momen highlighted the longstanding friendship between the two countries and lauded Japan for 'extending a hand of friendship in our times of need.'

"I am delighted that the Japanese government is helping us with more than three million vaccine shots. Most of them will be Oxford-AstraZeneca doses.”

Earlier on Jul 24, Japan sent 245,200 Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine doses to aid Bangladesh's battle against a worsening coronavirus pandemic.

“We are waiting for another 2 million doses. Hopefully, they will send more vaccines in the future.”