Bangladesh to procure another 60m COVID vaccine doses 'by June'

Bangladesh is planning to procure 60 million additional doses of the COVID-19 vaccine through the World Health Organization's COVAX programme within June 2021, according to Health Minister Zahid Maleque.

The minister revealed the plan on Monday during a virtual cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on the progress of the vaccination process in the country.

The first batch of the COVID-19 vaccine prepared by Serum Institute of India is expected to arrive in Bangladesh in early January.

Speaking to reporters at the Secretariat after the meeting, Cabinet Secretary Khandker Anwarul Islam said, "The health minister said he hopes to get the [first batch of 30 million] vaccines by the end of January or early February. Therefore, the training process has been started for officials down to the grassroots level."

The secretary said the government is also considering utilising the country's Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) in the COVID-19 vaccination drive.

“Officials are being trained on how to dispose of the items that will be used for vaccination. The authorities are also discussing ways to include the private sector in the vaccination process."

Bangladesh plans to ship a second batch of 30 million doses of the vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University.

Of the 60 million vaccine doses to be procured through the COVAX initiative, 40 million are expected to arrive in the country between May and June next year, he said.

With each person receiving two shots of the vaccine, around 45 million people -- 20 percent of the country's population -- are expected to be inoculated in the two phases, according to Anwarul.