Bangladesh ready to trial COVID-19 vaccine from India

Bangladesh is ready to collaborate with India in the development of COVID-19 vaccine, including its trial, Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen has told his visiting Indian counterpart Harsh Vardhan Shringla.

Bangladesh also looks forward to early affordable availability of the vaccine when it is ready, Masud told Shringla during a working lunch on Wednesday, according to a foreign ministry statement.

Shringla, a former high commissioner to Bangladesh, expressed India’s willingness to be in “close contact” with Bangladesh and other neighbours on the issue.

He highlighted the cost advantage that India enjoys “due to its economies of scale in manufacturing”.

The two officials met at a Dhaka hotel after Shringla arrived on Tuesday on a two-day visit to convey Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s message aiming at further strengthening the ties.

Shringla met Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday to convey the “special message”.

He was the first foreign dignitary to meet Hasina after the coronavirus began spreading in Bangladesh, according to the foreign ministry. He had met the prime minister during his Bangladesh visit in March.

After the meeting with Shringla, Masud told the media: “We know that some vaccines are being developed and trialled in India as part of its efforts to control the ongoing COVID-19 situation.”

“We have offered to assist them with the trial. We are ready to help.”

India’s reaction to the proposal has been positive, according to Masud.

"They have also responded to the proposal by saying that the vaccines will be available, not only for India, but for us early on.”

"The pharmaceutical companies here also have the capacity to produce the vaccine. Therefore, they can also work on creating opportunities for collaboration and we've asked for their cooperation to this end."

Shringla told the media that Bangladesh “has always been a priority for us”.

The foreign secretary emphasised that India produces 60 percent of the world’s vaccine and added, “When the vaccine is developed, all our friends, partners and neighbouring countries will have access to it.”

India is gearing up to produce the vaccine on a massive scale, according to Shringla.

“We are working on developing the vaccine which is in the trial stage. But we are at an advanced level.”

The Bangladesh Medical Research Council recently approved late-stage trial of a vaccine candidate developed by China’s Sinovac Biotech Ltd, but the government has delayed a decision on the issue due to its sensitivity.

Masud on Tuesday expressed interest in the trial of a potential coronavirus vaccine developed by the University of Oxford in collaboration with British pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca. The candidate is leading the race for a vaccine seen as the only viable option to get the world out of the coronavirus pandemic.

It is undergoing final stage trials in different countries. India’s Serum Institute, which has struck deals to produce millions of doses of the Oxford University’s vaccine if it is successful, is also set to trial the vaccine in India this week.

BORDER KILLINGS, ROHINGYA, TRAVEL

Bangladesh expressed serious concern at the rise in killings at the Indo-Bangladesh border by Indian nationals and their Border Security Force during the first half of this year, according to the statement.

The Bangladesh side flagged the issue in the meeting as a violation of all bilateral agreements. The Bangladesh officials said the BSF must be “duly urged to exercise maximum restraint”.

The Indian side assured that the BSF authorities have been “sensitised” of the matter and the issue will be discussed in detail at the director general-level talks between BSF and Border Guard Bangladesh to be hosted by Dhaka next month.

Masud congratulated Shringla on India becoming a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council.

He conveyed Bangladesh’s “greater expectation” from India as a member of the UNSC to play a “more meaningful role” for a lasting solution to the Rohingya crisis, including an early repatriation of the refugees to their homeland Myanmar.

The Bangladesh side appreciated India for facilitating the evacuation of stranded Bangladeshi nationals from India during the onset of the pandemic.

The foreign secretary asked for urgent resumption of visa services at the Indian High Commission in Dhaka, particularly since many Bangladeshi patients need to visit India for critical and emergency medical treatment.

Bangladesh also want India to reopen travel through Benapole-Petrapole land port which has been halted by the West Bengal state government in the wake of the pandemic.

Masud appreciated India’s efforts to ease curbs on travel between both countries through the introduction of “air bubble” flights, proposed by the Indian side.

He asked Shringla to expedite the return of the Bangladeshi members of Tabligh Jamaat who were impacted by the lockdown in India.