Vaccine registration to resume after arrivalof Chinese doses

Staff Correspondent: The new registration for Covid-19 jabs will be resumed after the arrival of Chinese vaccines in Bangladesh, said Health Minister Zahid Maleque yesterday.
Earlier last week, Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen said that the government will buy 1.5 crore Sinopharm vaccines from China, and its first consignment is likely to arrive in Dhaka in June.
Starting from 27 January, the health department suspended the registration early May due to the vaccine shortage in the country, amid a delay in the timely arrival of shipments from India. Bangladesh ordered three crore doses from India’s Serum Institute, but got only 70 lakh so far. However, Indian government gifted 32 lakh doses to the people of Bangladesh. Bangladesh has already administered nearly one crore doses of Covid vaccine in the meantime.
Due to the shortage, the government has been requesting several countries for vaccines over past few weeks.
Meanwhile, the government has approved the usage of China vaccine Sinopharm and Russian vaccine Sputnik-5 as well as emergency use of Pfizer recently.
On 12 May, a consignment of five lakh doses of Sinopharm vaccine, gifted by the government of China, arrived in Dhaka.
Besides, a consignment of 1,00,620 doses of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine will arrive in the country last night.
The government will buy 1.5 crore Sinopharm vaccines from China, and its first consignment is likely to arrive in Dhaka in June, Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen said last week.
Meanwhile, the transmission of the deadly virus has increased alarmingly in the border districts. The prime minister asked to take strict measures in the areas, said the minister.
The government has taken a strict stance in those areas by extending the border closure with neighbouring India.