In a major development, Bangladesh has received 4.5 million doses of Covid19 vaccines between Friday night and Saturday morning.
Of those, 2.5 million were Moderna doses arrived from the United States as a 'gift' under the WHO and Gavi's Covax mechanism and the rest were from China's Sinopharm under the commercial purchase deal.
Bangladesh has intensified its nationwide vaccination drive following the rise of Covid cases.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the parliament assured that there will be no more problems with the Covid-19 vaccine supply in the country.
"Vaccines have started coming; more will come. 80% of the public will be vaccinated free of cost," she said on Saturday.
Foreign minister Dr AK Abdul Momen also said that there is nothing to be worried about vaccines.
"There'll be plenty of vaccines. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has kept [aside] adequate funds for purchasing vaccines," he told reporters at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on Friday night after receiving the vaccine.
Health Minister Zahid Maleque said they would resume mass inoculation with those new consignments.
The Moderna's Covid-19 vaccines came in two consignments - 1.2 million at around 11.30pm and the rest in another flight at around 8:40am Saturday.
Two special flights of Bangladesh Biman carried Sinopharm jabs.
Meanwhile, Ambassador Earl R. Miller greeted the arrival of the United States’ gift from the American people of 2.5 million doses of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine to Bangladesh, delivered via COVAX.
“This gift from the American people of 2.5 million vaccine doses is just the latest demonstration of U.S. commitment to COVID-19 assistance to Bangladesh. The United States is the largest donor to Bangladesh’s pandemic response efforts. And to be clear: these vaccine donations are only the beginning. We will continue to donate surplus supply, as it becomes available,” said Ambassador Miller. “We are doing this with the singular objective of saving lives, and because it is the right thing to do.”
The US embassy said, Washington is committed to leading the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
President Joe Biden reaffirmed this commitment by announcing the U.S. will donate 80 million doses of vaccine to support global needs. The U.S. is working with its G7 partners, the EU, COVAX, and others in a multilateral effort focused on saving lives, ending the pandemic, and supporting the global economic recovery.
