Vaccine to reach Thursday, to be applied in 4 city hospitals 

The first shipment of coronavirus vaccine will arrive from India on January 25 as per the agreement. Earlier, 2 million doses of vaccine as gift from India would arrive in the country on Thursday (January 21) at noon. Initially, the vaccine will be administered at Dhaka Medical College and Hospital, Kurmitola General Hospital, Mugda General Hospital and Kuwait Maitri Hospital.

Health Services Secretary Abdul Mannan said this in briefing at the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) on Wednesday (January 20).

He said, “The vaccines will arrive in Bangladesh on an Air India flight at 1:30 pm. From there the vaccine will be kept in the warehouse of EPI in Tejgaon. 60 lakh will be vaccinated in the first month.”

He further said, “These vaccines will be administered experimentally on January 27 or 28. The vaccine will be applied to 400 to 500 people at Dhaka Medical, Kurmitola General Hospital, Mugda General Hospital and Kuwait Maitri Hospital.”

“Then there will be a one-week wait, according to WHO protocol. Vaccination will be given all over the country. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the vaccination programme across the country,” he said.

He added, “7 million vaccines will come in the first month. Of this, 6 million vaccines will be applied in the first month.”

The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is produced by the Serum Institute of India.

Health Minister Zahid Maleque along with other officials from the Ministry of Health and the Department of Health will receive the vaccine at Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.