Health Minister Zahid Malique is hopeful that Bangladesh will receive another shipment of six crore Covid-19 vaccine doses by May-June of the next year, after getting the initial consignment of three crore doses which is expected to begin arriving by the end of January.
Cabinet Secretary Khandaker Anwarul Islam revealed the information during a press briefing after a cabinet meeting on Monday.
A total of nine crore doses are expected to arrive here for about four and a half crore people of the country in 2021 including the vaccines of the first phase which are likely to come by the end of January or early February, the cabinet secretary said citing the health minister.
The health ministry has already begun providing training in this regard on rural levels, the secretary said, adding that vaccination will be conducted mainly through EPI (Expanded Program on Immunization) and government hospitals.
He also mentioned that discussions are underway to involve private hospitals in this programme.
Earlier on December 13, Zahid Maleque said at the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) after signing a vaccine contract with the Serum Institute of India that according to the contract, around three crore doses of vaccine will arrive in Bangladesh in the first shipment in six months at a rate of 5 million doses per month.
/teb
