The US has donated another 1.5 million doses of the Pfizer paediatric Covid-19 vaccine for Bangladeshi children aged between 5 to 11 years.
The vaccine comes to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare through the COVAX programme, reports bdnews24.com citing a statement from the US Embassy in Dhaka on Monday.
It is the second shipment of US-donated vaccines for children this week and brings the total number of US vaccine donations to over 75 million, the statement said.
“More than two-thirds of all international COVID-19 vaccine donations to Bangladesh have come from the United States and the American people,” it added.
The US is also training over 51,000 healthcare providers and workers to safely administer vaccines and support Bangladesh’s vaccination programme.
The country has also donated 18 freezer vans, 750 freezer units, and 8,000 vaccine carriers and helped transport 57 million doses of vaccines to remote areas.
The statement says that the US has given Bangladesh more than $140 million in Covid-related development and humanitarian assistance.
According to Health Minister Zahid Maleque, Bangladesh will administer Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine doses to children aged 5-11 on a test basis in Dhaka on Aug 11.
The nationwide rollout of the programme is scheduled to start on Aug 25.