Health Minister Zahid Maleque told the parliament on Wednesday that 80 per cent of the country's population would get Covid vaccines within March 2022.
"We will be able to vaccinate 80 per cent of our people within the first quarter of 2022," Mr. Maleque said while replying to the cut-motion of opposition members in the parliament on the day.
He gave a description of vaccine supply chain in the house, and said negotiation was in the final stage for purchasing 70 million corona jabs, manufactured by Johnson and Johnson - which required just a single dose.
Some 70 million doses might reach the country within the first quarter of next calendar year.
He also said some 2.5 million Covid vaccines would come from Moderna within the first week of July.
Bangladesh has signed an agreement with China to purchase 15 million Covid vaccines that would start to come from July. The country would get 63 million Covid vaccines under the Covax facility within December.
The health minister noted that actual performance of the Ministry of Health is 150 per cent, as many of its performances are not visible.
Healthcare system in Bangladesh is also performing better, he added.
Meanwhile, amid a serious spike of coronavirus cases, the government is going to resume the countrywide mass vaccination campaign today (Thursday) through administering Sinopharm jabs, reports UNB.
Dr. Shamsul Haque, member secretary of the Vaccine Deployment Committee, came up with the announcement in a virtual press briefing, arranged by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
He also said the Sinopharm jabs would be administered at 40 centres in Dhaka city and at all district hospitals from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm every day, as in the past.
Besides, Dr Haque said the Pfizer vaccine would also be administered at seven centres in the capital. AFP adds: The United States began shipping 2.5 million doses of Moderna's Covid vaccine to Bangladesh on Tuesday.
jasimharoon@yahoo.com