The government has begun vaccinating Dhaka-based foreign diplomats against Covid-19, reports bdnews24.com.
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam inaugurated the campaign at Sheikh Russel Gastro Liver Institute and Hospital at Mohakhali on Wednesday.
“We have taken this initiative to immunise diplomats from all countries stationed in Bangladesh. Over 30 diplomats are taking vaccines today and around 1,200 of them will take the vaccines gradually,” the state minister said.
He said the foreign ministry will designate two or three days a week for immunising diplomats at the hospital.
The ministry has asked all international organisations to submit lists of their foreign staffers and they will also get the doses at the hospital.
Shahriar said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had “instantly” agreed to vaccinate all foreign diplomats after Archbishop George Kocherrry, ambassador of the Vatican City and dean of the diplomatic corps in Dhaka, made the proposal.
“Many countries around the world haven’t started mass vaccination but we’ve inoculated more than 100,000 people on Tuesday alone,” the state minister said.
Bangladesh is expected to get a good number of vaccines from Global Alliance for Vaccine and Immunization or GAVI.
The foreign diplomats took their doses confidently, Shahriar said.
The government has accepted a request to administer Russia’s Sputnik-V vaccine to over 2,500 Russian nationals working in the Rooppur Power Plant, according to him.
Besides Archbishop Kocherry, Indian High Commissioner Vikram Doraiswami and his wife Sangeeta Doraiswami, Ambassador and Head of Delegation of EU Rensje Teerink, Ambassador of Germany Peter Fahrenholtz, Ambassador of Turkey Mustafa Osman Turan, Ambassador of France Jean-Marin SCHUH and his wife Marie-Caroline Schuh-Senlis, High Commissioner of Australia Jeremy Bruer, and Ambassador of Italy Enrico Nunziata were among those who took the jab on the first day.
Shahriar and Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen were administered the vaccine at the event.
