The government will decide on the phase-3 clinical trial of Chinese corona vaccine after receiving suggestions from the national technical advisory committee.
The panel will also decide from when the trial can be started, disclosed health minister Zahid Maleque on Wednesday.
The government, he said, is in the process of forming a high-powered taskforce to detect irregularities, if there has been any, in hospitals or clinics.
Mr. Maleque made these remarks while speaking at a press briefing, held at his office at the secretariat.
Earlier, Bangladesh Medical Research Council (BMRC) approved the phase-3 trial of Covid-19 vaccine, being developed by the Chinese company Sinovac.
The Bangladesh Medical Research Council (BMRC) has approved the clinical trial protocol of the Chinese vaccine, submitted earlier by the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (ICDDR,B).
The national research ethics committee of the council approved the ICDDR,B protocol to conduct the 18-month trial among health workers of seven hospitals from August next.
If the study is successful, the vaccine will be produced in mass scale and used on humans.
Sinovac initiated developing Covid-19 vaccine named CoronaVac this January.
Upon getting approval of phase-1 and 2 trials, China started conducting trial in April.
"The government has been observing the efficacy of vaccines being developed by a number of countries. It'll make the decision on the basis of results," Mr. Maleque told the briefing.
Regarding the new DG's joining, he said Prof Dr Abul Kalam Azad was a grade-1 official. Public administration ministry will take steps to accept his resign letter.
Health ministry will start the process of appointing a new DG health after getting the file, he went on to say.
Asked whether the hospital director will be changed, the minister said the government has been scrutinising not only the hospital department, but also other departments that have come under public scrutiny.
Stern action will be taken against those departments, he said categorically.
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