The country is expected to finalise a deal by next week to import Covid-19 vaccine from Chinese state company Sinopharm, officials involved with the process said.
They said that two of the three documents sent by China have already been filled up and sent back to China while the rest one will be sent by a couple of days.
Completion of the process would facilitate signing the final purchase agreement, a high official of the foreign ministry told the FE.
Earlier on Wednesday, the cabinet committee on economic affairs approved in principle a proposal to procure the vaccine from the Chinese company.
Commenting on the issue, foreign minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Thursday said the government has expedited the process of signing the necessary agreements. Necessary paperwork has been almost completed, he added.
Officials said the government was planning to procure around 40 million doses from China.
Chinese Ambassador Li Jiming recently told the FE correspondent that though the Chinese companies were overbooked with orders, he would try his best to get the vaccine soon.
The companies had earlier dropped a broader hint that it would take until December next to supply the vaccine. Mr Li, however, said that he requested them to make it at the beginning of the second half of this year.
Officials at the ministries of foreign affairs and health were expecting to get the supplies in phases from July next.
Meanwhile, the negotiation on vaccine purchase with Russia has become slow lately as the draft sent by the Russians needed revision, officials concerned said, adding that the deal with Russia may take some more time.
The foreign minister on Thursday said he requested his Indian counterpart S. Jaishankar again to send some AstraZaneca vaccine as gift, if not as export.
"He explained the situation in India and said that the Covid situation in Bangladesh is far better than in India. I told him that since we used AstraZeneca in Bangladesh, nearly 1.5 million people, who have already taken it, are at risk of getting the second dose," he added.
The government is also expecting to get AstraZeneca vaccine from the USA as they have now a surplus of 80 million doses of the same.
"We have already requested the US government and we are expecting to get a positive answer by this (Thursday) evening," said the minister.
