The hope for getting Covid-19 vaccine from India has got stronger as the drug regulatory authority of India on Sunday approved the ones developed by the AstraZeneca-Oxford University and the Bharat Biotech, officials said.
The Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine is being manufactured by the Indian Serum Institute, the world's largest vaccine producer, with which local drug maker Beximco has already signed an agreement to procure 30 million doses of vaccine for the government of Bangladesh.
Officials at the Ministry of Health and Family Planning said the much-expected development in India paved the way for availability of vaccine by the middle of this month and the ministry has expedited its groundwork for starting inoculating Bangladeshis by early February.
According to the agreement, Serum Institute of India will provide 5.0 million vaccine doses per month to Bangladesh through Beximco in the next six months.
When contacted, Health Minister Zahid Maleque expressed his satisfaction over India's approval to AstraZaneca vaccine developed by the Oxford University.
"It's a very good news for us. India okayed its use after the United Kingdom. We are hopeful that we will get it by the end of this month," he said.
Along with the preservation of doses and their transportation, the minister said, they have already prepared the places from which people will be vaccinated.
He added they will soon start training the healthcare professionals to use the vaccine shield among the dedicated vulnerable groups of people. "Once we receive the delivery, we will start inoculating," Mr Maleque added.
Sources at Beximco Pharmaceuticals said they have started the procedure to submit the documents of India and the UK to the Directorate General of Drug Administration (DGDA) seeking its approval for the vaccine.
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