Bangladesh signs deal with India for 30 million COVID-19 vaccine doses

Dhaka: Bangladesh signed a deal with India to purchase 30 million doses of a potential COVID-19 vaccine being developed by British drug maker AstraZeneca. The deal was made with the Serum Institute of India.

"Whenever the vaccine is ready, the Serum Institute will give us 30 million doses in the first phase," health minister Zahid Maleque stated after the deal was signed in Dhaka. He stated that 5 million doses of vaccine per month would be purchased through Bangladesh's drug maker, Beximco Pharmaceuticals. "We'll be able to vaccinate 15 million people as two shots of vaccine are required for each person 28 days apart," Maleque said.

According to him, Serum Institute would provide the vaccine at a price similar to that which India pays. As per sources, the cost would stand at $4 to $5 per dose.

Bangladesh was in talks with development partners, including the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank, to secure funds for the vaccine. Experts fear that Bangladesh might face another surge of COVID-19 infections during the winter. The country has 4,16,006 confirmed cases and 6,021 deaths.

The Serum Institute, the world's largest manufacturer of vaccines in terms of volume, has partnered with AstraZeneca, the Gates Foundation and the Gavi vaccine alliance to produce more than a billion doses of a COVID-19 vaccine for global supply. Presently, it is holding trials for three potential coronavirus vaccines, including one licensed to AstraZeneca by Oxford University.

AstraZeneca stated that it was holding back deliveries as it awaits the data from late-stage clinical trials for maximising the shelf-life of supplies.

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