Explore alternative sources of vaccine

The government should explore more sources of Covid-19 vaccines, instead of relying only on the ones currently being considered, and take part in vaccine trials immediately to meet future needs, experts say.

They also said the country's overall vaccination efforts may turn futile if people did not accept the vaccines "positively".

The experts made the comment while speaking at a discussion at the Bangladesh Medical Association (BMA) conference room in the capital yesterday. Bangladesh Health Reporters Forum (BHRF) organised the event as part of a series of dialogues on Covid-19.

Bangladesh has already made an advance payment of Tk 509 crore for three crore doses of Covid-19 vaccine from Serum Institute India (SII). The government has also announced that it will procure 68 million shots of vaccine under a global arrangement called COVAX.

"We do not know how long these vaccines will give us immunity. If the novel coronavirus regularly mutates -- like the influenza virus -- we may need regular vaccination. In this case, we should think of sustainable sources," Prof Sayedur Rahman, chairman of BSMMU's pharmacology department, said at the discussion yesterday.

About vaccine selection, he said, "Safety, efficacy and standard are the three basic parameters to select any vaccine. The dose is another issue. If we can select a single-dose vaccine, it would be better for our country."

He said six Covid-19 vaccines were already in the market while another 14 were in the pipeline.

He mentioned that several of these vaccines would be safer, effective and viable for countries like Bangladesh in the coming days.

He recommended increasing the chances of getting vaccines from other potential sources. "Political, diplomatic, and economic drives increase the probability of getting vaccines … This discussion is not under my jurisdiction. But from the scientific point of view, we can increase our potentiality to get vaccines either by inventing locally or taking part in researches along with others … Currently, Bangladesh is now among the 10 best countries worthy of conducting trials. We should make the best use of it."

In his presentation, Prof Sayedur, also member of the Ethics Committee of the Bangladesh Medical Research Council, lauded the government's National Vaccine Deployment Plan. "… But the success of the vaccination programme depends on the acceptability of vaccines. If the vaccination programme is not based on science and social context, it will fail. Here, transparency is the key ... .

"It is important that people don't think that there is any disparity in vaccination," he said.

Echoing the view, public health expert Abu Zamil Faisal said, "If we take part in phase-III vaccine trials, getting vaccines will be easier in future. The private sector can be encouraged in this regard.

"If a portion of the population do not want to take the vaccines, then what will be done? We should think of it now," he said.

Connecting to the event via online, Prof Meerjady Sabrina Flora, additional director general of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), spoke about their preparation for vaccinating people upon availability of the shots.

"We have made the priority list considering different issues … The making of an app for the registration was at the final stage. We've already provided necessary training to our manpower and procurement of logistics was underway," she said.

Commenting on Prof Flora's remarks, Prof Rashid-E-Mahbub, former president of the BMA, said, "We don't know when the app will be ready. We also don't know whether people will be able to access the app."

Coming down heavily on the government's deal with Beximco Pharmaceutical Ltd on vaccine procurement, he said, "It is not clear who is bringing the vaccines -- Beximco or the government? The government said the vaccine will be free of cost. But for whom, please clarify."

Joining the event online, former health minister AFM Ruhul Haque also spoke in favour of exploring other sources of vaccines and more collaboration to implement the vaccine deployment plan.

Prof Syed Abdul Hamid of Dhaka University's health economics said, "The country has the financial capacity to procure vaccines. But it is important to think of whether people will take the vaccines or not."

Presided over by BHRF President Toufiq Maruf, BMA President Prof Mostafa Jalal Mohiuddin and Swachip president MA Aziz also spoke at the event, among others.

Meanwhile, Health Minister Zahid Maleque at another event yesterday said many countries were eager to give vaccines to Bangladesh. "We have kept our doors open for all," he said.