Efforts intensified to get Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine from US: foreign minister

Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen today said the government has intensified its efforts to get vaccine from the United States, as it will share up to 60 million doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine with other countries.

"We're expecting it [vaccines]," Dr Momen told reporters at his residence adding that Bangladesh Ambassador to the US M Shahidul Islam is in touch with the concerned officials of the US government.

The Foreign Minister said US Ambassador to Bangladesh Earl Miller is likely to meet him tomorrow (Thursday) to update on overall issues including supply of oxygen to Bangladesh.

"But we've heard that their priority is India and Brazil as most deaths happened in these two countries recently," he said.

Dr Momen said the Indian diaspora is strongly lobbying with the US government so that the US sends a whole lot of vaccines to India. "They're very powerful."

He requested the Bangladeshi diaspora to approach the US government so that they feel the urgency with communication from all sides.

Dr Momen said the United States assured of making Covid-19 vaccines available for other countries including Bangladesh once they have surplus.

"I can assure you when we can reach the level of the critical mass vaccination and we have surplus, we'll absolutely make vaccines available in whatever different ways," John Kerry, the US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, told reporters during his recent visit to Bangladesh.

Dr Momen said they had received proposals from other sources like vaccines from some European countries.

"But their total amount of available vaccines is very small whereas we need 2 lakh vaccines per day," he said adding that the possibility on that front is not very bright.

The Foreign Minister reiterated that the Chinese government is working to start delivering 5 lakh doses of vaccine as a gift before Eid-ul-Fitr as two dates are mentioned -- May 10 or 12.

He said Chinese Ambassador in Dhaka Li Jiming recently informed them that vaccines will start arriving here before Eid while the Health Minister Zahid Maleque shared a more specific date -- May 10.

Responding to a question, the Foreign Minister said the government is not shifting its attention from India as there is an agreement with Serum Institute to get 3 crore doses of vaccine.

He said India is yet to reply as Bangladesh sought at least 30 lakh doses of vaccine under the agreement to address the immediate demand in Bangladesh. "We'll procure vaccines from wherever we get it."

The Foreign Minister said Russia is interested to give vaccines to Bangladesh and sent documents to have a government-to-government agreement.