Govt concerned over second dose of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine: health minister

The government is concerned over the second doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, Health Minister Zahid Maleque said today.

Despite discussion on vaccine coproduction in the country, the government will give priority to purchasing vaccines from different sources, the minister said while talking to reporters at the Secretariat following the Cabinet meeting.

Mentioning that vaccine production is a time-consuming process, the minister said, "Regarding those [companies] who have applied [for vaccine production], the drug administration will send a report to us… This is a very crucial decision; the final decision will come after discussion with the prime minister."

Those companies who are capable will need four-five months to go for production, he informed.

"Now, our attention will be on purchasing vaccine," Zahid Maleque added.

After the supply of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines -- that the government purchased from Serum Institute of India -- was halted, uncertainty loomed large over the ongoing mass inoculation campaign.

Already the government has stopped administering the first doses of vaccine and now the second doses will be stopped within days unless the government can manage vaccines from other sources.