US to provide AstraZeneca vaccine jabs
Says Momen
Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen yesterday said the US will provide AstraZeneca and other vaccines to Bangladesh.
The minister revealed the information after handing over essential medicines, donated by the Bangladesh Association of Pharmaceutical Industries, to Palestinian Ambassador Yousef SY Ramadan at the State Guest House Padma.
Momen said Bangladesh requested two million AstraZeneca vaccine doses from the US as soon as it learnt that the US had 60 to 80 million AstraZeneca shots in stock.
The US has been making a list of the countries to supply vaccines, but Bangladesh was not listed among the countries that would be the first to receive the doses, because infections and deaths are low here.
"We then said that we are in crisis because some 1.5 million people, who had got the first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine, have yet to get the second dose. This has created a crisis for us. If they don't get the second dose, the first dose will be ineffective," Momen said.
He said Bangladesh then reached out to the White House. Bangladeshi diaspora community -- over 1,600 doctors and other professionals in the US -- also petitioned the White House, seeking the AstraZeneca vaccine doses.
"Finally, we have been informed that they [the US] will give us AstraZeneca and other vaccines through COVAX. The number [of shots] has yet to be known."
He also said that six lakh Chinese vaccines are also arriving on June 13. Besides, the Chinese Communist Party will provide one lakh medical equipment.
Asked if the issue regarding the price of the Chinese vaccine has been settled, the foreign minister said, "In business, there is secrecy. We had signed a non-disclosure deal. We should abide by the law. We said it [revealing of the price] was an inadvertent mistake. They have understood it."
A cabinet division official last week told reporters that the price of each dose of the Chinese vaccine would be $10. A health ministry official later said the Chinese government was annoyed about the matter and Bangladesh government regretted the unintentional public disclosure.
Momen yesterday said the government will soon make a formal announcement on vaccine co-production in Bangladesh since there has been progress in an ongoing negotiation.
It is up to the vaccine-manufacturing countries to choose local pharmaceutical companies for vaccine co-production in Bangladesh, he added.
Bangladesh has been in talks with Russia and China over co-production of vaccines.
The foreign minister regretted that the rich countries are procuring 99.7 percent of the global vaccines despite the calls for making Covid-19 vaccines a public good as the poor countries are suffering from shortages of the doses.
He said for 25 million people in Australia, there are 93.8 million doses of vaccines.
ESSENTIAL MEDICINES FOR PALESTINE
Momen thanked Bangladesh Association of Pharmaceutical Industries for donating some 1,400kg of essential medicines to Palestine, saying that Bangladesh has deep relations with Palestinians who have been persecuted for decades.
"Until an independent Palestine is established, we will continue to support them. We don't accept the occupation army of Israel. Israel repeatedly approached us [for establishing diplomatic relationships]. We did not agree," he said.
Bangladesh has helped China, Europe, US, UK, Kuwait, Maldives, India, Nepal, and Bhutan by supplying medicines, PPE and even sent doctors to some countries, but any help for Palestine has a different dimension.
The common people of Bangladesh came forward and donated money for the Palestinians. The prime minister also donated $50,000 for Palestine.
Palestinian Ambassador Yousef Ramadan thanked the Bangladesh government, general public and also the pharmaceutical companies for the support.