Dhaka to sign deal with Beijing soon for supply of Covid vaccine

 

Live Correspondent: As alternative source of vaccine supply, Dhaka has agreed to to join a new platform initiated by Beijing to get emergency supply of vaccine. Apart from Bangladesh and China, the platform -- “Emergency Vaccine Storage Facility for Covid for South Asia” is comprises by Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka.

However, the Foreign Ministry said this is not an alliance. Earlier, Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen told media that countries will collect vaccine as per their requirement from the platform. It’s mutual cooperation in South Asia.

A highly placed source told the Daily Sun that Bangladesh has establish effective contact with China on vaccine issue and expected to get the very soon. “China will provide us the vaccine very soon.”

Initially, China will gift 6 lakh doses of Vaccine to Bangladesh and a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has already been prepared for signing.

Meanwhile, sources said Bangladesh is to get Covid vaccine technology from Russia to manufacture it in the country. Russia has proposed to manufacture its 'Sputnik V' Covid-19 vaccine in Bangladesh in collaboration with the local pharmaceuticals under a co-production arrangement while Bangladesh. A MoU with Russia will be inked soon.

Bangladesh has accepted the Russian condition not to give the vaccine technology others. Foreign Ministry official said Moscow gave the proposal to manufacture its vaccine in Bangladesh as currently Russia does not have that much production capacity to export its vaccine to Bangladesh.

As per the proposed deal, Russia will provide the technology and Bangladeshi pharmaceutical companies will produce the Sputnik V vaccine here.

Dhaka, 22 April (campuslive24.com)//AIT

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