Bangladesh plans to collect another 60 million vaccines through the World Health Organization's COVAX program by May-June.
The government expects to vaccinate 45 million people across the country by then, Cabinet Secretary Khandker Anwarul Islam said on Monday while briefing the media on the weekly cabinet meeting.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina chaired the meeting virtually from Ganabhaban while other ministers and secretaries participated from the Secretariat.
The first shipment of 30 million doses of vaccine from the Serum Institute of India is expected to arrive by late January or early February, said the cabinet secretary.
Quoting the health minister, the cabinet secretary said: “He [health minister] said another 60 million vaccines would come through the World Health Organization's COVAX program by May-June.”
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The government plans to start the first phase of vaccination as soon as the first batch from India arrives, said Secretary Islam before adding the second phase may start in May or June.
The government is mulling using the Expanded Program of Immunization (EPI) for Covid-19 vaccination, he said before adding: “Training for vaccination has already started."
Responding to a query, he said the government is now thinking only about vaccines developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University, but is open to collect any other vaccine approved by the WHO.
Strict execution of rules denying services to people without masks was also ordered on Monday, according to Cabinet Secretary Islam.
Bangladesh has so far, confirmed 502, 183 Covid-19 cases after 1,470 new infections were recorded on Monday with the death toll standing at 7,312 with 32 new fatalities.