Bangladesh to give 30m doses of Covid-19 vaccine to its people for free

The people of Bangladesh are set to get 30 million doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine free of cost.

“Over Tk735 crore has been allocated to purchase this vaccine. The government will buy 30 million doses and the people will get it for free,” Cabinet Secretary Khandker Anwarul Islam said during a press briefing at the secretariat on Monday afternoon, after the weekly cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

The prime minister attended the meeting virtually from Ganabhaban, while other ministers and secretaries attended at the Secretariat.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina addresses the weekly cabinet meeting virtually from Ganabhaban, on Monday, November 30, 2020 | Focus BanglaThe cabinet secretary also said the distribution of the vaccine would be decided according to the protocols of the World Health Organization.

Recently, Bangladesh signed an agreement for the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine. The vaccine will be brought to the country as soon as it is approved for the market.

As per the guidelines of the WHO, the Covid-19 vaccine will be provided to front line workers, older people and children first, said the cabinet secretary.