The health authorities in Bangladesh would need more seven to 10 days to start administrating the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine – received under the Covax facility run by the World Health Organization (WHO) and Gavi.
Prof Nazmul Islam, spokesperson for the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), revealed the information during a health bulletin on Wednesday.
He said: "We received over 100,000 Pfizer jabs on June 1. They are being preserved at a temperature of -90°C.”
“A particular diluter is necessary to activate the [Pfizer] vaccine and it is expected to arrive in the country on June 7 from the Covax facility of WHO.”
“After the diluter arrives, we then will decide on the recipients and where the vaccination will take place. Those who registered earlier will be prioritized," he added.
He said: “DGHS officials are also working on the safety procedures necessary for the vaccine, so that nothing goes wrong and no jabs get wasted.
“All these procedures will take at least seven to 10 days to complete and then we will start administering this vaccine.”
The DGHS spokesperson urged all to maintain the government-issued health safety rules. He also asked those who are yet to get their second Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine shot to have patience.
Also Read - Pfizer vaccines reach Dhaka
Total 100,620 doses of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine reached Dhaka on May 31.
According to the health authorities, the two-dose Pfizer vaccine will be inoculated within three to four weeks of the first jab. The vaccine's preservation temperature ranges between -90°C and -60°C.
The vaccine, however, can remain stable for five days at 2°C to 8°C, while for two hours at 30°C.
The Directorate General of Drug Administration (DGDA) had approved the vaccine for emergency use in Bangladesh on May 27.
With the development, Pfizer became the fourth approved vaccine to be used in the country.
Earlier, the Oxford-AstraZeneca's Covishield, Russia's Sputnik-V, and China's Sinopharm vaccines got emergency use authorization in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh started its vaccination program across the country on February 7 by administering Covishield, the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine manufactured by Serum Institute of India (SII).
