21 crore doses of Covid-19 vaccines by next year: Health minister

Health Minister Zahid Malik has said the government has arranged for 21 crore doses of Covid-19 vaccines to curb Covid-19 infections in the country.

The vaccines are scheduled to arrive in Bangladesh in phases by next year, said the minister in a view exchange virtual meeting with the Bangladesh Private Medical College Association on Saturday.

"Currently we have three crore doses of China vaccines. Seven crore doses of Covax, one crore doses of Russian vaccine, three crore doses of AstraZeneca and seven crore doses of Johnson & Johnson doses will arrive in phases," said the minister.

He also said 80% of people in the country will get vaccines after all the 21 crore doses arrive. So far, 1.20 crore people have received the Covid-19 vaccine.

Private hospital owners present in the meeting addressed the oxygen crisis in their hospitals.

The health minister assured, "Forty oxygen generators will be set up in 40 hospitals by August and there will be no oxygen crisis after that."

In response, Director General of the Directorate General of Health Services Professor Dr ABM Khurshid Alam said 400 tonnes of oxygen will be imported from India every week that will ease the oxygen crisis.