Vaccine gifted by India to reach Dhaka on Thursday

The 20 lakh doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, gifted by India, will now reach Bangladesh on Thursday, though it was supposed to reach the country one day earlier. 

The vaccine shots will arrive here by air cargo on the day, Prothom Alo reports quoting sources at the Indian High Commission in Dhaka. 

Earlier on Monday, Professor Abul Bashar Mohammad Khurshid Alam, director general of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), disclosed that India will gift Bangladesh 20 lakh doses of Covid vaccine. 

Besides, Bangladesh is bringing 3 crore shots of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine from India's Serum Institute. 

Beximco Pharmaceuticals had inked a deal with the Indian institute in this regard last November. 

The first consignment of vaccine is scheduled to reach the country by 26 January. 

The authorities are all set to launch the vaccination drive within a week of the vaccine arrival. 

In Dhaka, there will be 300 vaccination centres to carry out the immunisation