Bangladesh on Wednesday temporarily suspended the registration for Covid-19 jabs due to the vaccine shortage in the country, amid a delay in the timely arrival of shipments from India, a senior health official said.
Bangladesh is a prime recipient of Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccines produced by India's Serum Institute, but the alarming surge in the positive cases in India has created uncertainty over its expected availability in Bangladesh in due time.
India in January gifted 3.2 million doses of domestically manufactured coronavirus vaccine to Bangladesh as part of its 'Neighbourhood First' policy. Dhaka also purchased 30 million doses of the India-made vaccine and under an agreement received seven million doses in two consignments until February. The third consignment, which was expected in March, is yet to reach.
"We have temporarily halted the registration as the expected supply of vaccines have not reached yet in line with the agreement (from India)," Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) Additional Director General Professor Meerjadi Sabrina told a media briefing here.
The existing vaccine stocks would be used to administer the second dose among the recipients of the first doses, she said.