Sinopharm Vaccine
Global Covid-19 cases top 178 million
Over 178 million people have been found infected with Covid-19 as many countries are still grappling with a spike in cases and deaths across the world.
The total caseload and deaths from the virus stand at 178, 123, 144 and 3,857,806, respectively as of Sunday morning, as per the latest data released by Johns Hopkins University (JHU).
So far, 2,566,401, 042 Covid vaccine doses have been administered across the globe, according to the university data.
Read:Covid situation in Bangladesh going from bad to worse; 67 more die
The US has logged 33,537, 807 cases and 601,748 deaths to date. The death toll in the United States is the highest in the world.
In Brazil, the death toll from the virus has surpassed half a million after recording 2,301 more deaths from the fatal disease in the past 24 hours, the health ministry said Saturday.
With the national death toll reaching 500,800, Brazil has become the second country in the world to record more than half a million pandemic deaths, after the United States.
The country’s total caseload reached 17,883,750 as the health authorities has logged 82,288 new cases during this period.
India's COVID-19 tally rose to 29,823,546 on Saturday, with 60,753 new cases recorded in the past 24 hours, said the health ministry.
Read: A battle for breath in Khulna as Covid cases surge
Besides, 1,647 more patients died during the period, taking the death toll to 385,137.
Situation in Bangladesh
Covid-19 in Bangladesh claimed the lives of 67 people in 24 hours until Saturday morning, the highest daily deaths in 48 days.
The country last recorded 69 deaths on May 2 this year.
Meanwhile, 3,057 new infections were detected after testing 16,964 samples, said a handout issued by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHs).
With these, the country's death toll rose to 13,466 while the caseload to 848,027.
Bangladesh rolls out Sinopharm vaccine
Bangladesh on Saturday started administering Sinopharm vaccine doses across the country, aiming to fight the Covid-19 pandemic.
Read: Over one-third people uninformed about Covid-19 vaccine registration: Study
The vaccination started in the capital and elsewhere of the country with 11 lakh doses of Sinopharm vaccine gifted by China, said the DGHS.
The vaccine doses are being administered at four hospitals in Dhaka district -- Dhaka Medical College and Hospital, Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College and Hospital, Sir Salimullah Medical College and Hospital, and Mughda Medical College and Hospital.
Bangladesh rolls out Sinopharm vaccine
Bangladesh on Saturday started administering Sinopharm vaccine doses across the country, aiming to fight the Covid-19 pandemic.
The vaccination started in the capital and elsewhere of the country with 11 lakh doses of Sinopharm vaccine gifted by China, said the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
Read: Pfizer, Sinopharm shots to start June 19: Health Minister
The vaccine doses are being administered at four hospitals in Dhaka district -- Dhaka Medical College and Hospital, Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College and Hospital, Sir Salimullah Medical College and Hospital, and Mughda Medical College and Hospital.
Health workers and police personnel, students of government and private medical and dental colleges, students of government institutes of nursing and midwifery, residents of dormitories of public universities, officers and employees working in important national projects, expatriate workers, cleaners, those who are engaged in burial and those who were excluded from vaccination earlier and citizens of other countries who are working here will be vaccinated on a priority basis.
Read: Sinopharm doses reach Sylhet, Sherpur, Chattogram
A consignment of 600,000 doses of China’s Sinopharm jabs arrived here on June 13, nine days after the arrival of the first batch of 500,000 doses gifted by Beijing.
Bangladesh also received 100,620 doses of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine on June 1.
Health and Family Welfare Minister Zahid Malek said Pfizer vaccine shots will be given at four centres in Dhaka to those who have already registered.
On June 18, while exchanging views with local people's representatives at his residence in Garpara, Manikganj, the health minister said the country has not yet fully started the vaccination drive.
He said, "We hope to get vaccinated soon. We’ll get the vaccine from China and Russia. We’ll also get vaccines from India as per the agreement as it has not been delivered yet."
The minister went on saying, "Immediately after vaccination, a person is not protected, it takes a month."
The health minister also said Delta variant has also spread in our country and its transmission capacity is 50 percent higher.
"So, we’ve to follow health protocols, we’ve to protect ourselves, we’ve to protect the family, we’ve to protect the country," he added.
The government halted administering the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine on April 26 considering the dwindling stock of its jabs.
Also, registration for the Covid-19 vaccination remained suspended amid uncertainty over the availability of promised vaccine doses from India's Serum Institute.
However, the mass vaccination of Covid-19 is expected to resume in July next as the government is making all-out efforts to collect vaccines, said Principal Secretary Dr Ahmad Kaikaus Thursday. "The government has allocated Tk14,000 crore for the procurement of vaccines as it’s an all-out effort to ensure Covid jabs for all."
The government has so far approved the emergency use of Oxford-AstraZeneca, Sinopharm (China), Sputnik-V (Russia), Pfizer-BioNTech (USA/Germany) and Crona Vac (China) vaccines.
Sinopharm doses reach Sylhet, Sherpur, Chattogram
Some 37,200 doses of China-made Sinopharm vaccine arrived in Sylhet on Friday for resuming the second phase of the Covid-19 vaccination program.
Premananda Mandal, Civil Surgeon of Sylhet, received the vaccines on Friday morning.
The vaccines are stored at a temperature of 2 to 6 degrees centigrade in the EPI Cold Storage at the Civil Surgeon's Office.
Jahidul Islam Sumon, chief health officer of the Sylhet City Corporation in charge of vaccination activities in the Sylhet metropolitan area, said the vaccination program will start around 9-10 am on Saturday at Sylhet Osmani Medical College Hospital.
He said no instructions have been received so far for conducting vaccination at other centers in Sylhet.
On Saturday, the vaccination program will be inaugurated by vaccinating the students of Osmani Medical College.
Students would be vaccinated after showing voter ID cards or college ID cards, he added.
Also read: Pfizer, Sinopharm shots to start June 19: Health Minister
In Sunamganj, Civil Surgeon Dr Shamsuddin received six thousands doses of Sinopharm vaccine on Friday.
According to the government's policy, the vaccination program will be conducted at Sunamganj Sadar Hospital in the second phase from Saturday.
He further said the 6,000 doses will be given only in Sadar and if more vaccines arrive later, they will be given in every upazila.
Meanwhile in Sherpur, Civil Surgeon Dr AKM Anwarul Rauf received 12,000 doses of Sinopharm vaccine the same day.
The vaccination drive in the district will also resume at Sherpur General Hospital from Saturday.
In Chattogram, 91,200 doses of the vaccine arrived in the third phase.
Chattogram District Civil Surgeon Sheikh Fazle Rabbi received the vaccines on Friday.
Also read: Second consignment of Sinopharm vaccine arrives
Vaccination drive may resume from Saturday or Sunday at Chattogram Medical College and Hospital (CMCH), if the government directs, said the Civil Surgeon.
This time there will be only one center for vaccination in every district except the capital Dhaka. The vaccination drive will be conducted at a medical college hospital in a district where there is a medical college hospital, and at a general hospital in a district where there is no medical college hospital.
Besides, health workers and police personnel, students of government and private medical and dental colleges, students of government nursing and midwifery, students of dormitory halls of government universities, officers and employees working on important national projects, expatriate workers, cleaners, those who engaged in burial of bodies and who were excluded from vaccination before and citizens of other countries who are working here will be vaccinated on a priority basis.
Meanwhile, on Friday afternoon, while exchanging views with local people's representatives at his residence in Garpara, Manikganj, Health and Family Welfare Minister Zahid Malek said the country has not yet fully started the vaccination drive.
The minister said, "We hope to get vaccinated soon. We will get the vaccine from China and Russia. We will also get vaccines from the agreement with India which have not been delivered yet."
He further said, "Immediately after vaccination a person is not protected, it takes a month."
Also read: Sinopharm begins shipment of its vaccine to Bangladesh
The health minister also said Delta variant has also spread in our country. Its transmission capacity is 50 percent higher.
"So, this is the time we have to follow the health protocols, we have to protect ourselves, we have to protect the family, we have to protect the country," he added.
The government halted administering the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine on April 26 considering the dwindling stock of its jabs.
Also, registration for the Covid-19 vaccination remained suspended amid uncertainty over the availability of promised vaccine doses from India's Serum Institute.
However, the mass vaccination of Covid-19 is expected to resume in July next as the government is making all-out efforts to collect vaccines, said Principal Secretary Dr Ahmad Kaikaus Thursday. "The government has allotted a fund of Tk14,000 crore for the procurement of vaccines as it’s an all-out effort to ensure Covid jabs for all."
The government has so far approved the emergency use of Oxford-AstraZeneca, Sinopharm (China), Sputnik-V (Russia), Pfizer-BioNTech (USA/Germany) and Crona Vac (China) vaccines.
Second consignment of Sinopharm vaccine arrives
The second consignment of Sinopharm vaccine, amounting to some 600,000 doses, arrived here on Sunday afternoon as a gift from the Chinese government.
Two C-130J transport aircraft of Bangladesh Air Force brought the consignment with the vaccine doses and some syringes to Bangladesh.
The aircraft with 26 crew of BAF and one representative from the Armed Forces Dvision (AFD) had left Dhaka airport on Saturday to transport the Coronavirus vaccine from China.
Just nine days after the arrival of the first batch of 500,000 doses of gifted vaccine in Bangladesh, China announced the provision of the second batch of gift to Bangladesh.
According to clinical statistics provided by Sinopharm and the evaluation of the World Health Organization (WHO), the efficacy rate of the vaccine is estimated to reach 79%, including all age groups.
This fully reflects the great importance China attaches to the friendly relations between the two countries, says China.
Chinese ‘CoronaVac’ gets approval in Bangladesh for emergency use
The Directorate General of Drug Administration (DGDA) has approved Chinese Covid-19 vaccine ‘CoronaVac’, manufactured by Sinovac Life Science Co Ltd, for emergency use in Bangladesh.
The DGDA has given the approval following an application submitted by M/S Incepta Vaccine Limited on June 3, said a DGDA handout on Sunday.
Read:WHO validates Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use
M/s Incepta Vaccine Limited is the local agent of the vaccine.
The Chinese vaccine earlier got approval from the World Health Organization (WHO). It is applicable for people aged above 18.
National Medicinal Products Administration (NMPA) of China approved the vaccine on February 9 and it was later approved for emergency use in 22 more countries, said the media release.
Read:EU medicine regulator starts rolling review of Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine
It is 5th vaccine that got approval for emergency use in Bangladesh.
Health authorities will administer two doses of the vaccine to a person, and its second dose can be administered within two to four weeks after getting the first dose.
Read: Sinovac: CoronaVac vaccine effective in children
Earlier, five lakh China’s Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine doses, donated by the Chinese government to Bangladesh, arrived in Dhaka on May 12.
Covid-19: Bangladesh sees 22 more deaths, 1,292 new cases
Bangladesh reported 22 more coronavirus-related deaths in the last 24 hours till Thursday morning, pushing up the country's fatalities to 12,480.
Besides, 1,292 more people were found positive for Covid-19 after testing 15,915 samples during the period.
The daily positivity rate declined to 8.12 percent from Wednesday’s 9.11 percent, said the Directorate General of Health Services.
Read:AstraZeneca: Govt's desperate efforts yet to yield any good news
Health authorities logged 17 Covid-related deaths on Wednesday, the lowest number in 68 days.The country saw 16 Covid-19 deaths on March 18 last.
The fatality rate remained at 1.57% .
The recovery rate stood at 92.47% as 1,291 people recovered in the last 24 hours. The overall recovery number is 7,35,157 till date.
With the fresh cases, the country’s total caseload reached 7,94,985.
The country has carried out 58,87,268 sample tests since reporting its first cases on March 8 last year and the first death on March 18, 2020.
Vaccination drive update
Bangladesh launched its vaccination drive on February 7 with Oxford-AstraZeneca doses purchased from India's Serum Institute.
The administration of the first dose remained suspended since April 26.
Also, the country, the prime recipient of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines, has suspended the registration for Covid-19 jabs due to vaccine shortage amid a delay in the timely arrival of shipments from India.
However, the administering of the 1st dose of Chinese Sinopharm vaccine against Covid-19 began in Bangladesh on Tuesday.
Cabinet body okays procurement of 1.5 cr Sinopharm vaccine
The Cabinet Committee on Public Purchase on Thursday gave final approval to a proposal of the Health and Family Welfare Ministry to procure 1.5 crore Chinese Sinofarm Covid-19 vaccine.
Read:Cabinet body okays proposal to procure 1.5 crore Chinese Sinopharm vaccine
As per the approval, the Health Services Division of the Health and Family Welfare Ministry will procure a total of 15 million (1.5 crore) vaccine in the next three months—June, July and August.
Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal presided over the Cabinet body meeting.
“Each month 5 million doses of vaccine will be imported from the Chinese firm”, Dr Shahida Aktar, additional secretary to the Cabinet Division, told reporters while briefing on the outcomes of the cabinet body meeting.
Cabinet body okays proposal to procure 1.5 crore Chinese Sinopharm vaccine
The Cabinet Committee on Public Purchase on Thursday gave final approval to a proposal of the Health and Family Welfare Ministry to procure 1.5 crore Chinese Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine.
As per the approval, the Health Services Division of the Health and Family Welfare Ministry will procure a total of 15 million (1.5 crore) vaccine in the next three months—June, July and August.
Read: Process to procure vaccine from China at final stage: FM
Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal presided over the Cabinet body meeting.
“Each month 5 million doses of vaccine will be imported from the Chinese firm”, Dr Shahida Aktar, additional secretary to the Cabinet Division, told reporters while briefing on the outcomes of the cabinet body meeting.
Earlier on May 19, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) gave its “in principle approval” to a proposal of the Health Services Division to import Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine.
Read: Bangladesh begins administering 1st dose of Chinese vaccine
The CCEA also approved “in principle” procurement of Covid-19 vaccine from Russia in a meeting on April 28.
But no specific proposal regarding the quantity and the cost of the Russian Sputnik-V is yet to come to the Cabinet Committee on Public Purchase, which is responsible for giving the final approval.
Bangladesh begins administering 1st dose of Chinese vaccine
Bangladesh on Tuesday began administering the first dose of Chinese Sinopharm vaccine, marking a major turning point in its fight against Covid-19 pandemic.
Health Minister Zahid Maleque inaugurated the inoculation programme at Dhaka Medical College and Hospital.
On May 12, Bangladesh received 5 lakh China’s Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine doses, donated by the Chinese government.
Since the outbreak of the pandemic last year, China and Bangladesh have been supporting and assisting each other in their fight against the pandemic.
China has donated and is donating vaccine doses to 80 developing countries with urgent needs, and has provided support under COVAX for the emergency use of vaccines in developing countries.
Also read: Process to procure vaccine from China at final stage: FM
China has fulfilled its commitment to make the Covid-19 vaccine a global public good with practical actions, promoted the fair distribution of global vaccines and made China’s contribution to the realisation of vaccine accessibility and affordability in developing countries.
China says it will continue to make joint efforts with Bangladesh to make positive contributions to Bangladesh’s endeavour of protecting human lives and fight to win the battle against the pandemic, and together to build an even closer community of shared future and health for mankind.
BAF aircraft leaves Dhaka to bring 5 lakh doses of Corona vaccine from China
Thirteen aircrew of Bangladesh Air Force left Dhaka for China on Tuesday (May 11, 2021) morning by BAF C-130J aircraft to bring 500,000 doses of Sinopharm vaccine and AD syringes.
Wing Commander Md Habibur Rahman is leading the team.
Also read: Ready to offer more support if Covid situation deteriorates in Bangladesh: China
Air Chief Marshal Masihuzzaman Serniabat has provided necessary guidance to carry out this goodwill mission.
In compliance with the policies published by the government, the Armed Forces is conducting various activities under the direction of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to contain the spread of coronavirus.
Also read: BAF aircraft ferries medical aid from China
In line with this, the goodwill mission is being conducted to bring vaccine and AD syringes provided by China as a sign of its friendly relations with Bangladesh, according to a media release of the Inter Service Public Relation Directorate issued Tuesday evening.
The BAF aircraft is expected to return home on Wednesday.
Also read: Covid-19: BAF aircraft brings medical aid from S Korea
Sinopharm begins shipment of its vaccine to Bangladesh
Chinese state-owned company Sinopharm has started delivering its vaccine doses to Bangladesh.
The company has finished packing 500 thousand doses of the gifted vaccine, which are now heading towards Beijing Capital International Airport in a cold-chain container truck.
Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Li Jiming on Monday officially announced that 5 lakh doses of Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine will reach Bangladesh on May 12 as a “special gift”.
Also Read: 5 lakh doses of Chinese vaccine to arrive on May 12: Envoy
"It's the latest outcome of China-Bangladesh anti-pandemic cooperation which again shows that our two peoples are in the same boat and we will stand with each other till the end of this battle," he said.
The Ambassador made the announcement during an interaction with the members of Diplomatic Correspondents Association, Bangladesh (DCAB) held virtually. DCAB President Pantho Rahaman and General Secretary AKM Moinuddin also spoke at the event.
"China is dedicated to international vaccine cooperation," said the Chinese envoy, adding that the Sinopharm vaccine has already been recognised and used in over 50 countries and regions globally for quite some time.
Also Read: Beijing wants Dhaka notto join Quad
“This is a new vote of confidence in China’s vaccines cast by the world. The Bangladeshi government also gave emergency use authorisation to the vaccine a week prior to the WHO’s clearance, which I believe is a far-sighted decision. It shows the faith put in China by Bangladesh, and it will surely mean a lot to our future cooperation,” he said.
According to clinical statistics provided by Sinopharm and the evaluation of the WHO, the efficacy rate of the vaccine is estimated to reach 79%, all age groups included.
Ambassador Li said the vaccine is recommended for adults aged 18 and older, and WHO did not indicate any upper age limit for use as data suggests that the vaccine is likely to have a protective effect in elder persons.
Read Bangladesh approves emergency use of Chinese Covid vaccine
“It’s also the first vaccine carrying a vial monitor, a small sticker on the vaccine vials that changes colour with the exposure to heat, thus warning health professionals if any doses go bad,” he said.
As the Covid-19 is still wreaking a havoc on people’s lives and disturbing social and economic activities in Bangladesh, the 500 thousand doses of vaccine are arriving just in time. It is the latest outcome of China-Bangladesh anti-pandemic cooperation.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has listed the Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine for emergency use, giving the green light for this vaccine to be rolled out globally.
Read Chinese drugmaker: Vaccine 79.3% effective in final tests
The Sinopharm vaccine is produced by Beijing Bio-Institute of Biological Products Co Ltd, subsidiary of China National Biotec Group (CNBG).
Bangladesh has kept up its intensified efforts to get Oxford-AstraZeneca and China's Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccines from India, China and the United States.
The Chinese Ambassador said China proposed providing the vaccine doses as a gift on February 3 and the government of Bangladesh took three months to approve it.
Read Russian Vaccine Sputnik V: Things we should know to fight COVID-19
He said there is a high demand of Chinese vaccines and it will take time to get vaccines through commercial purchase.
The Ambassador said Bangladesh proposed getting Chinese vaccines through commercial purchase on April 30 and Bangladesh could have got those much earlier if the decision had been taken timely.
He laid emphasis on quick and effective decisions by the government of Bangladesh on issues like vaccines.
Read What does it feel like to get COVID-19 after taking the vaccine?