The United States has purchased 18 trucks to help Bangladesh establish a dedicated fleet of specialized cold-chain vehicles to deliver COVID-19 vaccines across the country.  US acting Deputy Chief of Mission (DCM) William Dowers and US Agency for International Development (USAID) Mission Director Kathryn Stevens handed over the brand new freezer trucks to Health and Family Welfare Minister Zahid Maleque as part of the ongoing US support to the COVID-19 vaccination campaign in Bangladesh.  Read: Bangladesh plans to import huge petroleum fuel amid global market volatility USAID purchased four trucks on the local market with an additional 14 vehicles to arrive in the coming months, said the US Embassy in Dhaka. The total US government COVID-19 assistance to Bangladesh exceeds $121 million. USAID partnered with the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC) and Bangladesh Red Crescent Society, the agencies that will oversee the procurement of these vehicles and support the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to roll out COVID-19 vaccinations across the country.  “We hope to sustain the impressive momentum Bangladesh has made in turning the tide against the pandemic. Through our work, we are helping to get more people vaccinated so they can protect themselves and their loved ones, and return to more normal lives,” said acting DCM Dowers.  

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Monday launched an initiative to facilitate COVID-19 vaccine delivery to tough and hard-to-reach terrains of the Northeast through drones. According to The Print, the ICMR’s Drone Response and Outreach in North East (i-Drone), a delivery model to make sure that life-saving COVID vaccines reach everyone, is in line with the government’s commitment to Antyodaya’ in health – making healthcare accessible to the last citizen of the country, officials said. This is for the first time that a “Make in India’ drone has been used in South Asia to transport COVID-19 vaccine over an aerial distance of 15 km in 12-15 mins from the Bishnupur district hospital to Loktak lake, Karang island in Manipur for administration at the PHC. Read:India's Everest Twins Tashi and Nungshi Malik Summit the Swiss Alps- Make India proud yet again “The actual road distance between these locations is 26 km. Today, 10 beneficiaries will receive the first dose and eight will receive the second dose at the PHC,” Mandaviya said. Thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Union Health Minister said, Under his leadership, the nation is progressing at a great pace. Today is a historic day, which showed us how technology is making life easier and bringing social change. India is home to geographical diversities and drones can be used to deliver essentials to the last mile, he said. “We can use drones in delivering important life-saving medicines, collecting blood samples. This technology can also be used in critical situations. This technology may prove a game-changer in addressing the challenges in health care delivery, particularly health supplies in difficult areas,” Mandaviya said. Launching the initiative which would facilitate vaccine delivery to hard-to-reach terrains of India, the Union Health Minister said, Our immunisation programme for COVID-19 has already exceeded all expectations. Read:Eye on China, India looks to step up engagement with Indian Ocean “I strongly believe that this initiative will further help us achieve the highest possible immunisation coverage for COVID-19. Incorporating such drone technologies into the national programmes would help deliver other vaccines and medical supplies as quickly as possible. Despite the effective and safe vaccine administration in the states and Union Territories, the vaccine delivery in tough and hard-to-reach terrains of India is still challenging. The i-Drone has been designed to overcome these challenges by deploying Unmanned Aerial vehicles (UAV) / drones to remote areas, the health ministry said. Currently, the drone-based delivery project has been granted permission for implementation in Manipur and Nagaland, as well as the Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The ICMR conducted an initial study in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur to test the capacity of drones to carry and transfer vaccines safely. Read:Farmers' protests brew into a political crisis in India's largest state The study was conducted in Manipur, Nagaland and Andaman and Nicobar. These studies provided promising results on the basis of which the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and other regulatory authorities have granted permission to fly drones beyond the Visual Line Of Sight. Mandaviya expressed confidence in the initiative and noted that it can be helpful in delivering not only vaccines but also other medical supplies. This will help in overcoming the gaps in current vaccine delivery mechanisms, he said He thanked the Ministry of Civil Aviation, DGCA and the Airport Authority of India for their support towards this endeavour and congratulated ICMR, health workers and all associated with this landmark initiative.

A Belgian court ruled Friday that coronavirus vaccine-maker AstraZeneca had committed a “serious breach” of its contract with the European Union amid a major legal battle over delivery obligations that has tarnished the company’s image. The court ordered AstraZeneca to deliver a total of 80.2 million doses to the EU from the time the contract was agreed up until Sept. 27. The ruling said the company did not appear to have made a “best reasonable effort” to meet the delivery schedule because it had not used its U.K. production sites. But the Anglo-Swedish company claimed victory, saying that this was far fewer than the 120 million doses that the EU’s executive branch, the European Commission, was seeking in total by the end of June. It also welcomed the court’s acknowledgement that it was under unprecedented pressure. Also read: AstraZeneca: Govt's desperate efforts yet to yield any good news AstraZeneca was seen as a key pillar of the EU’s vaccine rollout. Its contract with the Commission foresaw an initial 300 million doses being distributed, with an option for another 100 million, but the speed of deliveries was far slower than the company originally thought. “We are pleased with the Court’s order,” Executive Vice-President Jeffrey Pott said in a statement. “AstraZeneca has fully complied with its agreement with the European Commission and we will continue to focus on the urgent task of supplying an effective vaccine.” The Commission, for its part, also claimed a victory in that the judge had ordered the company to respect a delivery schedule of 15 million doses by July 26, 20 million doses by August 23 and 15 million doses by Sept. 27. It ordered a fine of 10 euros ($12) per dose not delivered. Also read: EU takes on AstraZeneca in court over vaccine deliveries “This decision confirms the position of the Commission: AstraZeneca did not live up to the commitments it made in the contract. It is good to see that an independent judge confirms this,” Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said. “This shows that our European vaccination campaign not only delivers for our citizens day by day. It also demonstrates that it was founded on a sound legal basis,” she said in a statement. AstraZeneca’s image has been hurt by the slow pace of its vaccine production, but despite EU dissatisfaction with the speed of deliveries the Commission still recommends the company’s shots as effective protection against the coronavirus.

The leaders of Japan, the United States, Australia and India agreed Friday to work to expand COVID-19 vaccine production for developing countries amid China's growing influence, while pursuing collaboration toward a rules-based maritime order in disputed waters.

India tested its COVID-19 vaccine delivery system with a nationwide trial on Saturday, as it prepares to roll out an inoculation program to stem the coronavirus pandemic.