There will be a return to normal life within a year, according to Pfizer CEO and Chairman Albert Bourla. To make that happen, it is likely annual Covid vaccination shots will be needed, he added. "Within a year I think we will be able to come back to normal life," Bourla said in an interview with ABC. READ: Dhaka to receive another 25 lakh Pfizer vaccine doses Monday "I do not think that this means that the variants will not continue coming, and I do not think that this means that we should be able to live our lives without having vaccinations. But that, again, remains to be seen," he added. Earlier, when asked for his estimate of a return to normal life, Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel told the Swiss newspaper Neue Zuercher Zeitung: "As of today, in a year, I assume." READ: Bangladesh to get 71 lakh Pfizer, 18 lakh Moderna jabs: Shahriar

The Chandpur Civil Surgeon's Office has temporarily suspended the Covid vaccination drive at District Sadar Hospital due to an acute shortage of jabs. There is a vaccine crisis in the entire district as the number of registrations is more than the available stock, the chief medical officers of various upazila health complexes told UNB. Read: Dhaka receives 56 lakh Sinopharm vaccine doses People from different parts of Chandpur Sadar who came to the vaccination centre of the state-run hospital Tuesday, returned disappointed after a long wait. Among them were 70-year-old Afia Khatun, who came from the Laxmipur area of Sadar, Hasina Begum, 45, of the Mahamaya area of Sadar upazila, and Biplob Saha of Puran Bazar and his wife. Besides, the stock of vaccines has run out in Kachua, Faridganj, Hajiganj, Matlab South and Matlab North. And so the registration for jabs has been suspended at the upazila health complexes in these areas. Dr Belayet Hossain of Haimchar Upazila Health Complex, said that their stock of vaccines is also running out. The situation is the same in Shahrashti. He told UNB that due to the shortage of jabs, vaccination has been halted in the entire district. "Of course, it is temporary," the doctor added. Read:EPI staff suspended for pushing Covid vaccine at home Civil Surgeon Dr M Sakhawatullah said there is more registration for vaccines than the available stock of the Covid jabs, "and hence the shortage". "Hopefully we'll receive more vaccine doses by Saturday. Then the inoculation of the first and second doses will start again."

Vaccinated people face lower risks of respiratory problem, hospitalisation and fatality, according to a recent  study of the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research. According to the study 11% of unvaccinated Covid patients suffered from breathing difficulties whereas the rate was 4% among the vaccinated ones. Read: Bangladesh receives around 8 lakh doses of AstraZeneca vaccine Besides, the hospital admission rate among those received double doses of Covid shots was only 7% while it was 23 % for the unvaccinated. IEDCR conducted the study on 1,334 people aged above 30 and tested positive between May and June.  Of them, 592 did not receive a single vaccine dose and 306 were fully vaccinated. Seventeen (3%) of the unvaccinated patients died while only one of the vaccinated ones (0.03%) died during this time. Read: 30 lakh doses of Sinopharm vaccine to reach Dhaka Thursday night, Friday Besides, 19(3%) of the unvaccinated group required ICU support while only 3(below 1 %) of the vaccinated ones needed it. The study found that most of the patients who had to be hospitalized even after vaccination had underlying health complications. Besides, presence of antibodies has been found among 98% of people who were vaccinated, according to a separate study of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University Hospital. Read: Bangladesh receives 30 lakh Sinopharm vaccine jabs The study suggested that antibodies have been found in people who got their vaccine after recovering from Covid-19. The study was conducted on 209 people between April-July this year.

The government is going to lower the minimum age limit for Covid vaccination to 18 from 30 years as per a directive of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in a bid to bring more people under the coverage of the mass vaccination programme.  “Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has given an instruction in this regard this (Friday) morning. We’ll implement it at the earliest possible time after discussions with the Health Minister,” said Abul Bashar Mohammad Khurshid Alam, director general of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). He made the remarks while talking to reporters after visiting Covid-dedicated Mugda General Hospital in the capital on Friday. The DGHS DG said the government is also thinking of expanding the vaccination programme to the village level. “The government is planning whether the corona vaccines can be given to rural people in the same way they receive other vaccines.” Read: Dhaka to receive 2.45 lakh AstraZeneca jabs from Tokyo Saturday “If this decision is implemented, then people will be able to get the vaccine doses by showing the national identity cards and the vaccination cards, and then there’ll be no need for registration,” he added. On July 18, the government decided to lower the age limit to 30 years from 35 for Covid vaccination. Over four percent of the country's population has so far been vaccinated since the government launched the mass vaccination programme on February 7 last by administering Covishield. On April 25, the government had to suspend the first dose of the vaccine campaign due to a shortage of jabs. However, the vaccination drive resumed this month with the arrival of Sinopharm, Moderna and Pfizer vaccines. Replying to a question, Prof Khurshid said the government has preparations to deal with the pressure of the growing number of Covid patients. Read: India working to resume vaccine export to Bangladesh, reiterates Doraiswami He said field hospitals can be set up in different districts to ensure the treatment of virus-infected people.   The DG said the outcome of the 14-day strict lockdown enforced by the government today (Friday) will be visible a few days later. He, however, said the virus infections have comparatively decreased now in the frontier areas. Prof Khurshid said they are taking steps for exporting oxygen from India as the country’s current oxygen demand is 200 tonnes per day.

Amid the deteriorating coronavirus situation, the government is going to resume the countrywide mass registration for receiving Covid-19 jabs from Thursday (July 8), said the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) on Tuesday. “The registration process will resume for all from Thursday morning,” Prof Dr Mizanur Rahman, Director (MIS) of the DGHS, told UNB.   “Currently, the registration is ongoing only in three categories on a priority basis. As the mass registration process resumes, all the categories will be available for registering through the Surokkha app as before,” he said.    Earlier, on June 30, Dr Shamsul Haque, member secretary of the Vaccine Deployment Committee, also made the same announcement at a virtual press briefing arranged by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). He said the Sinopharm jabs will be administered at 40 centers in Dhaka city and at all district hospitals from 8am to 3pm every day as in the past. Also read: Bangladesh’s Covid catastrophe worsens; 163 more lives lost Dr Haque said the vaccine will also be given at Bangladesh Institute of Tropical and Infectious Diseases (BITID) in Chattogram and Saidpur Sadar Hospital during the same period. He said those who got registered earlier but could not receive the vaccines will be given the Sinopharm jabs now while the medical and university students and those who are on the priority lists can get registered for the vaccine. “Everyone will get an SMS from a vaccination centre after the registration and all must receive the vaccine at that centre accordingly. “In this case, the vaccine card and NID card must be brought for receiving the vaccine.” Dr Haque said the Covid vaccination centers will remain out of the purview of the lockdown. “Those who have vaccine cards will be able to go to the relevant centre showing it.” He said the expatriate workers who stay in countries where the Sinopharm vaccine is accepted also can receive the vaccine at the centers both in Dhaka and outside. “But no one will get the vaccine without registration.” Also read: Chinese firms working with Bangladeshi partners for vaccine co-production Besides, Dr Haque said, the Pfizer vaccine will also be administered at seven centers--Dhaka Medical College and Hospital, Salimullah Medical College and Hospital, Mugda Medical College Hospital, Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College and Hospital, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, Kurmitola General Hospital, and Sheikh Russel National Gastroliver Institute and Hospital—in the capital. He said the outbound expatriate workers who are not allowed to return to their workplaces without getting Pfizer vaccine can only receive the vaccine at the seven centers as per the list from the Manpower Export Promotion Bureau. Dr Haque said those who are supposed to receive Sinopharm jabs from these centres will have to go to alternative centres.

Nearly 120 million vaccine doses will be available for the national Covid vaccination programme in June, the Union ministry of health and family welfare announced on Sunday even as both companies supplying the jabs are looking at ramping up their production capacity to 110-120 million doses from the existing 75-80 million. At least 60 million (60,960,000) doses of Covid-19 vaccines will be supplied to the states and Union territories for vaccination of the priority groups of health care workers (HCWs), frontline workers (FLWs), and people aged 45 years and above as free supply from the central government channel. Apart from that, close to 59 million (58,610,000) vaccine doses will be available for direct procurement by the states and private hospitals, reports the Hindustan Times. READ: India's COVID-19 tally crosses 28 million as daily cases fall “In June 2021, close to 120 million (119,570,000) doses will be available for the national Covid-19 vaccination programme… Vaccination is an integral pillar of the comprehensive strategy of the government of India for containment and management of the pandemic, along with test, track, treat and Covid-appropriate behaviour. As part of the nationwide vaccination drive, the government of India has been supporting the states and UTs by providing them Covid-19 vaccines free of cost,” the health ministry said in a statement. The ministry, however, did not share a state-wise break-up of the number of vaccine doses allotted for the month of June. According to reports, Serum Institute of India’s chief executive officer, Adar Poonawalla, informed Union home minister Amit Shah that the company would be ramping up vaccine production in June by around 90-100 million doses. SII locally produces the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine under the brand name Covishield. On April 16, the ministry of science and technology in a statement also announced that it would help double the production capacity of India’s first make-in-India Covid-19 vaccine, Covaxin, by May-June, 2021, from the existing 10 million doses per month. Bharat Biotech co-developed Covaxin with the Indian Council of Medical Research. The allocation of supplies through the government of India channel to the states and Union territories is decided based on the consumption pattern, population, and vaccine wastage. The supply details are shared in advance for 15/30 days, to ensure better planning and delivery of vaccines. “The supplies are being fast ramped up by the manufactures, so more vaccine doses will be available in weeks to come. The doses need to be effectively distributed also at the state level keeping the current supply scenario in mind. The priority has to be covering the country’s high-risk population -- health care, and frontline workers, and those above 45 years of age,” said a senior central government official, requesting anonymity. From May 1 this year, 50% of the available doses are being earmarked for the states as free of cost supply from the government of India channel, while the remaining 50% is available for direct procurement from manufacturers by the states and private hospitals under the Centre’s “Liberalized Pricing and Accelerated National Covid-19 Vaccination Strategy” . “Visibility for availability of vaccines for the entire month of June 2021 has been provided well in advance to States/UTs by Union Government as communicated to States and UTs vide letters of Union Health Ministry dated 17th May 2021, 27th May 2021 and 29th May 2021… States have been requested to direct the concerned officials to ensure rational and judicious utilization of allocated doses and minimize the vaccine wastage,” the health ministry statement said. The delivery schedule for the current lot of supplies will also be shared with the states in advance. In May, a total of 79 million (79,405,200) doses were available for the national Covid vaccination programme, of which 40 million (40,349,830) doses were made available by the Centre to the states free of cost. In addition, 39 million (39,055,370) doses were also available for direct procurement by the states as well as private hospitals. READ: India's COVID-19 tally rises to 27,369,093 Experts say vaccination needs to be scaled up. “All vaccines are effective in reducing severity of the disease, and death; therefore, it is important to vaccinate people as fast as possible, especially the country’s vulnerable population,” said Dr GC Khilnani, former head of the pulmonology and sleep medicine department at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi.

Coca-Cola in Bangladesh has committed Tk 5 crores to augment the nation’s effort in combating the crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The Coca-Cola system in Bangladesh will facilitate COVID vaccination, provide safety kits, create awareness and distribute beverages to our nation’s front line, to positively impact over 20 lakh people, said a media release on Thursday. In addition to its direct response, Coca-Cola Bangladesh’s bottling partners have arranged supporting community hospitals by providing 1 million bottles of Kinley (500ml) water and creating awareness by distributing COVID safety Kits across the country. Last year, when Corona virus hit the country, the beverage company committed TK 11.5 crore to support the government’s ongoing efforts against Covid-19. The commitment provisioned a month’s food ration to over 50,000 people from disadvantaged communities and provided supply of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for above 1000 health care professionals. The company also helped the healthcare system and communities through food package and distribution of beverages, to contain the spread of the pandemic. The relief programs aimed at positively impacting over 50 lakh lives across the country. To stand in support of the Covid-19 pandemic, The Coca-Cola Company has created a special “Stop the Spread” fund worldwide. This fund will be channelized towards facilitating vaccine distribution, COVID safety kits (PPE - masks, gloves, sanitizer) and creating awareness around vaccination and sanitary practices to contain the spread of pandemic.

The Dutch government said Friday it is temporarily halting AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccinations for people under 60 following reports of very small number of people suffering unusual blood clots after receiving the shot. The Dutch decision comes three days after authorities in Germany also stopped using the AstraZeneca’s vaccine in the under-60s, citing fresh concerns over unusual blood clots reported in a tiny number of those who received the shots. Earlier Friday, a Dutch organization that monitors vaccine side effects said it had received five reports of blood clots with low blood plate counts following vaccinations. All the cases occurred between seven and 10 days after the vaccinations and all the people affected were women aged between 25 and 65 years. The organization said in the period when the five cases were reported, some 400,000 people were vaccinated in the Netherlands with the AstraZeneca shot. Health Minister Hugo de Jonge says the temporary halt is a precautionary measure. “I think it is very important that the Dutch reports are also properly investigated,” De Jonge said. “We must err on the side of caution.” Also read: What we know about AstraZeneca blood clot reports The news is another setback for the AstraZeneca vaccine, which is critical to Europe’s immunization campaign and a linchpin in the global strategy to get shots to poorer countries, for it is cheaper and easier to use than rival vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna. It comes two weeks after the EU drug regulator said the vaccine does not increase the overall incidence of blood clots following a similar scare. The European Medicines Agency said at the time that the benefits of vaccination outweigh the risks, but it could not rule out a link between the shot and some unusual kinds of clots, and recommended adding a warning about possible rare side effects. Also read: German cities suspend AstraZeneca vaccine use for under-60s Most European Union countries, including Germany, resumed using the AstraZeneca vaccine on March 19. De Jonge said the Dutch pause comes ahead of an update next week from the EU medicines agency on the AstraZeneca vaccine.

Pfizer says its vaccine continues to be effective against COVID-19 up to six months later. Pfizer and its German partner, BioNTech, announced updated results Thursday from their ongoing late-stage study of more than 44,000 volunteers. Also read: Pfizer says its COVID-19 vaccine protects younger teens The companies said the vaccine was 91% effective against symptomatic disease and was even more protective in preventing severe disease. Of 927 confirmed COVID-19 cases detected through March 13, 77 were among people who received the vaccine and 850 were among people who got dummy shots. There were no serious safety concerns and the vaccine also appeared to work against a variant first detected in South Africa, the companies said. Also read: Pfizer studying effects of 3rd vaccine dose The U.K. and U.S. gave the emergency green light to roll out Pfizer’s vaccine late last year followed by many other countries. The vaccine is authorized for ages 16 and up. This week, the companies said the vaccine is safe and strongly protective in kids as young as 12, based on a study of 2,260 U.S. volunteers. Also read: Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine works well in big ‘real world’ test

With an alarming resurgence in Covid-19 infections , the global cases reached 126.6 million with 2.77 fatalities. The total case count reached 126, 651,176 while the death toll from the virus mounted to 2,777,020 as of Sunday, said the data compiled by Johns Hopkins University (JHU). The US has recorded 30,217,893 cases with 548,825 fatalities as of Sunday morning. Brazil, which is the world’s second worst-hit country has registered 12,490,362 cases while the death toll from the virus climbed to 310,550. Also read: Global Covid-19 cases top 126 million Brazil currently accounts for one-quarter of the entire world’s daily COVID-19 deaths, far more than any other single nation, and health experts are warning that the nation is on the verge of even greater calamity, reports AP. The nation’s seven-day average of 2,400 deaths stands to reach to 3,000 within weeks, six experts told the Associated Press. That’s nearly the worst level seen by the U.S., though Brazil has two-thirds its population. Spikes of daily deaths could soon hit 4,000; on Friday there were 3,650. India’s total tally reached 11,908,910 and the death toll from the virus stood 161,240 on Sunday. Situation in Bangladesh Thirty nine new Covid-19 deaths were recorded in Bangladesh in the last 24 hours until Saturday, the highest single-day death toll in the past 3 months. According to the latest figures provided by the country’s health authorities, 3,674 more people got infected during the period, pushing up the total caseload to 5, 91,860. The latest figures have pushed the Covid-19 fatalities to 8,869 according to the handout by Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). Also read: Global Covid-19 cases top 125 million The infection rate jumped to 14.90 percent on Saturday from 13.69 percent a day earlier. However the death rate stands at 1.5 percent, said the handout. So far, 533,922 patients (90.22 percent) have recovered, including 1,971 in the last 24 hours, according to DGHS. Bangladesh reported its first cases on March 8, 2020 and the first death on March 18 the same year. Health authorities have so far tested 4,566,694 samples, including 24,664 in the past 24 hours. Amid spike in infections, the government has taken a tougher stance to fight Covid-19 transmission. The Health Ministry sent letters to districts, directing the officials concerned to impose fines on people flouting Covid protocols. Also read: Global Covid-19 cases surpass 124 million The country launched a countrywide vaccination drive on Feb 7. As the daily infection rate keeps rising, the government extended the closure of school and colleges until May 23.