Health Minister
80pc people to be vaccinated by March: Zahid Maleque
Health Minister Zahid Maleque on Wednesday informed the Parliament that 80 per cent of the country’s people will get Covid-19 jabs by March next year.
“We’ll be able to vaccinate 80 per cent of people within the first quarter of the next year,” he said, explaining how Bangladesh would collect the Covid-19 vaccines from several sources by this time.
The minister was speaking on a cut motion on his ministry in Parliament as the opposition Jatiya Party, BNP and Ganoforum MPs harshly criticised the health ministry for its failure to ensure vaccines for mass people.
He said some 25 lakh Covid-19 vaccines of Moderna will arrive within July 2 to July 3.
Vaccines purchased from China will also start coming by that time. Bangladesh has inked an agreement with Chinese Sinopharm to get 1.50 crore vaccine, said Zahid.
Bangladesh will get 6.30 crore vaccines within December under the Covax facilities… the country will have a total stock of 10 crore vaccine doses by December through which it will be able to inoculate five crore people, he said.
READ: University students to be vaccinated for reopening dorms: UGC
Besides, Bangladesh will get 7 crore doses from Johnson & Johnson in the first quarter of the next year and it will be able to inoculate seven crore people with this, he added.
BNP MPs Harunur Rashid, Rumeen Farhana and Mosharrof Hossain, Jatiya Party MPs Mujibul Haque, Pir Fazlur Rahman, Rustum Ali Faraji, Shameem Haider Patwary, among others, joined the discussion on cut motion during the passage of the national budget for 2021-22 fiscal.
They also came down heavily on the minister for allegations of widespread corruption, irregularities and mismanagement in the health sector.
The health minister, however, rejected these allegations and asked the lawmakers.
“You’ll have to say specifically where corruption took place. The wholesale allegation of corruption in the health sector is not acceptabe,” he said.
Zahid said that none could go abroad to receive the medical treatment amid the Covid-19 restrictions and they are taking services in Bangladeshi hospitals. “You are taking services since the hospital can render the services. You remain well,” he said.
READ: South Korea mulls dropping masks for vaccinated
The minister claimed that no corruption took place in procurement of masks. “The masks that MPs talked about were never purchased. No payment was made,” he said.
Medical College (Governing Bodies) (Repeal), Bill 2021 placed in parliament
The Medical College (Governing Bodies) (Repeal), Bill 2021 was placed in Parliament on Monday.Health and Family Welfare Minister Zahid Maleque placed the Bill and it was sent to the respective Standing Committee for further scrutiny.
Read: Medical Degrees (Repeal) Bill placed in JSThe Committee was asked to submit its report within seven days.
Medical Degrees (Repeal) Bill placed in JS
The Medical Degrees (Repeal) Bill, 2021 was placed in Parliament on Monday.
Health and Family Welfare Minister Zahid Maleque placed the Bill and it was sent to the respective Standing Committee for further examination.
Read:Medical College (Governing Bodies) (Repeal), Bill 2021 placed in parliament
The Committee was asked to submit its report within seven days.
The proposed law will abolish the Medical Degrees Act 1916 after its enactment as the law lost its necessity following the enactment of Bangladesh Medical and Dental Council (BMDC) Act 2010.
Read:Bill passed to ensure safe child daycare centres
The Medical Degrees Act 1916 actually used to determine everything regarding the medical degrees and their standards.
Read:BHBFC to have extended areas of services; Bill lands in JS
But all provisions of the act were incorporated in the BMDC Act 2010.
So, the Medical Degrees Act 1916 doesn’t have any necessity now.
No lockdown for health sector: Minister
There will be no lockdown for the health sector in Bangladesh as the number of Covid patients is increasing day by day, said Health Minister Zahid Maleque on Sunday.
Talking to reporters at the Secretariat, he also said there would be police, BGB and army members on the streets to monitor people and vehicles during the lockdown to be enforced to slow down the coronavirus transmission.
Also read: Export oriented factories to remain open amid ‘strict lockdown’
The minister hoped that people across the country would abide by the health guidelines by wearing masks, maintaining social distance and sanitizing hands.
Also read: Health minister hopes to get 11 crore vaccine doses by December
Already, 5,000 to 6,000 Covid patients have been admitted to hospitals across the country, the minister said, adding: "We’ve got a very large population. If we want to protect that population from infections, we must follow the health protocols."
Zahid Maleque said the country’s economy would suffer badly if the coronavirus is not effectively controlled.
Also read: Nationwide lockdown from Monday, 'all out lockdown’ from July 1
The government is set to enforce a nationwide partial lockdown from Monday and it will turn into a complete one from Thursday.
Health minister hopes to get 11 crore vaccine doses by December
Bangladesh hopes to procure 11 crore doses of Covid-19 vaccines from different sources by December enabling it to provide the jabs to over five crore people, Health Minister Zahid Maleque said on Saturday.
Speaking at Manikganj Maleque said that negotiations are at an advanced level to sign a vaccine agreement with Russia.
He also added that the country will also receive doses of the Moderna vaccine very soon.
Read: Bangladesh to get 2.5 mn doses of Moderna vaccine
The minister also stated that negotiations with the relevant stakeholders to manufacture vaccines in the country are going on in full swing.
Bangladesh to get 2.5 mn doses of Moderna vaccine
Bangladesh will soon get 2.5 million doses of Moderna Covid-19 vaccine under COVAX facility as the country’s desperate wait for vaccines from many sources is getting longer.
Health Minister Zahid Maleque and US Ambassador to Bangladesh Earl Miller have confirmed it.
COVAX, the global vaccine alliance, has already written to Bangladesh that the Moderna vaccine shots will be arriving here within seven to 10 days.
Also read: Bangladesh to get $ 940 mln ADB loans for procuring Covid vaccine
Ambassador Miller tweeted saying that Bangladesh will soon receive a gift of 2.5 million doses of Moderna Covid-19 vaccine from the American people via GAVI.
Pfizer, Sinopharm shots to start June 19: Health Minister
Bangladesh will start administering Sinopharm and Pfizer vaccine doses from June 19, Health Minister Zahid Maleque said on Monday.
“The vaccination drive will start with the number of vaccines available,” he said.
He also expressed worries over the deterioration of the pandemic situation in many places of the country.
Also read: Registered people will get Pfizer vaccine first, says health minister
“The situation is deteriorating in many places. People have to be aware. Hospital services will be disrupted if covid increases more as there is a shortage of hospital beds in some places,” he said.
“We have to emphasise more on prevention than cure,” he added.
A consignment of 600,000 doses of China’s Sinopharm jabs arrived here on Sunday, nine days after the arrival of the first batch of 500,000 doses gifted by Beijing.
Also read: Second consignment of Sinopharm vaccine arrives
Bangladesh has also received 100,620 doses of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine on June 1 .
The health minister earlier said that Pfizer vaccine shots will be given at four centres in Dhaka to those who have already registered.
Read Can I take COVID vaccines from two different brands?
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.
Bangladesh to get 106,000 doses of Pfizer vaccine on June 2: Health Ministry
Bangladesh will receive a minimum of 1,06,000 doses of Pfizer vaccine by June 2, Health Minister Zahid Maleque said Tuesday.
The doses will be sent to Bangladesh under the COVAX scheme which is co-led by Gavi, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO), said Maidul Islam, the public relation officer of the ministry.
Also read: Bangladesh seeks at least 2 mln doses of AstraZeneca vaccine from Canada
The Pfizer BioNTech vaccine has an efficacy of 95% against symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection.
However, preliminary laboratory studies of the mRNA vaccines by Pfizer and Moderna have shown decreased effectiveness against the double mutant variants discovered in India, WHO said in a note.
Read: Vaccine production in Bangladesh: Experts 'vehemently against private sector’s engagement'
Indian variant couldn't spread much: Health Minister
The highly contagious Indian variant of coronavirus did not spread much in Bangladesh, Health Minister Zahid Maleque said Monday.
“This (Indian) variant has been found in a small number of patients in Bangladesh. It could not spread much as the border with the neighbouring country was closed in time," he said.
Also Read: Administering of Chinese Covid-19 vaccine to begin on May
In a briefing at his ministry, he advised keeping the border shut until India's situation stabilises.
Meanwhile, Maleque said that administering of Chinese Covid-19 vaccine will begin on May 25 or 26.
“Vaccine will be given to those who need it the most,” he said while responding to a question from reporters.
Also Read: No crisis of oxygen in hospitals: Health Minister
‘Good news soon’
Minister Maleque said the second dose of Covid-19 vaccine will run out within seven to 10 days but the government is trying to get vaccines to continue the inoculation drive.
“We contacted the Indian High Commissioner, we talked to the UK authorities and the Prime Minister is also trying to get the vaccine doses,” he said.
Maleque said the government has taken some initiatives.
“We talked to the US, China, Russia and the UK and some progress has been made. Hopefully you will get a good news soon. As per contracts, we got only seven million doses out of 30 million. We’re also worried about the second dose of vaccine like you,” he added.