The European Union (EU) should be more generous in sharing Covid-19 vaccines with others who need them badly, Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen said Thursday. Although the EU talks much about human rights, it cares little about it when it comes to vaccine sharing, he said. "We expect the EU to be more generous," the minister told reporters while referring to the fact that European countries are letting thousands of Covid-19 vaccine doses expire. Read: Bangladesh to receive 60 lakh more Pfizer vaccine doses in Aug: Minister However, Dr Momen said Bangladesh will soon receive more vaccine doses from the US. The country will receive 10 lakh doses of Pfizer vaccine on August 30. Also, the foreign minister said he will leave Dhaka on August 28 to attend a series of programmes in Geneva, Switzerland, the Netherlands and hold important meetings in London during his stopover there. Read: US regulators give full approval to Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine On the Afghanistan issue, Dr Momen said Bangladesh is keeping close tabs on the situation and the Bangladesh Embassy in Uzbekistan is in touch with Bangladeshis who are willing to return. Talking about his recent South Sudan and South Africa visit, the minister said it was very useful and successful.

President Joe Biden says the United States is buying and donating hundreds of millions of doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine to help save lives, not to get favors or potential concessions from the nearly 100 low-income countries that will be receiving the shots. He’s also calling on other countries to follow the American lead, saying “it is in all of our interests to see the global economy recover.” Also read: Celebrations (and questions) greet US vaccine donation plan Biden is outlining U.S. global vaccine-sharing plans in St. Ives, England, after a meeting with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Biden, Johnson and other leaders of the world’s largest economies are meeting for a summit that begins Friday in Cornwall, England. Also read: AP source: US to buy 500M Pfizer vaccines to share globally Biden says the U.S. will buy 500 million doses, with 200 million to be delivered this year and the remainder in the first half of 2022.

The US Administration has unveiled its strategy for global vaccine sharing through COVAX, keeping Bangladesh and India on the list. The Biden-Harris Administration on Thursday announced an allocation plan for the first 25 million doses to be shared globally. Approximately 7 million doses will be shared in Asia covering countries and entities, including Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, the Maldives, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, Laos, Papua New Guinea, Taiwan, and the Pacific Islands, according to White House. As they continue to fight the Covid-19 pandemic at home and work to end the pandemic worldwide, US President Joe Biden has promised that the United States will be an arsenal of vaccines for the world. Also read: COVAX Facility: Japan to provide 30mn vaccine doses to other countries To do that, the administration will pursue several additional measures beyond their robust funding for COVAX: Donating from the US vaccine supply to the world and encouraging other nations to do the same, working with US manufacturers to increase vaccine production for the rest of the world, and help more countries expand their own capacity to produce vaccines, including through support for global supply chains. This vaccine strategy is a vital component of our overall global strategy to lead the world in the fight to defeat Covid-19, including emergency public health assistance and aid to stop the spread and building global public health capacity and readiness to beat not just this pandemic, but the next one. The administration announced its framework for sharing at least 80 million US vaccine doses globally by the end of June and the plan for the first 25 million doses.  The United States will share vaccines in service of ending the pandemic globally. Also read: Vaccine maker Serum seeks indemnity protection in India The administration announced its framework for sharing these 80 million US vaccine doses worldwide.