DHAKA, May 26 (NNN-BSS) – Bangladesh began administering China-donated COVID-19 vaccines to its medical students yesterday.
About 1,000 medical students from the country’s four top medical colleges, namely Dhaka Medical College and Hospital, Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College, Sir Salimullah Medical College and Mugda Medical College, took their first shot of the COVID-19 vaccine, thanks to a second batch of China-donated COVID-19 vaccines.
The final-year students from the medical colleges, based in the national capital, Dhaka, received the Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine, following a ceremony held at the Dhaka Medical College and Hospital, yesterday, attended by Health Minister, Zahid Maleque, and other officials.
Bangladesh’s drug regulator, in late Apr, authorised the Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use in the country.
According to a statement by the Chinese Embassy in Dhaka last week, the Chinese donation was made after Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, had a phone conversation with Bangladeshi Foreign Minister, A.K. Abdul Momen, on the evening of May 21.
The Chinese embassy’s announcement of the donation came, nine days after the arrival of China’s first donation in Bangladesh.
The Chinese embassy expressed hope that the arrival of the second batch of vaccines will help the Bangladeshi government and people, build a strong line of defence against the COVID-19 pandemic.
Amid uncertainty over timely arrival of the next COVID-19 vaccine shipment from India, the Bangladeshi government halted administering the first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine across the country, on Apr 28.
Nearly six million people have received the first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine in Bangladesh.– NNN-BSS
