After receiving 20 lakh ‘Made In India’ Covishield vaccine doses from New Delhi as a gift, Dhaka will get another 3 crore jabs over the next six months under a commercial deal signed between Serum Institute of India and the Bangladesh based Beximco Pharmaceuticals. Bangladesh is set to start its inoculation programme within the next few days.   

 

The country’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is expected to inaugurate drive through a video-conference.

 

Hasina also said that another few doses that have been purchased by Bangladesh would reach the country by January 25-26. “We have taken all measures on this issue (vaccination drive),” she said in a video message as Vikram Doraiswami, Indian ambassador in Bangladesh, tweeted that India-Bangladesh “ties are of highest priority for both sides.”

 

As the first consignment of the SII-manufactured Covishield doses reached the south Asian country on Thursday, Bangladesh foreign minister AK Abdul Momen called it was “a historic day”. Momen added that Bangladesh is among the few countries that is now in a position to start the vaccination exercise. 

 

According to a report in the Daily Star, Momen also said that India which “fought a war against Pakistan, helping Bangladesh achieve its independence in 1971, and has now gifted 2 million vaccine doses during the difficult times stemmed from the coronavirus pandemic.” 

 

Last month Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Hasina held a bilateral video summit, giving a new dimension to India-Bangladesh relations. Modi, the architect of the Neighbours’ First policy, said that Bangladesh has been his focus from the time he took charge as Prime Minister in 2014. 

 

Modi is set to participate in the March 26 celebrations marking the country’s 50th independence day.

 

Already as many as 92 countries have already approached India for the vaccine.

 

Besides, Dhaka, New Delhi has already sent ‘Made in India’ vaccines to other neighbouring countries including Bhutan, Nepal and Maldives as well. Meanwhile, India along with South Africa sought a waiver from patent protections for Covid 19 vaccines so that are available for mass application.