Bangladesh

Parliamentary committee recommends legal action against Serum Covid-19 Vaccine
National Cancer Institute/Unsplash Representational Image

Parliamentary committee recommends legal action against Serum

Bangladesh Live News | @banglalivenews | 10 May 2021, 12:53 pm

Dhaka, May 10: The parliamentary committee has asked to see whether legal action can be taken against the Serum Institute of India for failing to provide the required number of Oxford-AstraZeneca doses under the agreement. The recommendation was made by the committee after a meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs held at the Parliament House on Sunday (May 9th) discussed the issue of non-availability of vaccines from India as per the agreement.

After the meeting, committee chairman Muhammad Farooq Khan said, "Last February, the parliamentary committee said that arrangements should be made to bring in vaccines from more than one source. Why did you take it from one source? We asked. But now they are trying to get the vaccine from more than one source. They are also hoping to get it from India in July. They are trying to get it from America.

"We urge the government to take immediate steps to ensure that the vaccine that India owes to complete the second dose and the additional vaccine that the United States has can be brought. I told you to think about it."

Bangladesh started mass vaccination with the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine last February, but after two shipments, the Seram Institute of India, which manufactures the vaccine, could no longer provide it. As a result, the government has stopped giving the first dose of the new vaccine. The vaccine that is in stock now, the second dose will not be possible to give everyone. So far, Bangladesh has received 12 million doses of vaccines, including government-purchased vaccines from the Serum Institute and gifts sent from India.

Bangladesh signed an agreement in November last year to buy 30 million doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine from the Serum Institute. According to the agreement, Bangladesh was to get 50 million doses of vaccine every month and three crore doses of vaccine in six months.

Farooq Khan said, "We questioned why the covid vaccine is not being brought. Those who have been vaccinated with one dose should be given a second dose."

The ministry said the vaccine would arrive from India in July.

"There are some additional vaccines in the United States. They are also trying to bring in from there. Vaccines will also come from China and Russia and that will solve the problem."