Bangladesh expects to receive first COVID vaccines by February

DHAKA, Dec 1 (Reuters) - Bangladesh expects to receive its
first batch of coronavirus vaccines by February which people
will receive free of charge, the health secretary said on
Tuesday.

The South Asian country of more than 160 million last month
signed a deal with the Serum Institute of India to buy 30
million doses of the vaccine developed by British drugmaker
AstraZeneca.

"We expect to get the vaccine as early as February and
people will get it for free," health secretary Abdul Mannan told
reporters.

Frontline workers like health service providers and police
will be given priority.

In the global race to develop vaccines against COVID-19,
AstraZeneca's candidate is viewed as offering one of the best
hopes for many developing countries because of its cheaper price
and ability to be transported at normal fridge temperatures.

Some experts, however, raised questions around its trial
data.

Bangladesh will also get 68 million doses of vaccine from
the GAVI vaccine alliance, Mannan said, referring to a global
health partnership set up in 2000 to increase access to
immunisation in poor countries.

Experts say Bangladesh, with patchy healthcare facilities,
could face another surge in infections, having so far confirmed
467,225 cases and 6,675 deaths since the pandemic began.

Daily infections have shown a rising trend over the past few
weeks, with 2,293 new cases and 31 deaths reported on Tuesday.
(Reporting by Ruma Paul; editing by Nick Macfie)