UK donates 1 million doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine to Bangladesh

Ansar Ahmed Ullah
Contributing Editor,Shottobani

London: This bilateral vaccine donation will expand Bangladesh’s COVID-19 vaccination campaign and strengthen Brit Bangla Bondhon between the UK and Bangladesh.

The UK bilaterally donated 1 million doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine to Bangladesh. The vaccine consignment arrived in Bangladesh in February 2022. This bilateral donation from the UK will reinforce Bangladesh’s fight against the coronavirus pandemic and the country’s economic recovery.

Prior to this, the UK donated over 4 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine to Bangladesh in December 2021 through COVAX facilities. While welcoming the second consignment of vaccines donation from the UK, the British High Commissioner HE Robert Chatterton Dickson said, “We welcome the arrival of 1 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine from the UK to Bangladesh. This bilateral donation adds to the 4 million doses that the UK donated through COVAX last year. This support from the UK takes us one step ahead to defeat the pandemic and further strengthens our commitment to stand with the people of Bangladesh to recover faster and build a healthier and prosperous future.”

Complementing the vaccine donations, the UK’s Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), through its delivery partners, created an enabling environment for the Government of Bangladesh to accelerate and expand the vaccination program and reduce the transmission of the infection, especially among the low-income people. This includes support for on-line vaccine registration for the disadvantaged, raising awareness, additional healthcare provider and technician support, training of health workers, including vaccinators, and transporting vaccines to the districts and schools across the country.