Khandaker Zannatun Nahar Jerry
The Bangladesh government has approved the import and emergency use of the Russian-made coronavirus vaccine ‘Sputnik-V’ amid concerns over vaccination activities in the Oxford-Astrageneca vaccine supply crisis from India’s Seram Institute.

Major General Mahbubur Rahman, Director General of the Department of Drug Administration, said this on Tuesday.

He told reporters that an application was made to the Department of Drug Administration on April 24 for approval to use the vaccine. It was approved at Tuesday’s meeting.”We have approved the emergency use of this vaccine today. Now it is not a barrier to import and use in Bangladesh.”

On January 8, the Department of Drug Administration approved the import and emergency use of the Oxford-Astrageneca vaccine produced at the Serum Institute of India. Sputnik-V is the second vaccine against coronavirus, which has been approved for use in humans in Bangladesh.

Earlier, the government had allowed the import of 1,000 doses of Sputnik-V vaccine for use by citizens of Russia, Belarus and Ukraine working at the Ruppur nuclear power plant in Pabna. But it was not for the citizens of Bangladesh.