Online Report : A special aircraft of Bangladesh Air Force equipped with a total of 5 lakh doses of Sinopharm vaccine and AD syringes has arrived in Dhaka from China.

The aircraft of BAF carrying the consignment landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at around 5:30 am on Wednesday.

Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen is set to formally receive the vaccines and syringes at the State Guest house Padma around 11:30 am.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has listed the Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine for emergency use, giving the green light for this vaccine to be rolled out globally.

The Sinopharm vaccine is produced by Beijing Bio-Institute of Biological Products Co Ltd, subsidiary of China National Biotec Group (CNBG).

Earlier on on Monday, Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Li Jiming officially announced that 5 lakh doses of Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine will reach Bangladesh on May 12 as a “special gift”.

According to clinical statistics provided by Sinopharm and the evaluation of the WHO, the efficacy rate of the vaccine is estimated to reach 79%, all age groups included.

Ambassador Li said the vaccine is recommended for adults aged 18 and older, and WHO did not indicate any upper age limit for use as data suggests that the vaccine is likely to have a protective effect in elder persons.

The Foreign Minister has recently written a letter to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken seeking vaccine doses from the US for immediate and long-term needs.