Bangladesh will get Covid-19 vaccine developed by India on priority: Foreign Secy Shringla

Bangladesh will be a priority recipient for the Covid-19 vaccine developed in India according to foreign secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla.

"For us, Bangladesh is always a priority country," Shringla who is on a two-day visit here quoted by local media as telling reporters here on Wednesday on being asked about the vaccines.

Dhaka today said it is ready to hold trials of the potential Covid-19 vaccines being developed by India.

The proposal was made during a meeting between Shringla and his Bangladesh counterpart Masud Bin Momen at Hotel Sonargaon here.

"We offered that we can extend our assistance, if needed, especially in terms of a vaccine trial, we are ready," Bangladesh's Daily Star quoted Momen as saying.

Momen said that the Indian side positively responded, saying that they are developing vaccines not only for themselves but also for others and that Bangladesh will get priority.

Momen also said that Bangladesh has a good number of pharmaceutical compes with the capacity of vaccine production.

"We sought their cooperation in creating collaboration to that end," he said.

Clinical trials of two COVID-19 vaccines developed in India are underway.

The Phase-2 human clinical trials of two COVID-19 vaccines developed indigenously by Bharat Biotech in collaboration with ICMR and Zydus Cadila Ltd are currently underway in India.

Shringla met Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday during which they discussed ways to co-operate on containing the coronavirus pandemic, including on therapeutics and vaccine, sources said.

Shringla is on his two-day visit to Bangladesh. He reached Dhaka on Tuesday in his first foreign visit since the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak.

( With inputs from ANI )