Terming Covid vaccine preservation one of the main challenges, Health Minister Zahid Maleque on Sunday said that the country has a capacity to preserve eight crore doses of vaccine.
“Coronavirus has taken an alarming turn in the country. the number of new virus cases and deaths is increasing. Under the circumstances, the government is building field hospitals in five places in the capital including one at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University Hospital (BSMMU),” he said.
The minister informed this while visiting the progress works at the field hospital at Bangamata Fazilatunnesa Mujib convention centre of the BSMMU.
Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine need to stored at minus 90-60 Celsius in an ultra-cold freezer while thermal shipping container or ultra freezer van to be needed for transportation, he added.
“Around 21 crore doses of Covid-19 vaccines will arrive in the country in next one,” he said adding, ” The government is planning to bring freeze from abroad to preserve vaccine.”
Informing that some 20 lakh people have so far got vaccinated, the minister said about 21 crore doses of vaccines will arrive in next one year, including from China, Russia and Johnson & Johnson, and from AstraZeneca early next year to bring 80 percent of the country’s population under vaccination coverage.
Mentioning the rise in dengue cases, minister Zahid Maleque also said a number of hospitals are being prepared to provide treatment to the dengue patients. Those include Mitford Hospital, Lalkuthi Hospital in Mirpur, Govt Railway Hospital and Ahsanullah Hospital in Tongi.
