Bangladesh approves Russian vaccine Sputnik V for emergency use
File photo of Russia's Sputnik V vaccine
The Bangladeshi government has approved the import and use of Russia`s Sputnik V vaccine against COVID-19.
Major General Mahbubur Rahman, Director General of the country`s Drug Administration, made the announcement on Tuesday, the Xinhua news agency reported.
The decision came days after Dhaka suspended the first dosing of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine on a supply crunch.
"We`ve given permission for the emergency use of the Russian Covid-19 vaccine," Rahman told journalists.
Amid uncertainty over timely arrival of the next Covid-19 vaccine shipment from India, the Bangladeshi government halted administering first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine across the country from Monday.
Nearly 6 million people have so far received the first dose of the vaccine in Bangladesh.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on January 28 virtually inaugurated the country`s Covid-19 vaccination drive.
The Bangladeshi government on Monday announced that it decided to extend the ongoing lockdown which began on April 14 for another week.
Bangladesh recorded 112 deaths from Covid-19 on April 19, its highest daily toll from the pandemic, the government said.
On Tuesday, the country`s Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) reported 3,031 new cases of Covid-19 and 78 new deaths, bringing the number of total cases to 751,659 and the total death toll to 11,228.