Vaccines will reach Dhaka on January 20 by a special flight, Bangladesh’s Health officials said.

India will provide 20 lakh units of Serum Institute of India produced Covishield vaccines as a gift to Bangladesh on January 20.

As per Bangladeshi news outlet, The Daily Star, the move is in final stages of planning and certain preparations have started in this regard.

“India will send 20 lakh shots of Covishield as a gift to the Bangladesh government on January 20,” a senior official of Bangladesh’s Directorate General of Drug Administration (DGDA) was quoted by The Daily Star as saying.

A special flight from India carrying the vaccines would land at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on January 20, a letter from the Indian High Commission in Dhaka to the Bangladesh government had indicated.

Indian High Commissioner to Dhaka, Vikram K Doraiswami on January 16 had said that Bangladesh will get the vaccine from an Indian supplier ‘quickly and urgently’. He had assured that India accords highest priority to Bangladesh under India’s ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy.

It should be remembered that this will be followed by the start of commercial supplies. The first commercial shipment will reach the country by January 25. Last year in November, Beximco Pharmaceuticals, Bangladesh's biggest pharma company, Bangladesh government and Serum Institute of India had signed a tripartite agreement to buy 30 million doses of Covishield vaccines.

Prime Ministers of India and Bangladesh had on December 17 held a virtual summit in which Dhaka was assured of supply of Indian vaccines as and when they are produced.