WB approves to loan $500m for vaccination in Bangladesh

PBC News: The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors has approved $500 million in financing from the International Development Association to help Bangladesh vaccinate 54 million people against COVID-19.

The additional financing to the COVID-19 Emergency Response and Pandemic Preparedness Project will help Bangladesh procure safe and effective vaccines, expand vaccine storage facilities, and distribute vaccines to about 31 percent of its population, the World Bank said in a statement on Friday.

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The funds came in support of the government’s prioritised plan of covering 40 percent of the population in the first phase of vaccination.

“Bangladesh has taken quick action to combat COVID-19 by rolling out a national vaccination program. To achieve the objectives of the program, fast and equitable access to vaccines will be important,” said Mercy Tembon, World Bank’s country director for Bangladesh. “This financing will help Bangladesh strengthen its national systems to ensure the prompt delivery of vaccines to one-third of its population.”

The project will continue to provide support to strengthen the national health systems to detect, prevent, and treat COVID-19 cases, as well as prepare for future health emergencies. Further, it will provide training to personnel for a successful vaccination program and strengthen the capacity of the Directorate General of Drug Administration for testing vaccines in the country.

The financing will cover the cost of deployment of the vaccines acquired through the COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access Facility (COVAX) for about 20 percent of the population.

For the remaining 11 percent of the population, the financing will cover direct purchases of vaccines from manufacturers or through COVAX, and the costs related to administering the vaccination. In parallel, the government is purchasing vaccines using its own resources that will cover another 9 percent of the population.