OP-ED: A Covax deal is best for Bangladesh

Despite the tricky politics involved
I expect that foreign minister AK Abdul Momen feels frustration at the response by the British government to his plea for help in dealing with the pandemic in Bangladesh.

Mr Momen appeared on the main ITV news bulletin in the UK last month, explaining that the situation in Bangladesh is a “crisis,” adding “we are desperate.”

He said: “I’m not asking for too much, I’m only asking for 1.6m AstraZeneca doses that they (the UK) have. They should immediately disperse those to Bangladesh so these people can have their second dose.”

However, the reply that was relayed back though the media was not encouraging. Britain does not plan to dispense vaccines to Bangladesh, or any other country, for the moment.