Bangladesh to buy per dose Covishield vaccine for $6.25

Bangladesh is now going to buy a dose of Covishield vaccine for $6.25, up 25% from the cost estimated earlier, according to a health ministry document sent to the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs.

Covishield has been developed by the University of Oxford in collaboration with AstraZeneca and the Serum Institute of India (SII).

Earlier, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare had estimated to buy a dose of the vaccine for $4, and after adding delivery costs, supply it to the general public for $5 per dose.

Officials of the health ministry said they do not know the actual price of a Covishield coronavirus vaccine because of other potential expenses involved.

However, the price of per dose Covishield vaccine is likely to be lower than other vaccines, the officials added.

Health Minister Zahid Maleque told Business Insider: "We hope that the country will receive Covid-19 vaccines by the next month."

He also said the price per dose of the vaccine has yet to be fixed.

"We have given serious thought to the plan that the people of Bangladesh should get Covid-19 vaccines for free," the minister said, adding: "We are now working on receiving the Covid-19 vaccine once it is available in the international market."

As per the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between the health ministry and SII, the value of each dose Covishield was estimated to be $5. But now, with other expenses, it will reach $6.25 for a single dose, according to the health ministry’s proposal to the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, which was approved last Wednesday.

Using Covishield, the government would be able to vaccinate 15 million people as two shots of the vaccine are needed for one person, the proposal reads.

The total cost of about 30 million doses of this coronavirus vaccine would amount to Tk1,589.46 crore for Bangladesh.

Previously on November 10, the finance division allocated Tk735 crore (around $87 million) to purchase the vaccine.

Covishield is undergoing phase-2 of clinical trials in India. CEO of SII Adar Poonawalla said earlier last month that the trials in India will complete by December 2020.

According to various media reports, Covishield’s double dose is the cheapest coronavirus vaccine that could be available — costing about €2.5 or ($3) per dose and requiring just a normal fridge for storage.

In contrast, Moderna's vaccine must be preserved at -20 degrees Celsius, while Pfizer's one must be stored at -70 degree Celsius.