Pfizer Vaccine for the Bangladeshi Workers coming to Saudia and Kuwait
Bangladeshi workers traveling to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait will be vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine to prevent coronavirus. However, according to Arab News, the Ministry of Overseas Employment of Bangladesh announced this on Friday in the context of the latest travel restrictions for workers coming to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.
Allowed Vaccines for Kuwait and Saudia
- The Gulf countries have issued instructions that the passengers visiting KSA or any other Arab countries must be vaccinated against Pfizer, Aster Azenica, Moderna, or Johnson & Johnson to enter these countries.
- However, It did not include the Synoform vaccine imported from China, on which Bangladesh currently relies.
- Until April, Bangladesh used the Indian-made Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine, but the neighboring country has stopped supplying the vaccine to Bangladesh.
Latest Vaccine Status in Bangladesh
Every week 12,000 Bangladeshi workers go to Saudi Arabia. In Saudi Arabia, they have to pay for a 14-day stay in Quarantine. However, after the Pfizer vaccine, they will no longer need to go under Quarantine.
Also, according to the schedule, the departure for Kuwait will start next month. Bangladesh’s Minister for Migrant Welfare and Overseas Employment, Imran Ahmed, while talking to Arab News, said that the Bangla deshi authorities have already given the first dose of Pfizer vaccine to the Bangladeshi workers.
They will be exempt from mandatory Quarantine upon arrival in the country.
2nd Dose of Covid 19 Vaccine
Imran Ahmed said that the government had started the registration of workers for vaccination. The registered people will get the second dose of the vaccine under the supervision of Saudi officials in the kingdom.
Bangladesh has received 100,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine under the World Health Organization’s ‘Kovex’ program for equitable distribution of vaccines to developing countries.
Dr. ASM Alamgir, Principal Scientific Officer, Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research, told Arab News that the workers going to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait would get Pfizer vaccine at seven government-run health facilities in the capital Dhaka.
Bangladesh expects to receive 2.5 million doses of the modern vaccine from the United States. More than 2 million Bangladeshi workers are working in Saudi Arabia and about 3.5 million in Kuwait. Tipu Sultan, president of the Recruiting Agencies Unity Forum, praised the government’s move on vaccines.
