Faced with limited resources in research against infectious diseases like Covid-19, Bangladesh has decided to join Seoul-based International Vaccine Institute to build the capacity to produce vaccines locally.

The head of the World Health Organisation said on Thursday that investigations into the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic in China were being hampered by the lack of raw data on the first days of spread there and urged it to be more transparent.

Bangladesh is to start giving coronavirus vaccinations to some of the Rohingya refugees who fled across the border from Myanmar, officials said Thursday.

Eighty-one dengue patients have been hospitalised in the country in 24 hours till 8 am today.

Indonesia is now fighting a "worst-case scenario" epidemic, a senior minister said on Thursday, adding the government was preparing for a further spike in coronavirus cases as the more virulent Delta variant spreads.

Malaysia's health ministry on Thursday said the country will stop administering the COVID-19 vaccine produced by China's Sinovac (SVA.O) once its supplies end, as it has a sufficient number of other vaccines for its programme.

Two hundred and twenty-six people have died from Covid-19 in 24 hours (till 8am today). The daily positivity rate during this period stood at 27.23 percent, according to a press release issued by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).

The Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development has requested the Health Ministry to prioritise Covid-19 vaccines for local government representatives.

Pfizer on Thursday said it was only in talks with the Thai government, after a Thai hospital group said it was signing a deal for 20 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines.

The health system will break down if Covid-19 transmission goes beyond control, Health Minister Zahid Maleque said today.

The variant’s spread, along with increased social mobility and the inconsistent use of proven public health measures, is driving an increase in both case numbers and deaths, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday.

Sixteen patients at the Covid units of three hospitals in Bogura died during 24 hours till 8am today.

Four people died of Covid-19 and 10 others with Covid-like symptoms in Barishal division in 24 hours till this morning.

The National Technical Advisory Committee has expressed deep concerns over the government lifting the nationwide lockdown from July 15 to July 22 despite the surge of deaths and Covid-19 infections in the country.

The government would purchase 1.5 crore doses of Sinopharm vaccine from China at a lower price than the one mentioned in the previous agreement.

Gonoshasthaya Kendra (GSK) has asked the government to buy 20 million doses of Russia’s Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine and said that the Gonoshasthaya Nagar Hospital has been appointed the vaccine manufacturer’s sole distributor in Bangladesh.

Several hundred expatriate migrant workers -- mostly from Saudi Arabia -- yesterday demonstrated for a few hours at the vaccination centre at Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital (SSMCH), demanding they be adminstered the Pfizer vaccine.

The government considers allowing garment factories to be open so that the biggest export-earning sector can continue production and keep their commitment with international buyers.

As the Delta variant continues to spread and the number of critical coronavirus patients keeps rising in hospitals, the country faces the bleak prospect of running out of Covid-dedicated beds, especially those in ICUs.

The cabinet division yesterday asked people to avoid all sorts of public gatherings, wear masks and follow the health rules to prevent the spread of Covid-19.