Dhaka, Sep 19 (IANS) Bangladesh has received another 5 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine developed by China's pharmaceutical Sinopharm Group.

A Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight carrying the Chinese vaccine doses landed at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on Saturday, Health Ministry spokesman Maidul Islam Prodhan told reporters.

Abu Zaher, chief health coordinator at Bangladesh's Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, received the consignment at the airport, reports Xinhua news agency.

On September 11, 5.4 million doses of the Sinopharm vaccine arrived in Dhaka.

Bangladesh began the Covid-19 vaccination drive in January to contain the pandemic that has spread across the country.

The Bangladeshi government subsequently halted administering the first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine after India banned vaccine exports.

In June, the vaccination drive resumed in parts of the country with the Sinopharm vaccine.

Bangladesh has so far received around 25 million Sinopharm vaccine doses.

--IANS ksk/