The health ministry on Sunday informed the parliamentary standing committee on the ministry that it ordered the Directorate General of Drug Administration to take necessary steps to prevent fake COVID-19 vaccines.

The ministry informed the matter to the parliamentary body at its eighth meeting held at Jatiya Sangsad Bhavan, a member of the committee told New Age.

Earlier, huge corruption and irregularities were detected in procurement of life saving equipment’s for health service providers engaged in providing treatments to COVID-19 patents.

Law enforcement agencies have also uncovered incidents of forgery in COVID-19 tests besides

the supply of substandard and fake N-95 masks and PPEs.

Besides, a parliament secretariat press release said that the parliamentary body asked the ministry to take necessary steps to motivate people to take COVID-19 vaccine.

Earlier on Saturday, health secretary Abdul Mannan said that Bangladesh would start COVID-19 vaccination with inoculation of a nurse at Kurmitola General Hospital on January 27.

He said that the prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, would virtually inaugurate the vaccination.

A total of 25 healthcare providers would be vaccinated at the hospital on the first day, he said, adding that some 400-500 healthcare providers would be vaccinated primarily and would be observed for a week before starting nationwide vaccination programme.

Earlier, on Thursday, Bangladesh received 20 lakh doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine as gift from India.