Bangladesh has begun administering coronavirus vaccines to sex workers from the country's largest brothel, a vast warren of shacks home to around 1,900 prostitutes.

Leader of the opposition in the parliament Raushan Ershad has received coronavirus vaccine at Jatiya Sangsad Medical center this afternoon.

Five people have died from Covid-19 in 24 hours (till 8am today), according to a press release issued by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today renewed her call to Bangladeshis to strictly maintain health safety guidelines, even after receiving the Covid-19 vaccine.

The first big real-world study of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine to be independently reviewed shows the shot is highly effective at preventing Covid-19, in a potentially landmark moment for countries desperate to end lockdowns and reopen economies.

The World Health Organization (WHO) Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has praised Bangladesh for its success in handling the Covid-19 pandemic, saying the country is a unique example of containing the virus.

Ghana has become the first country in the world to receive vaccines acquired through the United Nations-backed COVAX initiative with a delivery of 600,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine made by the Serum Institute of India.

Five people have died from Covid-19 in 24 hours (till 8 am today), according to a press release issued by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).

Sheikh Rehana, daughter of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and younger sister of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, received the first dose of Covid-19 vaccine today.

Thailand received on Wednesday its first 200,000 doses of Sinovac Biotech’s CoronaVac, the country’s first batch of coronavirus vaccines, with inoculations set to begin in a few days.

Eighteen people have died from Covid-19 in 24 hours (till 8am today), according to a press release issued by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).

The government is planning to start administering the second dose of Covid-19 vaccine from April 7, Health Minister Zahid Maleque said today.

The World Health Organization has agreed a no-fault compensation plan for claims of serious side effects in people in 92 poorer countries due to get Covid-19 vaccines via the COVAX sharing scheme, resolving a big concern among recipient governments.

An emotional President Joe Biden called the milestone of more than 500,000 US deaths from Covid-19 "heartbreaking" on Monday and urged the country to unite against the pandemic.

Scotland’s vaccination drive appears to be markedly reducing the risk of hospitalisation for Covid-19, suggesting that both the Pfizer-BioNtech and Oxford-AstraZeneca shots are highly effective in preventing severe infections, preliminary study findings showed.

The second consignment of Covid-19 vaccine from India – 20 lakh doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine – has reached Dhaka.

Thailand Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given emergency use authorisation for the CovidD-19 vaccine of Sinovac Biotech, paving the way for the country’s first coronavirus inoculations.

GlaxoSmithKline and Sanofi on Monday said they had started a new clinical trial of their protein-based Covid-19 vaccine candidate, reviving their efforts against the pandemic after a setback in December delayed the shot’s launch.

According to the latest update by Our World In Data, Bangladesh has administered at least 2.08 million doses. As per the number of people who received at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccine, as of February 20, Bangladesh holds 11th position in the global vaccination race -- ahead of Spain, Poland and Canada.

Alarmed by signs that a second wave of the coronavirus epidemic is building, India’s richest state of Maharashtra ordered fresh restrictions on people’s movement and imposed night curfews in some cities, though not in the financial capital Mumbai.