Inequality between the rich and the poor has widened during the coronavirus pandemic, speakers said at a webinar yesterday.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson received his first dose of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine on Friday and urged the public to do the same, saying "he did not feel a thing."

The EU’s drug watchdog said today it is still convinced the benefits of AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine outweigh the risks following an investigation into reports of blood disorders that prompted more than a dozen nations to suspend its use.

The Palestinian Authority today received its first batch of vaccines from the global COVAX sharing initiative, in a boost to inoculations in the occupied West Bank and Gaza lagging far behind Israel's campaign.

Bangladesh is not planning to suspend its rollout of the AstraZeneca vaccine, despite a number of countries doing so, said Md Abdul Mannan, secretary of the Health Services Division, today.

Prof Abul Bashar Mohammad Khurshid Alam, director general of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), today said there has been no directive on lockdown from the government.

Amid fears of a fresh wave of Covid-19, the government has vowed to take a tougher position to fight transmissions.

The European Union will urge the United States to permit the export of millions of doses of AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine as it scrambles to bridge supply shortfalls, the Financial Times reported.

Afghanistan began its first Covid-19 vaccinations on Tuesday, administering doses initially to security force members, health workers and journalists, in a campaign that may face challenges from a sharp rise in violence.

Twenty one people have died from Covid-19 in the country during last 24 hours, according to a press release issued by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) today.

The government today issued some directives, including asking people to offer Eid prayers at their nearest mosques instead of a Eidgah or open spaces while maintaining recommended health guidelines, amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Bangladesh Railway (BR) will use trains to carry cattle and other sacrificial animals to different regions ahead of Eid-ul Ahza to facilitate cattle traders.

Another police personnel, who earlier tested positive for coronavirus, dies at a hospital in Dhaka.

Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal proposed to allocate Tk 10,000 crore to fulfil the emergency requirements to combat the Covid-19 pandemic.

The High Court again denies bail to suspended Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Prisons Bazlur Rashid in connection with a corruption case. The case was filed over amassing Tk 3.08 crore beyond known source of income.

Police shut down Bangabazar market and two fashion outlets in Dhaka for flouting health safety directives to prevent the transmission of coronavirus.

103 readymade garment factories are reopened on a limited scale in Narayanganj, one of the hotspots of the coronavirus outbreak.

The government extends the ongoing suspension on all types of public transport till May 5 to check spread of Covid-19 in the country.

Biman Bangladesh Airlines will operate a special flight from New Delhi on Friday to bring back Bangladeshi nationals who have been stranded in India for around a month due to the coronavirus pandemic.

India appears set to extend the ongoing 21-day nationwide lockdown by two more weeks in a bid to contain the spread of novel coronavirus that has so far claimed 239 lives and affected nearly 7,447 people in the country.