Enamur Rahman, the state minister for disaster management and relief, has tested positive for the coronavirus.
Published : 21 Mar 2021, 11:45 PM
Enamur gave samples for the test on Saturday and the result came back positive on Sunday, said Md Selim Hossain, a spokesman for the ministry.
An MP from Savar, Enamur received his first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in Dhaka’s Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital on the first day of the mass immunisation drive on Feb 7, 2021.
Earlier, Disaster Management and Relief Secretary Md Mohsin was diagnosed with coronavirus infection 12 days after receiving his first dose of the vaccine.
Md Shafiqul Islam, commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, was hospitalised with the disease a month after receiving his first shot.
ABM Khurshid Alam, the director general of health services, also received his first vaccine dose along with the senior officials of the directorate on the opening day of the mass immunisation drive on Feb 7, but he and some others recently tested positive for the respiratory illness.
Mahmud Us Samad Chowdhury, an Awami League lawmaker from Sylhet, died from the COVID-19 illness on Mar 11, a month after taking his first dose.
The authorities emphasise wearing masks, maintaining physical distancing and following other health rules even after getting fully vaccinated to avoid the risk of coronavirus infection amid the pandemic.
Moreover, the first dose of a vaccine does not give full protection while it takes time to develop necessary antibodies against the virus, SARS-CoV-2, after vaccination.
Bangladesh is using the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine produced by the Serum Institute of India in the immunisation drive. More than 4.8 million people took their first shots of the vaccine until Sunday. The second doses will be given eight weeks after the first doses.