Bangladesh to begin second vaccinations on Apr 8

The government has enough doses of the coronavirus vaccine to begin administering the second shot to the citizens who received the initial injection, the cabinet secretary says.

After the regular cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday, Khandker Anwarul Islam cleared confusions surrounding the second dose amid uncertainties over getting the purchased shots from India.

“The prime minister has made it clear that we must start giving the second doses on Apr 8 as planned. Administering the first doses will be finished tomorrow (Apr 6). The second dose is confirmed from Apr 8. We have the vaccine,” he said.  

When asked if the government has enough doses at hand, the secretary said “the Health Services Division has told me that there won’t be a problem in giving the second doses considering the number of first doses administered.”

Bangladesh is using the Oxford University-AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine in the mass inoculation drive that began on Feb 7.

The authorities initially planned to give the second dose after four weeks but later extended the period to eight weeks following recommendations by experts.  

The cabinet also discussed steps to control the market during Ramadan.

The secretary said the stocks of essential commodities are sufficient. For edible oil, a rebate on oil import tax was proposed.

The National Board of Revenue said it will consider the proposal while the cabinet agreed the commerce ministry must ensure that the effects of the rebate reach the retail market.