Anwara Begum, 84, gets her vaccine shot amid a mix of nervousness and determination

Anwara Begum, a nervous but resolute woman of 84 years, arrived with her son Rahat at Dhaka Medical College Hospital on Monday to receive her vaccine jab.

Soon after their arrival, a hospital doctor grabbed her registration card and walked to the entry desk to complete the formality, while four other female volunteers took her to the vaccination booth.

Rahat said his mother was never infected with the coronavirus. “She is quite well for her age,” Rahat told bdnews24.com, adding that he received a confirmation by SMS a day after the registration.

Anwara said she was initially feeling a bit nervous but the fear has disappeared now. After receiving her first shot, she waited in an observation room for 30 minutes. Later, Rahat took his mother to her Purana Paltan home.

“She’s now at home. She is doing well,” Rahat said.

Stories of initial nervousness followed by determination to get vaccine shots abound as Bangladesh’s mass inoculation entered the second day after 31,160 people were inoculated on the first day.

Monday’s vaccine programme started at 9 am and by 10 am, about 100 people received their jabs at DMCH, said Alauddin Al Azad, deputy director of the government hospital. People can sign up for vaccination at the hospital, in addition to prior online registrations. On Sunday, 270 people were vaccinated at DMCH.

Tasmina Parveen, a doctor working at a vaccination booth, said a greater number of people may get vaccinated on the second day.  

Health Minister Zahid Maleque launched the drive virtually at the Mohakhali health centre at 10 am on Sunday.

From Monday onwards, except for weekly holidays, vaccines will be administered every day from 8 am to 2:30 pm at the vaccination centres.

Vaccine shots are being given in 1,015 hospitals and health centres across the country, including 50 in Dhaka.

A team of 204 health workers in Dhaka and 2,196 outside Dhaka are engaged in vaccination work.

A total of 7,344 teams of health workers and volunteers have been formed to continuously vaccinate people against the coronavirus.

Bangladesh is using the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine which has been manufactured by the Serum Institute of India. Each person will be given two doses of the vaccine.

The government has purchased 30 million doses of the vaccine from the Serum Institute of India. It has already received a total of seven million doses of the vaccine, including two million free doses from the Indian government.

According to the national COVID vaccine distribution and preparation plan, the government will inoculate 80 percent of the country's population, or around 138.24 million people.

The doses will be administered in five stages under three phases. Priorities will be given to health workers and others on the frontline of the fight against the virus.