Bangladesh expands vaccine doses to citizens, aged at least 40

The people who are at least 40 years old will be able to sign up for the COVID vaccination from Monday as Bangladesh expanded its inoculation efforts.

Initially, citizens, aged 55 or above, and frontline workers or the citizens of the special classes were able to sign up for vaccination using a government website (surokkha.gov.bd).

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina issued an instruction to relax the age restriction for vaccine registration in a meeting of the Cabinet Division on Monday.

“The prime minister has given several instructions regarding vaccination; they will come into effect today,” Cabinet Secretary Khandker Anwarul Islam said on Monday.

“The registration will gradually open up to the younger citizens.”

Hasina inaugurated the vaccination campaign at Kurmitola General Hospital on Jan 27, with the registration process launched the same day.

Initially, registration was open to a total of 19 classes, among which one was for the citizens aged 55 years or above. The rest were frontline workers from different occupations or special classes.

Government employees of health and family planning directorates, employees of approved private health and family planning organisations, employees and officials directly involved in government and private health care, freedom fighters, frontline law-enforcement members, military and paramilitary defence forces, employees of government entities essential in running the state were among the first groups

Journalists, elected public representatives, employees of city corporations and municipalities, religious representatives, individuals engaged in burial activities were also among them.

The cabinet secretary said those who failed to register online would be able to sign up by visiting the vaccination centres with their national ID cards.