More people emboldened by buzz around vaccine to battle coronavirus in Bangladesh

The second day of Bangladesh’s mass vaccination campaign saw more people drawn towards inoculation process.

Senior Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 8 Feb 2021, 05:13 PM
Updated : 8 Feb 2021, 07:22 PM

The elderly, who arrived at the centres with their relatives, said they were feeling safer from the deadly coronavirus after taking the vaccine shots.

The immunisation drive ran from 8am on Monday until 2:30pm.

According to the Medical Information System or MIS of the Directorate General of Health Services, as many as 46,509 people were immunised on the second day of the nationwide programme. It means a total of 77,669 have been vaccinated in the first two days of the campaign.

On Monday, side effects were identified among 92 individuals after 21 people showed mild symptoms of these reactions a day earlier.

The MIS showed a total of 512,005 registered for vaccination until 6:30pm on Monday.

A total of 7,178 people were inoculated in Dhaka, according to information drawn from 47 hospitals of the capital. Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical Hospital or BSMMU topped the list by immunising 898 individuals.

As many as 204 teams comprising health workers and volunteers are administering the doses in Dhaka while 2,196 groups were carrying out the task in centres outside Dhaka.

The DGHS said each team can vaccinate 150 people every day. Taking this into account, as many as 300,000 people can be inoculated per day.

Eight booths were set up for vaccination at the BSMMU. Separate booths were installed for females.

Professor Muhammad Rafiqul Alam, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Administration) of BSMMU, told bdnews24.com, “We are getting a lot of response today. Everybody is taking vaccines in a disciplined manner. People’s fear and uneasiness has disappeared after prominent individuals and diabetes patients took the vaccine.

A man is vaccinated at Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College and Hospital in Dhaka on the second day of the government’s mass vaccination drive on Monday, Feb 8, 2021. Photo: Asif Mahmud Ove

“We are prepared to inoculate 1,200 people, 120 persons in each of the eight booths. There is a separate booth for registration. The volunteers are maintaining discipline. We've arranged resting facilities for people after they take the vaccine.”

Dr AHM Towhidul Anwar Chowdhury, a winner of the Swadhinata Padak honour, was inoculated on Monday morning at this centre.

The 84-year-old professor told bdnews24.com, “Age is of no concern in taking the vaccine. Everybody should choose to take the vaccine without thinking about age or side effects.

“It is proven that the vaccine provides protection. We don’t know for how many days or how long (protection remains). But it will give protection, that is a certainty. Those who are elderly and vulnerable should all get the vaccine.”

Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra artist Rafiqul Alam and his wife singer Abida Sultana also took the vaccine. Rafiqul thanked the prime minister after being immunised and said, “The government is carrying out the vaccination campaign under expert management.”

“I've received many vaccines since my childhood. It was a painful experience then - (injection site) would get infected and wounded. But I felt nothing of that sort after taking the vaccine today. It takes just three to eight seconds. I see no reason for fear.”

A health worker at Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College and Hospital in Dhaka is preparing to administer COVID-19 vaccine doses on the second day of the mass vaccination campaign on Monday, Feb 8, 2021. Photo: Asif Mahmud Ove

Abida added: “I’m feeling relieved after getting the jab today. As if a huge burden has been lifted. There is no cause for worries. I didn’t even feel any pain.”

Dhaka Medical College Hospital or DMCH also saw the presence of more people on Monday in comparison to the previous day.

Alauddin Al-Azad, deputy director of DMCH, said nearly 100 people took the vaccines within the first hour on Monday.

Supervising one of the booths in the hospital, Dr Tasmina Parveen said, “More people have arrived to be immunised than they did yesterday .”

As many as 270 citizens were inoculated at Dhaka Medical College Hospital on Sunday.

According to Deputy Director Alauddin, the hospital is inoculating those who appear with vaccine cards and is not asking for SMS confirmation.

In Mohakhali’s National Institute of Diseases of the Chest and Hospital, as many as 78 people were inoculated until 12pm.

Abul Hossain, a retired public servant from Aftabnagar, was resting after being administered the vaccine around 11:30am.

“This is a simple matter. I'm already sick. But I can still take the vaccine. So I did. It'll be very difficult (to survive) if I get infected with coronavirus at this age,” he said.

Parveen Sarker Geeta arrived at the centre with his daughter Sharmila Roy from Badda.

Sharmila told bdnews24.com, “She (Parveen) will remain healthy if she takes the vaccine while others will stay safe (from her) as well. That is why I brought her.”

Parveen said she was having no trouble after taking the vaccine.

“I felt the same way I feel after taking an injection. There was nothing unnatural.”