Nationwide vaccination drive enters second day

The second day of Bangladesh’s mass vaccination drive is underway after 31,160 people were inoculated on Sunday.

The programme started at 9 am and by 10 am, about 100 people received their jabs, said Alauddin Al Azad, deputy director of Dhaka Medical College 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.

IT'S LIKE A VOTING FESTIVAL: CEC

Chief Election Commissioner KM Nurul Huda has received his vaccine jab at the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University around 11:30 am on Monday.

"The campaign is running like a voting festival. In fact, it's a festival. I would like to request all my voters to take the vaccine jab in their respective areas as early as possible. It's an effective way to get protected from the COVID-19," Huda said.

"I faced no problems. I was under observation for half an hour. I will ask everyone to take the vaccine without any hesitation."

A total of 40 people, including Election Commissioner Kabita Khanam and EC secretary Md Humayun Kabir Khandaker, received their vaccine jabs at that time.

State Minister for Shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury also received his dose at the same inoculation centre at BSMMU.