Bangladesh to cut wait time for COVID boosters to 4 months

The government plans to reduce the gap between the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and the booster shot to four months. Currently, vaccine seekers face a six-month wait after the second jab to get boosted.

The registration process for the booster doses will remain unchanged and a confirmation SMS will be sent to applicants, Health Minister Zahid Maleque said on Wednesday.

However, a person will be able to get the booster shot even if they do not receive the text message, the minister said.

Maleque also revealed the government's plans to administer 32.5 million vaccine doses in a special two-week campaign starting Mar 17 to commemorate the birth anniversary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

"We will undertake a special immunisation drive from Mar 17 to 31. Under the initiative, we will roll out 32.5 million doses, out of which, 20 million will be administered as the second dose. The remaining vaccines will be administered as the first and booster doses.”

More than 120 million Bangladeshis have taken at least one shot of the COVID vaccine so far, while the number of second dose recipients is 94 million, according to Maleque. Almost 5 million people have taken the booster dose.

As educational institutions in Bangladesh have resumed classes in full swing, the minister was asked about the vaccination plans for primary school students. "We have made all necessary preparations for it. We are waiting for the World Health Organization's guidance on the matter."