Mass vaccination campaign underway

The day-long countrywide mass vaccination campaign is underway as the special drive to inoculate one crore people began at 8am on Saturday morning.

All eligible people are thronging designated vaccination centres and booths to receive Covid-19 jabs...we are monitoring the nationwide mass vaccination campaign to make it successful to fight the disease,” said Director General of Directorate General of Health Service (DGHS) Prof Dr Abul Bashar Mohammad Khurshid Alam. 

The government has set a target to complete first dose of coronavirus vaccine today, he said adding, “We have adequate quantity of vaccines and urge all eligible people to receive vaccines to protect themselves from the deadly disease.”

While visiting different vaccination centres in the capital, people have been seen queuing from early hours of today to receive the Covid-19 jabs.   

There is a huge number of people, who are still out of vaccination coverage, the DGHS chief said this campaign will make considerable contribution to bring the people under vaccination coverage.

“All eligible people will be given vaccines as soon as possible...for this we are launching such drive to bring 70 percent people under vaccination coverage,” he added.  

“Since mid-February, we have geared up significantly the Covid-19 vaccination programme and we will scale up our efforts to reach the target at the quickest possible time,” Alam added.

Dr Ayesha Akhter, a physician of TB hospital at Shyamoli said, “People started gathering at our hospital from early hours and a large number of people are queuing to receive vaccines and we will continue vaccination services throughout the day.”                

“We will go door to door at grassroots level to fulfill the target of the mass vaccination campaign that began this morning across the country…we have taken all necessary preparations to make the mass vaccine campaign a success,” Alam said. 

The vaccination campaign began at 8am this morning and it will continue throughout the day, the health service chief said.

 He attributed the controlling of third wave of Covid-19 that hit Bangladesh mid-January this year to expansion of vaccination coverage including booster dose.

“We have laid emphasis on vaccination coverage as it (vaccine) has reduced both fatalities and rising of positivity rate of Covid-19... more than 80 percent deaths linked to coronavirus are unvaccinated people,” Alam added.

The government has set a target to complete first dose of coronavirus vaccine today, he said adding, “We have adequate quantity of vaccines and urge all eligible people to receive vaccines to protect themselves from the deadly disease.”

 “People will be allowed to receive Covid-19 vaccines without registration or any documents from any centre,”  Dr Shamsul Haque, member secretary of the National Covid-19 Vaccine Management Taskforce, said. 

“We will complete administering the first dose of vaccination today, Shamsul said, adding all respective hospitals and vaccination centres have been directed to immunize coronavirus vaccine without any registration.

“The main objective of today's mass vaccination campaign is to bring all vulnerable groups of people under vaccination coverage...meaning a significant progress of administering first dose of COVID-19 inoculation will be ensured,” he added.      

“A total of 30,000 vaccination booths have been set up across the country alongside mobile inoculation centres from city corporations to union levels,” he said, adding 1,45,000 health workers have been engaged at these vaccination booths and inoculation centres.        

Anyone will be able to get Covid-19 vaccine only by giving mobile number, he said, adding that "The people, who will receive the first dose of coronavirus vaccine, will be given a card... this card is given as a document for receiving second or booster dose."

After a good progress on first dose of Covid-19 vaccination coverage, Shamsul said, “We will focus on second and booster dose to scale up vaccination programme across the country.”

Three vaccination centres have been set up at each union across the country while five mobile vaccination centres will inoculate the people at each upazila and 20 mobile centres will extend their services at each district, the health service official said.

 As many as 30 mobile vaccination centres have been set up at each zone of two city corporations of Dhaka while 40 vaccination centres have been set up at Narayanganj city corporations, Shamsul added.

A total of 60 mobile vaccination centres will immunize at each zone of Barishal, Sylhet, Cumilla and Mymensingh while 25 mobile vaccination centres will extend their inoculation services at Khulna, Rajshahi, Chattagram and Rangpur.

A total of 19,50,81,035 doses of Covid-19 vaccines including booster dose were administered till February 25, 2022 across the country.