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Bangladesh begins Covid booster dose campaign


By BSS
Published : 19 Dec 2021 10:08 PM | Updated : 20 Dec 2021 02:58 PM

Bangladesh on Sunday launched the Covid-19 booster  shot campaign with Pfizer vaccine to scale up its efforts for containing the  spread of the lethal virus.

Health and Family Welfare Minister Zahid Maleque formally inaugurated the  campaign at a function at Bangladesh College of Physicians and Surgeons (BCPS) in Dhaka, an official release said. 

Health Minister Zahid Maleque, Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen, Law Minister Anisul Huq, Fisheries Minister SM Rezaul Karim, Director General of Directorate General Health Service Prof ABM Khurshid Alam, National Professor  Shaila Khatun, a journalist, a police personnel, and chief of Anjuman Mofidul  Islam received booster jabs Sunday.

The campaign for Covid-19 booster doses started with vaccinating Runu  Veronica Costa, a senior nurse of Kurmitola General Hospital, who received  the first shot of the Covid-19 vaccine in late January this year. 

At the function, the health minister said, "Pfizer vaccine will be given  as a booster dose....the people, who received any jabs earlier, can get  Pfizer vaccine as a booster shot."

Elderly people aged 60 and above, people with comorbidity as well as  frontliners will be given the booster dose on priority basis, he added. 

Bangladesh has been lauded globally for successful continuation of the  coronavirus vaccine drive, Maleque said adding.

Like the nationwide COVID-19 mass vaccination campaign, Bangladesh started  booster dose drive compared to the many countries of the world, he added. 

The health minister said Bangladesh yesterday recorded less than one  percent positivity rate, which was described as a success for the country.

Updating process in the 'Surokkha app' for booster dose is underway, he  said adding, "Right now fully vaccinated people will receive booster dose  showing their vaccination cards." 

"The country has 4.63 crore vaccines and nine crore vaccines will arrive at  the beginning of the next year meaning we will not face any scarcity of  vaccines. Bangladesh set a target to vaccinate 70 percent people by April next year," the health minister said. 

With first and second dose of coronavirus vaccines, nearly 11 crore people of Bangladesh have so far been inoculated, he added.

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