Covid-19 infections declining - government plans to open schools

Health Minister Zahid Maleque has said that since the number of deaths and infections in Covid is decreasing in the country at present and most of the students at the school have been vaccinated, there will be no problem with reopening schools.

While exchanging views with doctors, political leaders and activists in Manikganj on Saturday afternoon, the minister said the education ministry would decide on opening educational institutions.

He also urged the students of schools and colleges, who have not yet been vaccinated, to get vaccinated as soon as possible.

Earlier in the day, attending a function in Dhaka at noon, Education Minister Dr Dipu Moni told reporters that the government hoped that the ongoing holidays of the educational institutions would not be extended. 

The minister also said that she would decide in this regard in a day or two after meeting the expert technical committee.

In the last 24 hours, the single-day casualties from Covid-19 declined to 20 and daily cases dropped to 5,023 indicating an improvement in the country's Covid situation. 

Vaccination of shop owners-staff started in the capital

Covid-19 vaccination programme for shop owners and staff started in the capital on Saturday. The vaccination programme will be carried out in phases by dividing the capital into 10 zones.

On the first day of the programme, over 3,500 people in the Uttara zone were vaccinated with the first dose of Sinovac. Vaccines were given to individuals over 18 through immediate registration with a National Identity Card or Birth Registration Certificate.

Director-General of Health Dr Mirzadi Sebrina Flora, director of Extended Immunization Programme Dr Md Shamsul Haque, Member of Parliament for Dhaka-18 constituency Mohammad Habib Hasan and president of Bangladesh Shop Owners Association were present on the inaugural day of the vaccination programme organized at the Friends Club ground in Uttara.

Dr Shamsul said the government had an adequate stock of vaccines. The government is trying to bring 70% of the population under the double dose of the vaccine by June.

Shop owners in Mirpur, Gausia or New Market will be vaccinated on Thursday. There are 85,000 shop owners in the country to be vaccinated.

In collaboration with the Coca-Cola Foundation and the Bangladesh Shop Owners Association, 100 vaccinators and 200 skilled volunteers trained by the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society are working to implement this month-long immunization programme.

Omicron variant was detected in 92% samples in Dhaka city: icddr,b

Between 15 to 28 January 2022, icddr,b Virology Laboratory has sequenced 24 Covid-19 positive samples collected from Dhaka city. The Omicron was detected in 22 (92%) samples, and the remaining two were Delta (8%), icddr,b data on its website showed on Friday.

Icddr'b researchers said the complete replacement of Delta by the Omicron took place during the last week of January 2022. 

To date, Bangladesh has reported 28,791 Covid-19 deaths and 19,04,826 cases since March 2020.