Govt to administer 1.5 crore vaccines in next 10-15 days: Health Minister
Earlier some 65 lakh people were inoculated with a special campaign at the clinics
With a target of administering another 1.5 crore doses of the Covid-19 vaccine in the next 10-15 days, the government is all set to launch two or three more campaigns to vaccinate rural area people at different community clinics across the country, Health Minister Zahid Maleque has said.
"We already launched vaccination services at community clinics, we will conduct two or three more campaigns in next 10-15 days to administer at least 1.5 more doses," he said while addressing a seminar by the Bangladesh Society of Medicine in the capital on Monday.
The government early this month inoculated some 65 lakh people in a special campaign at the clinics.
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In total, Bangladesh so far has jabbed around 9 crore doses of Covid-19 vaccine, the minister informed, noting that about 40% of the eligible population already received their first shots and 25% took got second doses.
The vaccines were administered with prior registration at designated centres, and spot registration through different campaigns in high-density areas, such as slums, divisional headquarters, and district towns.
The new move comes as the authorities realise that many of the people, particularly in rural areas, are still remain unaware of the vaccine against the Covid-19. Besides, the initiative will help those already taken their first doses get second shots at their doorsteps.
"Fewer people are now coming to get the vaccines. We aren't seeing the long queues that we used to see earlier. I urge all who have not received the vaccine yet to come for," the minister said, adding that the vaccination process was easy now.
On Covid situation at home and abroad, the minister said coronavirus is an uncertain disease.
Doctors should remain prepared to deal with any future outbreak further, the minister urged, adding that now the Covid situation was good but it might be worse in future.
Meanwhile, the health ministry is expected to get at least 20,000 new staffers including doctors, nurses, and technologists soon. They are expecting to gear up the vaccination.
More than 4,000 doctors and 8,000 nurses are in the process of recruitment, the minister said.
Comorbidities found in 51% of death cases
Physicians have found comorbidities – a medical condition in which a patient suffers from multiple diseases or complications often co-occurring with primary condition – in 51% of death cases over the last week ended on Sunday, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
In the 46th epidemiological week, the DGHS reported 31 casualties.
Over 56.3% of people, who died in the last epidemiological week with comorbidities, suffered from diabetes and 50% from high blood pressure, it said, adding that over 12.5% of the deceased were kidney patients while over 43% had chest and heart diseases.
The other comorbidities included thyroid diseases, stroke, liver diseases, neurological disorders, rheumatic diseases and blood disorders.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh reported two deaths from Covid-19 in the past 24 hours till 8am Monday. Besides, 264 more people tested positive for the virus during the same period.
The current positivity rate was reported at 1.42% after 18,614 samples had been tested across the country.
With the latest additions, the death toll reached 27,955 and the case tally increased to 15,74,352 in the country. The deaths were reported from Dhaka and Chattogram divisions.
