Mass vaccination: Day two also marred by mismanagements

People overwhelmed the vaccine centres, many of them returned home unjabbed after waiting in sardine-packed queues for hours, and there were protests at centres as the day's inoculation concluded just at noon – these are the snapshots of mismanagements on the second day of mass vaccination Sunday.  

The second day of the mass vaccination drive Sunday covered city corporations and areas that were out of the first day immunisation.

Like the first day of the inoculation drive, people complained about sufferings on the second day too – which was largely prompted by inadequate vaccine supply to the centres – as the mass gathering without any social distancing means the vaccination drive could turn into Covid superspreading event, said public health experts.

They said the concern was clearly no longer about the vaccination turnout, rather it was about vaccination management.

Photo: TBS

However, the health authorities were seemingly focused on the vaccination turnout as the health directorate Sunday said the six-day mass vaccination drive would cover more than 35 lakh people.    

"On the first day, 29 lakh people took the vaccine which is closer to the 35-lakh vaccination target in six days. We hope the number would eventually overtake the target," said Dr Shamsul Haque, member secretary of the Covid-19 Vaccine Management Taskforce.

According to the health directorate's plan, the third day of the vaccination drive on Monday will cover remote hilly areas and Char regions. On 10-12 August, Rohingyas aged 55 and above will receive the shots under the drive.   

"The shots will reach remote areas of Thanchi in Bandarban district by choppers on Monday," said Dr Shamsul Haque. Bangladesh is offering Moderna vaccine in urban areas and Chinese Sinopharm doses in rural regions.

'It is over for today': People return home unjabbed

Zahidur Rahman, a resident of Dhaka's Dilu Road area, went to his nearby vaccine centre Pravati High School on Saturday morning. But he could not get vaccinated even after waiting until noon.

On Sunday, Zahidur turned up at the centre in Dhaka North City Corporation at 5:30am at dawn though the vaccination would start at 9am. Around 12pm, Zahidur was told the vaccination for the day was over.

Photo: TBS

Like him, many citizens at the centre complained that they had to return home unjabbed at noon even after waiting since dawn.

At other centres in Dhaka, such complaints were very common. 

All the councillor's men

Citizens at several centres in Dhaka alleged vaccination volunteers and political party people had been deciding who would get the shot. 

At Pravati High School centre, Nirmal Das said his serial number was 55 nad he had been waiting since dawn in a long queue.

"Now they (centre authorities) have closed the gate and told people waiting in the queue that the vaccine stock for the day is finished. Since the morning, they had been immunising people who were endorsed by the local ward councillor," he told The Business Standard.

At the centre, Sharmin Begum could not get jabbed though she queued up on Saturday and Sunday.

"The local councillor and party people control everything here. The vaccination was announced completed for today as soon as 50 party people got immunised," she told TBS.

Protests

At Gausia Restaurant vaccination centre in Dhaka South (ward 18, Hatirpool), people who were waiting since Sunday morning became agitated as the authorities announced the day's vaccination over at 11:30am. 

People started protesting the conclusion, and police had to calm the agitating people.   There were similar reports on public protests across the country Sunday. 

Superspreading event?

Five unions in Noakhali were out of the mass vaccination drive Saturday as those hosted the regular Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) for children. Mass vaccination at the unions began Sunday, and people received Covid vaccine from 9am to 3pm.

All the union-level centres had election-day like long queues. Completely ignoring the social distancing, vaccine aspirants were found waiting in the sardine-packed lines.  

A woman, who came to take her first shot, said she came to the centre at 9am and was still waiting at 11am. She had at least 15 vaccine aspirants before her in the line and at least 30-35 after.

Sohel, a vaccine aspirant in Noakhali, said many people in the lines did not have their face covered with a face mask.

"This gathering is increasing the infection risks, instead of benefiting people," he commented.  

Rain gets in the way too

At unions and in Gazipur city corporation, the second day of the mass inoculation Sunday was marked by long queues and vaccine registration issues. Plus, rains disrupted the inoculation as the country is passing the last week of the monsoon.

Aminul Islam, chief executive officer of Gazipur City Corporation, said they are hopeful about inoculating more than 1 lakh people in the district in three days.  

'Come to the centres after getting the SMS' 

Health directorate spokesperson Prof Dr Md Nazmul Islam told a health bulletin Sunday that they had requested the citizens repeatedly to appear at the vaccination centres only after receiving the SMS to their mobile phones.

"Besides, people have to have their face covered at the centres and follow the virus safety measures," he added.

Prof Nazmul said law enforcers are working with the vaccinators at the centres, and he hoped the existing issues would go away if all cooperate.  

241 more deaths

Bangladesh reported 241 more deaths from Covid-19 in the past 24 hours until Sunday morning, taking the death tally to 22,652.

With the latest figures, the country reported 200 plus deaths for the 15th day in a row.

Meanwhile, the number of daily cases went up during the past 24 hours as 10,299 more people tested positive for the virus, which was 8,136 a day ago.  The case tally climbed to 13,53,695 so far.

However, the positivity rate further dropped to 24.52% in the preceding 24 hours, maintaining a downward trend for more than a week.