Vaccination of school children will start within 20 days: Health minister

Health Minister Zahid Malek said the Covid-19 vaccine will be given to school-going students aged 12-17 in the next 20 days. 

In a meeting at Manikganj Municipal Building on Saturday afternoon, the minister further said they will be provided with the Pfizer vaccine. Other children, including primary school students, will be brought under vaccination in phases.

The government has reopened schools as Covid-19 infections have decreased in the country. That is why emphasis is being laid on vaccination to keep the school going students safe. The government now has one million Pfizer vaccines, and another five million doses will arrive in the country soon, he added.

So far, about 2.5 crore people in the country have been vaccinated. Of these, 1.5 crore people have received the two doses of vaccine. The government was trying to get 60 million vaccines from China, he said further..

50 lakh more doses of Sinopharm vaccine arrive

Another consignment of five million doses of the Chinese Sinopharm vaccine has arrived in Dhaka from China. An aircraft of Bangladesh Biman, carrying the jabs, landed at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at around 2am on Saturday.

Chief Health Coordinator Dr Abu Zaher received the consignment at the airport.

Earlier, on 11 September, 54 lakh doses of the Sinopharm vaccine arrived in Dhaka from China.

Bangladesh has so far procured three crore doses of the Sinopharm vaccine, and those are arriving in the country in phases every month.

The government will procure an additional six crore doses of Sinopharm vaccines from China under the Direct Procurement Method (DPM) – as per the price mentioned in the agreement – to bolster the government's efforts to vaccinate the citizens.

Last week, Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen said the country will get 24 crore doses of Covid-19 vaccines by March-April of next year. These comprise purchased vaccines and the ones received under Covax.