Monitoring committees to be formed before Covid-19 vaccination begins  

Before the commencement of the Covid-19 vaccination programme, monitoring committees will be formed at the national, district and upazila levels to prepare a list of priority recipients for the shot.   

An emergency meeting, at the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) on Thursday afternoon, on the preparation and implementation plan of the National Covid-19 vaccination programme took the decision, said the PMO sources.

The Department of Health presented a PowerPoint presentation on the plan for the use of coronavirus vaccine at the meeting.

Dr Ahmad Kaikaus, principal secretary of the prime minister, presided over the meeting.

It was informed at the meeting that Bangladesh will purchase 30 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines developed by Oxford-AstraZeneca following the agreement among Serum Institute of India, the government of Bangladesh and Beximco Pharmaceuticals Ltd.

This vaccine can be stored at 2 to 8 degrees centigrade, and the temperature exists in Bangladesh. The second dose of the vaccine will be applied 28 days after the first dose.

Considering the availability of the vaccines, the groups at high risk of Covid-19 infection (primarily the health workers involved in the Covid-19 epidemic prevention, frontline workers, senior citizens, adults affected with chronic diseases, transport workers, among others) will get priority.

Quoting the prime minister, Health and Family Welfare Minister Zahid Maleque, also the chief guest at the meeting, said  all the people of Bangladesh would be vaccinated in phases.  

Nazmul Hassan Papon, managing director of Beximco Pharmaceuticals Ltd, mentioned that Bangladesh is one of the 17 countries in the world which are getting coronavirus vaccines on priority basis.

Zuena Aziz, chief coordinator for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Md Tofazzel Hossain Mia, secretary to the PMO, among others, were present at the meeting.