No token, no vaccine

There have been allegations relating to vaccination through special tokens in different parts of the country on the first day of the mass vaccination programme. Many people who had registered for vaccination on the website had to return without being vaccinated.

A number of people have expressed their displeasure, mentioning it as an irregularity while some have said it helped bring about discipline.

People have complained that ordinary people did not get vaccinated without tokens from local councillors. Angered by this, they said the people's representatives have given tokens to the people of their constituency on a priority basis.

As per government instructions, people aged 25 years and above and women were asked to be vaccinated on a priority basis by showing their national identity cards.

CHATTOGRAM

A visit to CDA School and College Vaccination Centre in Chandgaon area of Chattogram at 8.30am on Saturday revealed hundreds of men and women waiting in two rows to get vaccinated. But at around 8.30am a group of "councillor's men" came and evicted the men, women and elderly who had been standing in line for a long time.

Former bank official Kamal Uddin Talukder had been waiting for the vaccine from 5am.

He told The Business Standard (TBS), "I registered for the vaccine in February but did not receive any message. So, today I came first with the NID card. But the councillor's men said tokens must be brought. I do not know about any such directive from the government."

Housemaid Nurjahan Begum said, "I wanted to get vaccinated before going to work in the morning. I brought my NID card with me as per the instructions I heard on TV. But I was kicked out of the centre because I did not have a token."

Chandgaon Ward-4 Councillor Esrarul Haque told TBS, "There is no point in making queues here. Only those who have tokens will be allowed to come. Those who contacted me after registration have got tokens."

However, Chattogram Civil Surgeon Sheikh Fazle Rabbi said there was no instruction from the health department about such tokens.

A long queue of people seeking vaccination was seen at Hamzarbagh Government Primary School in Ward-7 around 10am. Everyone had a special token. Candidates without tokens were being asked to leave through announcements on a hand mike.

Media worker Akmal Hossain said, "Sons, daughters, family members, relatives and innumerable activists of a woman public representative have taken the vaccines. But people standing in a queue since 4am returned home without getting vaccinated. There is no point in harassing people like this."

The Chattogram Civil Surgeon told TBS at 10am on Saturday, "I have given the responsibility to the people's representatives considering the convenience of the locals. There is no instruction from the health department about tokens. It is very sad and inhumane if ordinary people do not get vaccinated."

BRAHMANBARIA

Harashpur Government Primary School, the only centre of Harashpur union in Bijaynagar upazila of Brahmanbaria, was allotted 600 doses of vaccines. But in this centre, more than a hundred people have been vaccinated through tokens given by union parishad councillors. Most of them are their relatives.

More than 50 people have been vaccinated with tokens given by Harashpur Union Ward-1 councillor Md Mahfuz Mia, Ward-9 councillor Md Ashraf and Ward-7 councillor Md Kawsar Ahmed.

In some centres, the allotted vaccines ran out by noon. As a result, many who had registered for the vaccine had to return without the vaccine.

"Around 14,000 have registered here. But only 600 people will be vaccinated. That is why tokens have been arranged for systematic vaccination. This has been done to maintain discipline," said Ward-9 councillor Md Ashraf.

Brahmanbaria Civil Surgeon Mohammad Ekram Ullah said 600 people can get vaccinated through three booths in a union. That is why the local administration, the police and the chairman and union councillors will manage the programme together. If the token system makes it easier, they can do it.

BOGURA

Vaccine recipients had to collect such tokens from the chairmen of each union and municipal councillors in Bogura. The Bogura Civil Surgeon's Office has also admitted that the vaccination has been going on without registration.

Kazli Begum, 48, came to the Islamic Mission Girls' High School in Ward-6 of Bogura Municipality to get vaccinated.

"Tokens have been given from the councillor's office. It did not take long after coming to the centre. There was no problem after vaccination. I had not registered before," she said.

Shawkat Ali, chairman of Chaluabari union in Bogura's Sariakandi upazila, said, "Before noon, I gave tokens to more than 300 people who had NIDs. They are being vaccinated after submitting these two papers. However, some who got registered on the website were also vaccinated."

Bogura Civil Surgeon Md Gausul Azim Chowdhury said, "The vaccine programme on Saturday was carried out in this way as the server was down. However, photocopies of the NIDs are being taken. Their data are being collected on computers at each centre. We will send these to Dhaka. Then the system will register them. There was no other way."

LAXMIPUR

In Ward-1 of Char Larench union of Kamolnagar upazila in Laxmipur, after one hour of vaccination, orders were issued not to provide vaccines to anyone without any token. Health workers there advised those without tokens to get vaccinated the next day.

Union parishad chairman Ahsan Ullah Hiron said the union council had given extra serial tokens to those registered on the instructions of the Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) so that there would be no chaos on the first day. But he could not clarify on what basis the token was given.

UNO Kamruzzaman said 200 people are supposed to be vaccinated at each centre on the first day. There were instructions to give an extra token in addition to the registration card so as not to cause chaos. However, there were instructions to provide tokens to older men and women but if any union council makes an exception, it will be investigated in the future.

CUMILLA

Abul Bashar Rana, a resident of Cumilla's Chauddagram Kashinagar union parishad, said the vaccination campaign at the Kashinagar centre had been completed ahead of schedule. However, at least 2,000 people returned home without being vaccinated.

Md Jabed from Doulkhal union parishad in Cumilla's Nangalkot upazila said the chairman and councillors tried to get their people to enter the vaccination centre, which caused chaos. When people got agitated, the centre remained closed for a while. Later it was launched again.

A health worker was attacked at the Perul Centre in Laxmipur union parishad in Barura of Cumilla. People assaulted him as the centre had run out of vaccines before the scheduled time.

However, Barura Upazila Health and Family Welfare Officer Nishat Sultana said she was not aware of the incident.

Cumilla Civil Surgeon Mir Mubarak Hossain said, "It is really difficult to stop influential people who cause some 'isolated' incidents all over the country. I am looking into the matter."

Deputy Commissioner Kamrul Hasan said the management of the vaccination programme in Cumilla is very nice. Nowhere has there been an attack or the influence of influential people. This is all human propaganda, he said.