2cr people to get Covid jabs every month: DGHS

The government has taken up a plan to inoculate around two crore people every month against the Covid-19, said Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) Director-General Dr ABM Khurshid Alam.

Providing information about the government's inoculation plan using a live feed from DGHS' verified Facebook page on Sunday, Dr Alam said, "Under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, we have been able to procure an adequate number of vaccine doses.

"Health Minister Zahid Maleque has been guiding us too. We now have enough doses at hand, and we received assurance that more will arrive in the coming days. On this basis, we have plans to inoculate two crore people – including one crore in campaigns – every month."

He added that the DGHS is making a serious effort to boost vaccinations at the grassroots level to achieve its inoculation target. "We will provide Covid-19 jabs at the union level two days a week alongside the regular vaccination campaign," he added.

Dr Alam continued, "Bangladesh has already reopened schools and colleges. So, we had to withdraw our vaccination activities from school and college premises. We now plan to use health complexes, and any large hall-rooms available in the upazilas for this purpose.

"Alongside the union parishads, we will provide Covid-19 jabs in union health and family welfare centres, and sub-centres as part of the drive."

Providing more details, Dr Alam said, "Those seeking Covid shots will have to register at their nearby upazila health complex. They will later get an SMS informing them about the date and venue of inoculation.

"People with registration will have to visit their respective vaccination centres to get a jab. One day each week, registered and unregistered citizens over the age of 80 years will get vaccines through spot registration."

He mentioned that the DGHS is prioritising older citizens for Covid-19 inoculation because they have a comparatively higher death toll. "We are also working on bringing the children under vaccination in the shortest possible time," Dr Alam said.

Bangladesh has received 4.93 crores of vaccine through purchase and gifts so far. Of those, 3.67 crores were given to people as first and second jabs. The government currently has 1.25 crore doses, and 10 lakh of them are from Pfizer.

The country is set to receive another 50 lakh doses of Covid-19 vaccines and is planning to inoculate school-going children from age 12 to 17 years.

Last week, Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen said Bangladesh will receive 24 crore doses of Covid-19 vaccines by March-April of next year. "Out of these 24 crore doses, some will be purchased, and some will be received under the Covax facility," he added.

Covid positivity rate now 5.62%

Bangladesh reported 43 more deaths from Covid-19 in the 24 hours till Sunday 8 am. Health officials also reported a 5.62% positivity rate during the same period, which is the lowest in around seven months.

The country had recorded a daily positivity rate of 5.13% on 13 March.

Meanwhile, 1,383 more people tested positive for the virus across the country on Sunday. With the latest additions, the death toll reached 27,225 and the infection tally climbed to 15,42,683 to date.