First dose of Covid-19 vaccine without any registration till 26 February: DGHS

People can get the first dose of Covid-19 vaccine till 26 February without any registration or birth certificate/NID, said the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).

On 26 February a "Mega Campaign" will be held where 1 crore jabs will be given out as part of a nationwide campaign for protection against Covid-19, said Dr Shamsul Haque, member secretary of the Covid-19 Vaccine Deployment Committee of DGHS, during a virtual meeting on Wednesday (16 February).

He said, "People will not require any registration, nor any birth certificate or NID for the first dose of vaccine from now on. This initiative has been taken as part of strengthening the vaccination campaign. "

He also said that as of Tuesday, all hospitals have been instructed to administer the first dose without registration until 26 February.

He urged everyone to take the vaccine saying, "There is an adequate supply of vaccine but we want to halt administering the first dose. So, we want to bring the most people under vaccination before that."

He also said those who have completed their registration but did not receive a message can also visit their nearest vaccination centre to get inoculated.

"To prevent Covid-19, we have already vaccinated 10 crore people with the first dose and 7 crore people with the second dose," he said, adding that the government aims to vaccinate 12 crore people over 12 years of age, which is 70% of the population.

The vaccination campaign started on 7 February last year and administration of the first dose will continue till 26 February, said Dr Shamsul Haque.

"On the day of the nationwide mega campaign, three additional centres will be set up in every union. Besides, existing vaccination centres in all areas will remain open. Additional healthcare teams will volunteer to provide vaccine doses by setting up temporary vaccine centres in the crowded areas. The target is to provide 300 jabs at each centre in districts, upazilas and unions and 500 jabs at the centres in city corporations," he announced.

Previously on 16 February, DGHS Director General Professor Dr ABM Khurshid Alam said that DGHS will halt administering the first dose of Covid-19 from 26 February.

"Afterwards, we will focus on administering second and booster doses," he said.

Daily Covid deaths, cases decline further

Bangladesh reported 15 more deaths from Covid-19 and 3,929 new cases in the last 24 hours till 8am Wednesday. 

Meanwhile, the positivity rate dropped to 12.20% during the same period after 32,207 samples were tested across the country. 

Thirty-four deaths and 4,746 cases were reported in the previous day.

The latest figures took the country's death toll to 28,887 and the case tally to 19,23,031.