The temporary vaccination centres in the capital experienced a huge rush of people on Tuesday, but with little trouble, as the government started administering the second dose for the walk-in vaccination.
Long queues were seen in Mirpur and Mohammadpur areas, but volunteers and centre managers say the inoculation campaign was going on in a disciplined manner.
The second dose of inoculation stumbled on the first day since many people did not get the message of the process properly.
The government conducted the first-ever walk-in vaccination program across the country from August 7 to 12 in order to inoculate the mass population amid a spike in Covid cases.
According to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), over 5 million people have received the first dose.
The health authorities have now decided to provide the second dose of the vaccine to the same number of people on three consecutive days.
Vaccination centres in the capital will administer 700 doses each day from 9am to 5pm from September 7 to 9.
If anyone fails to get the vaccine in these three days, he or she will be able to get the shots on September 10.
Md Imran, a volunteer at the Mohammadpur Government Primary School centre, said long queues had formed hours before the vaccination began.
However, the crowd was manageable unlike the last time, he said.
While administering the first dose, the vaccine providers gave a date by calculating a period of 28 days for the second dose. He said many people had come to the centre on Tuesday without understanding the new directives.
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Moreover, many people who were yet to receive their first dose had requested for their shots, Md Imran added.
Zafar Iqbal, a private job holder, rushed to Pallabi Community Centre two hours before the vaccination started. Later he came to learn that he had to take the second jab on Wednesday.
“They should have circulated the information properly and in a timely manner,” he said.
Shafiqul Islam, a ward councillor under Dhaka North City Corporation, said his office had given the information after Monday evening when the centre officials warned of some troubles during the inoculation due to the delay.
Brig Gen Dr Md Sharif Ahmed, the chief health officer of Dhaka South City Corporation, told reporters that although the information had been circulated late, a good number of people rushed to the centres, terming it unexpected.
There were long queues in every centre, but no report of chaos was there till the afternoon, he added.