The health authorities in Bangladesh will launch a special Covid-19 vaccination drive from Thursday commemorating the birthday of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
The government plans to administer 32.5 million doses of the vaccine’s first, second and booster doses under the special drive which will end on March 31.
Health Minister Zahid Maleque made the announcement at a media call at the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) Headquarters in Dhaka on Wednesday.
He said that people would be eligible for the booster shot just four months after taking the second dose. Previously, the waiting period between the two shots was six months.
After the latest special drive concluded on February 28, the health authorities told the media that they would now focus on providing the second and the third doses to the masses.
According to the DGHS, over 126 million people received the first doses till March 15, while another 90 million people got both doses. Over five million people received booster doses till March 15, which indicates that another 35 million are yet to get the second dose.
The gap between the first dose recipients and the booster dose recipients is even wider.
The registration process for the booster dose would remain unchanged, the minister added.
Applicants registering for the booster dose will get a confirmation SMS. Those who have already waited four months for the third dose will automatically become eligible for it and there will be no need for them to wait for the SMS.
"Some 32.5 million doses will be administered during the campaign, of which 20 million will be second doses,” the minister said.
The health authorities have already administered some 220 million doses of vaccine. The addition from the new campaign will raise the number to 250 million.
Answering a question on administering vaccine shots to school-goers, the minister said: "We have made all necessary preparations in this regard. We are waiting for the World Health Organization's guidance on the matter."
Those under twelve years old would be vaccinated once the World Health Organization gave its approval in this regard, the minister added.