The government plans to carry out a campaign to provide the third dose of the Covid-19 vaccine to a large number of people at a time, Health Minister Zahid Maleque has said.
“It will be a success for the government… It will enable the people to return to normal life,” the minister said at a program in the capital on Thursday.
The event was organized by the National Institute of Kidney Diseases and Urology on the occasion of World Kidney Day 2022.
Bangladesh secured eighth position in the world for its success in combating highly contagious viruses, the minister said.
“The government has so far spent around Tk40,000 crore for the purchase and administration of the vaccines,” he added.
Zahid Maleque praised the health officials for their hard work in providing the first dose of vaccine to around 12 million people in a single day. A similar campaign would be carried out between March 28 to 31 to provide second doses to around 20-25 million people, he said.
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According to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), the body responsible for administering the vaccines, some 125.77 million people got the first dose, among which some 88.76 million received the second dose as of March 9.
At present, the government is administering some 100,000 booster doses each day, DGHS sources said.
"When almost the entire world was struggling to combat the lethal virus, we took multiple measures under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to protect the lives of the people from the disease," the minister told the function.