Health Minister Zahid Maleque has said that there is no vaccine shortage in the country and the government will start administering booster doses from Sunday or Monday on a trial basis.
“We’re updating the Surokkha app and making a list of elderly people and frontline workers – doctors, nurses, government officials and journalists – for the Covid-19 booster dose program,” Maleque said while attending a program in Manikganj on Friday evening.
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The country has around 47 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines on hand.
“Currently, we have 700,000 Pfizer vaccine doses and will receive another 20 million next month. There is no vaccine shortage in the country,” he said at the event.
According to the minister, around 70 million people have received the first dose of the Covid vaccine and 45 million the second dose, so far.
The National Technical Advisory Committee (NTAC) has recommended starting procedures to administer booster doses to vulnerable sections of the population. The Cabinet Division has asked the authorities concerned to work on a precise guideline on booster doses.
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As the protection offered by Covid vaccines wanes over time, developed countries have already rolled out a third dose amid the emergence of the Omicron variant, potentially more contagious than the Delta variant, said experts.
The health minister earlier said that the government had already instructed the authorities concerned to increase the number of vaccine booths from 2,500 to 3,500 in the country.