The pandemic situation appeared to have hit a plateau in the country with the death rate consistently going down since August and it was encouraging to see the number of daily deaths coming down to single digits at the end of October. There was even one day during this month when no death was recorded due to Covid-19. There is no doubt that the countrywide vaccine roll-out had an important part to play in this.
The government’s decision to start vaccination for Korail slum dwellers from Tuesday, therefore, could not be more welcoming. Korail slum is the largest slum in the capital’s Gulshan and Banani areas, and the vaccination will cover approximately 300 thousand people living in it.
It is especially important to ensure vaccination for slum dwellers because the lower-income part of the population often lacks adequate access to public health facilities and suffer silently. They are also unlikely to be able to afford higher medical costs in cases of severe illnesses. Vaccination will thus provide them with the basic protection against Covid-19, particularly for the elderly.
The Health Ministry’s decision to include school going students in vaccination for the Korail slum is a further welcome step in the right direction. But the government should ensure that non-school goers are not discriminated against either.
The authorities should also strive to provide the second dose in a timely manner, otherwise many people might miss it, making the costly and laborious endeavour less effective. All in all, this is a commendable initiative that should instill confidence in the people that the authorities have the safety and well-being of the citizens on their mind.