Bangladesh's Covid-19 vaccination campaign turned out to be a success with 70% of the population inoculated before the deadline set by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Quick action by the government helped the country secure vaccines in a short period once the vaccines were made available. The health department has successfully vaccinated 70% of the country's population with two full doses by June 26, four days before the expiry of the June 30 deadline.
According to WHO, at least 70% of the population needs to be covered with two full doses of the vaccine to keep the pandemic under control.
As of July 13, the country confirmed first dose inoculation to over 76% of the population while around 71% of them received the second dose. Also, one in every four persons who received both doses was inoculated with the third or booster dose.
Booster Dose Day
Another nationwide booster dose campaign will get underway on July 19, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS0) said on Thursday.
A notification signed by DGHS Line Director Dr Md Shamsul Haque said the day would be observed as “Covid-19 Booster Dose Day”.
The Covid-19 Vaccination Committee, in collaboration with all offices concerned, has encouraged people to get their booster shots during the campaign.
Eligible people, aged 18 and above, can get booster doses at nearby vaccine centres if they have received the second dose of vaccine at least four months earlier, the DGHS said. Administration of the vaccine will start at 9am across Bangladesh, and people must bring their vaccination cards.
Total inoculation
The country has so far vaccinated 129.52 million people with the first dose while 119.79 million people got the second dose as of July 13, the DGHS said.
Over 30.16 million people have received the third or booster dose.
On the other hand, some 17.34 million people agd 12 to 17 years received their first dose, and 16.06 million of them received the second dose.
Bangladesh is currently administering AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines as regular and booster doses, Sinopharm and Sinovac for regular doses, and Janssen for second dose inoculations.
Securing booster dose in focus
DGHS officials said the country had enough stock to inoculate people who meet the criteria to get vaccines.
Since most of the adults who meet the criteria have already received their Covid shots, “we are now planning to give vaccines to children aged between five and 12 years soon,” said Dr Md Shamsul Haque, member secretary of the vaccine deployment committee of the Health Services Division. Children who fall under the category can register themselves by using their birth certificates.
“We have a good supply chain under the Covax program. Now, our focus is to confirm booster doses for the people which we will need soon. We will write a letter to the Covax program requesting delivery of booster doses,” said Haque.
As of June, Bangladesh had received around 300 million doses of the Covid vaccines either under Covax facilities or through purchase. The country received over 110 million free-of-cost Covid vaccines under the Covax facilities while the rest was purchased.
Health Minister Zahid Maleque told Parliament on June 5 that the government had planned to vaccinate 80% of people in the country, and all citizens above five years of age would come under the inoculation coverage.
The vaccination of the first doses started on February 8, 2021, and the second dose on April 8. Later, booster doses were administered in Bangladesh in line with WHO directives.
