The government is set to restart its campaign to administer Covid-19 booster doses on Wednesday as it has received three million shots of variant-containing vaccines (VCV) under the Covax facility.
Dr Mohammad Nizam Uddin, line director of the DGHS's Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health (MNCAH), confirmed the matter on Tuesday.
As per the guidelines issued by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), individuals aged 18 and above are eligible to receive the vaccines.
Priority for the fourth dose or second booster shot will be given to individuals aged 60 years and above, those over 18 years with chronic medical conditions, immunocompromised individuals, expecting mothers, and frontline workers.
Shyamoli 250-Bed TB Hospital Assistant Director Dr Ayesha Akhtar said: “Individuals who want to receive a third dose can do so after a gap of four months from their second dose. However, for the fourth dose, it is necessary to wait for an SMS notification. If the SMS is not received after four months from the third dose, individuals should contact the vaccine centre for further guidance.”
On March 1, the administration of Covid-19 booster doses was suspended due to insufficient vaccination coverage. The Health Ministry at the time announced that individuals who had received their initial doses would get their third and fourth doses within one to two weeks, if it received vaccines from Covax.
On Monday, Health Minister Zahid Maleque said Bangladesh has procured three million doses of the VCV through Covax.
The VCV will be administered at permanent Covid-19 vaccination centres located in city corporations, districts, upazilas and municipalities throughout the country.
The health minister emphasized that VCV is a newly developed vaccine being utilized in various nations as a booster dose.
