Health Minister Zahid Maleque on Saturday said the Covid-19 infection rate had declined in Bangladesh.
“There is no wave [second wave of the coronavirus pandemic] in our country,” he added.
The health minister made the remarks at a blanket distribution program among cold-stricken people at Shuvro Centre in Manikganj Sadar upazila on Saturday afternoon. He attended the program as its chief guest.
Maleque said: “We hope that we will get [Covid-19] vaccines by the end of this month or early next month; all preparations for inoculation have been completed.”
There would be no shortage of vaccines in Bangladesh, the minister added.
He continued: “Many have offered to supply us with vaccines, including China, Russia, Europe and the United States. We have kept all doors open for vaccines. Pfizer wants to give us some vaccines for free; we will accept the offer.”
Frontline workers would be vaccinated first, noted the health minister.
Talking about the overall coronavirus situation in Bangladesh, Maleque said: “On average, 20-25 people are dying every day in the country, but we don’t want a single person to die.”
“The test positivity rate is now 5.5%, while the recovery rate is 90%. The death rate has also come down. Around 4,000 people die in the US every day, more than 10,000 die globally. Considering that, the death rate in our country is very low,” he added.
Emphasising the wearing of masks, he said: “All of us must wear masks and maintain social distancing.”
The health minister also talked about the economic situation in Bangladesh and how it compared with other countries. “Bangladesh is good ... the economy is good. While all the countries in the world have gone into minus, our economy is in plus.”
