The nationwide Covid-19 vaccination campaign, which had been stalled due to a lack of vaccine supply in April, resumed on Saturday with the Sinopharm vaccine doses received as a gift from China.
The administration of first doses resumed initially with medical students, Director of Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital Prof Dr Khalilur Rahman told Bangla Tribune.
According to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), Sinopharm vaccines will be administered at four medical college hospitals in the capital -- Dhaka Medical College Hospital, Sir Salimullah Medical College Hospital, Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital, and Mugda Medical College Hospital.
Each of the hospitals will have a vaccination centre with two booths.
Districts other than Dhaka will have a vaccination centre each, and each of these centres will have two booths as well.
According to the vaccination plan, only one of the booths will be opened if fewer than 200 people appear for vaccination at a centre. If more than 200 people show up, then both booths will be opened.
In all districts where there are no medical college hospitals, the civil surgeon in consultation with the District Covid-19 Vaccination Committee will declare the district Sadar hospital or any one of the 250-bed hospitals as district vaccination centres. Vaccination centres have been instructed to stay open from 8am to 3pm every day, except Fridays and public holidays.
Second dose after four weeks
The interval between the first dose of and second dose of the Sinopharm vaccine should be four weeks (28 days). All other arrangements at vaccine centres are to be the same as before, as per the directive of the DGHS.
According to the DGHS Extended Immunization Program (EPI) plan, those who have previously registered but have not yet received the first dose of the vaccine will be among the first to be vaccinated after the resumption. Recipients will be informed of which centre to go to through SMS, and the vaccination centre cannot be changed.
Who are eligible for the vaccine?
The vaccine will be available for 10 categories of people, as well as those who have already registered for the vaccine but not yet received doses.
The categories include government health workers and police personnel who have not been vaccinated before, expatriate Bangladeshi workers with BMET registration or card, students of government and private medical and dental colleges, students of government nursing and midwifery, government MATS and government IHT students, residential students of public universities, Officers and employees involved in BIDA and other nationally important developmental projects (Padma Bridge Project, Matarbari Power Project, Metrorail Project, Express Highway Project, Rooppur Power Project, Rampal Power Project), cleaning staff members of Dhaka North and South City Corporation Ward / municipality staff engaged in cremation of dead bodies of Covid-19 patients and Chinese nationals living in Bangladesh.
Those who do not qualify for the vaccine
This Sinopharm vaccine will not be given to anyone under the age of 18 years.
A person will also not receive the vaccine if he has a fever or is ill at the time of taking the vaccine, has a previous history of vaccine allergies, or has severe side effects after taking the first dose.
People with uncontrolled chronic diseases, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, asthma, kidney disease, people undergoing dialysis, cancer patients and people with low immunity have to first take the advice of a registered physician before taking the vaccine.
