The country has made tremendous progress in administering two doses of the Covid-19 vaccine to the population, but the booster dose campaign has not seen the same success.
Currently, people over the age of 40 and frontline fighters are eligible for the booster dose, considering it has been at least six months since they received their second dose. The government began the booster dose campaign in the last week of December 2021, and a total 1,670,276 people had received their third dose as of Wednesday.
The government has been administering 50,000-100,000 booster doses each day, according to DGHS statistics
On the other hand, a total of 98,069,460 people have received at least one dose and 62,704,055 have received two doses since the nationwide vaccination campaign began in February last year. The government administers 500,000-600,000 regular doses each day.
Speaking to vaccine centre officials and people eligible for the booster dose, this correspondent found there were two main reasons for the slow pace of the booster dose campaign: Problems with SMS notifications and hesitancy towards getting the third dose.
SMS confusion
Abul Kalam Azad, 60, and his wife Fatema Azad, 50, became eligible for the booster dose on October 25 last year. However, they are yet to receive the SMS notification telling them to go to centres.
“We have been waiting for the SMS for over three months. We are growing desperate,” Abul Kalam Azad said.
Several other elderly people also told Dhaka Tribune they were anxiously waiting for SMS notifications to go and get their vaccine doses.
Dr Shah Ali Akbar Ashrafi, chief of the Health Information unit under the Management Information System Department of DGHS, said they first register the names of the recipients according to vaccination centres as per the recipients’ preferences, and then send the list to the centres. After that, a text message is issued to the prospective vaccine recipient.
“There is no fixed number of SMS to be issued per day. It is selected based on the capacity and pressure on the centre,” he added.
DGHS Non-Communicable Disease Control Unit Line Director Robed Amin said it was not as important for a person to have received an SMS to get the booster dose.
“Centres have been asked to give the vaccine to a person if they meet the eligibility criteria for booster doses, even if they have not received the vaccine. We are also giving vaccines to those who missed their vaccination date after receiving the SMS,” he added.
Hesitancy
On visits to three vaccination centres in Dhaka, this correspondent found that they were not as crowded as they were during the height of the pandemic last year.
Two volunteers at the National Institute of Mental Health and Hospital vaccination centre told Dhaka Tribune that the centre has not been crowded since the booster dose campaign began.
Dr Ayesha Akhter Shilpi, assistant director of the 250-Bed TB Hospital, said: “Every day we find that people are missing their vaccination appointments. Many are citing such factors as remaining out of town, or being sick as a reason for missing their dates.”
In an attempt to speed up the booster dose campaign, SMS notifications for booster doses have already been sent to some people under the age of 40 who received their second dose more than six months ago.
Aminul Islam, 32, said: "I got two doses of the vaccine when everyone was getting it, but I don't want to take any more doses. I don't think the vaccine is doing anything. I got infected even after I was vaccinated.”
Rocky Khan, 35, said: “I have been travelling around Bangladesh after receiving two doses, and I have not been infected yet. I felt weaker after getting the vaccine, so I will not take another dose even though I have received the SMS.”
However, health experts recommend taking booster doses as there is significant evidence that they prevent severe cases of Covid-19, although they do not give complete protection.
