The emergence of the Omicron variant has caused alarm as evidenced by new restrictions. But the greatest deterrent to new spread continues to be vaccination, which is why the drive beginning today for inoculating Qawmi madrasa students and homeless people in the capital city is among the list of things that will truly fight the virus.
The initiative will begin at a women’s madrasa and at Kamalapur rail station respectively for students and the homeless population. The authorities aim to inoculate 265,000 homeless people.
The decision to use the single-dose vaccine by Johnson and Johnson is a great, pragmatic decision that will uncomplicate the process of vaccinating people who do not necessarily have addresses.
The government’s repeated announcement of vaccination for students being a top priority has been reassuring, and it is a relief to see that the current drive will cover madrasa students in the capital. So far as many as 4.4 million out of the 11.62 million students in the country have received at least one dose of the vaccine, according to the education minister.
However, only over 400,000 have received both doses, while around 7.55 million are yet to receive a single dose -- both very concerning figures.
The authorities should invest more resources and energy to ensure robust vaccine management, particularly focusing on setting up more vaccination points and making them local.
The welcome move of vaccinating Qawmi madrasa students should not overlook smaller institutions. There is also a need for reaching mosque-based students, who do not necessarily attend madrasas formally.
Most importantly, the authorities must continue and ramp up the vaccination drive in order to manage the pandemic and reach herd immunity.
