Around 69% of those who died from Covid-19 in the last six epidemiological weeks had not received a single dose of the Covid-19 vaccine.
Of the 742 people who succumbed to the disease between January 3 and February 13, as many as 510 were unvaccinated, data compiled by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) show.
Among the vaccinated people who died, 69 had received one dose, 160 two doses, and just three had received the booster dose.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina launched the Covid-19 vaccination program in Bangladesh on January 27 last year. The program began in Dhaka before being expanded to the rest of the country in phases.
Initially, most of the vaccination centres saw massive crowds, and the government also organized multiple mass vaccination campaigns. However, most of the vaccination centres are now struggling to find vaccine seekers despite having sufficient stocks of vaccines.
During a visit to the Mohammadpur Fertility Services & Training Centre of the 100-bed Mother & Child Health Hospital at around noon yesterday, this correspondent found only a small number of people waiting for vaccines. The centre was offering AstraZeneca for first and second doses, and Moderna for booster doses.
“It took less than two minutes to get the dose, including the time waiting in line,” said Dilruba Zaman, who went there for her booster dose.
When she took her second dose about six months ago, she had to wait in line for nearly two hours.
A staff member at the vaccination centre of Sheikh Russel Gastroliver Institute & Hospital said many people were avoiding going to centres after receiving two doses.
“Despite having a stock of vaccines, many people are not appearing on the day of their vaccination right now, particularly the ones who are eligible for booster doses,” he said.
Meanwhile, the health authorities have announced that they will halt administering the first doses of the Covid-19 vaccine from February 26. Pointing out that the risk of death for vaccinated people was much lower than for unvaccinated people, DGHS Director General ABM Khurshid Alam yesterday urged everyone to get their first dose before the first dose campaign ends.
Over 100 million people had received one dose, 71.4 million people two doses, and 2.7 million people three doses of the vaccine as of Monday
Adviser to the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) Mushtaq Hussain said people needed to follow health guidelines and take vaccines without hesitation.
“Although the number of cases is trending downwards right now, everyone should take their vaccine shots. No one knows whether the impact of Covid-19 will be heavy or mild or low, but vaccinated people will surely feel less of an impact than unvaccinated people,” he added.
