Adolescents in Bangladesh getting Covid-19 jabs this fast is impressive: UK envoy
The targeted Covid-19 vaccination will be a vital enabler in bringing students back to schools, which is essential to their educational development and Bangladesh's continuing economic and social progress, said British High Commissioner to Bangladesh Robert Chatterton Dickson today.
Dickson said he was delighted to see the timely initiative by the health and education ministries while visiting a vaccination programme at the Hurdco International School in Dhaka today.
Prof Dr Abul Bashar Mohammed Khurshid Alam, Director General of Directorate General of Health Services, and UNFPA Country Representative Dr Eiko Narita were present at the time, according to a statement of the UNFPA.
"Considering the country's enormous population, it is impressive that the Bangladesh government has been able to vaccinate adolescents this rapidly," said Dickson.
"Seeing the students and their parents relieved today has given us an important reminder that, despite the challenging situation, we need to continue this vaccination effort," the high commissioner said.
"We also commend reopening schools that provided this opportunity for adolescents to access the vaccine while they learn," he added.
To increase the country's Covid-19 vaccine coverage, the government has begun a vaccination drive of children between the ages of 12 and 17 this month.
In the first phase of its 'Pfizer Vaccine and Logistics Distribution' initiative, the government set out to vaccinate approximately 3 million schoolchildren with the Pfizer vaccine.
The UK Government and UNFPA in Bangladesh are supporting the programme by providing eight air-conditioned vehicles for transporting the vaccines and other necessary supplies to the schools.
Comments