Covid-19 Vaccine: Govt extends special first-dose campaign
After people swarmed vaccine centres for their first Covid-19 dose under a daylong special campaign yesterday, health authorities announced the programme would continue till tomorrow.
While the regular vaccination campaign is running, this special programme aims to administer one crore first doses to those who haven't gotten any dose yet. No documents or prior registration is need for the special first-dose campaign.
Health officials said the decision to continue till tomorrow was made because of a heavy rush of vaccine recipients at most of the 24,500 centres designated for the special campaign.
"I am assuring people that the first dose vaccination will continue for the two more days," Health Minister Zahid Maleque said in an emergency press briefing yesterday afternoon.
Meanwhile, a 30-year-old man named Osman Gani Rubel, fell sick and died after taking a shot at a centre in Chattogram city yesterday. Health officials claimed the death was not caused by the vaccine.
In addition to the regular campaign, running at 1,005 centres, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) launched the special drive across the country to fulfil the target of bringing 70 percent of the country's population under vaccine coverage.
It could not be known how many jabs were administered till yesterday evening.
As of Friday, around 92 percent of the targeted population received their first jabs, according to DGHS data.
During yesterday's online briefing, the health minister said, "No county has been able to vaccinate one crore people in a day … Bangladesh is the 10th among all the countries in terms of bringing the highest number of people under vaccine coverage."
Visiting eight vaccine centres in Dhaka city's different areas, The Daily Star saw people, mostly rickshaw pullers, day labourers, and students, standing in long queues.
"I could not register earlier as I have no documents. I am standing in this line for two hours [for the vaccine] as I have heard no one will get the first dose after today," said Abu Taher, 35, a rickshaw-puller, near the Dhaka Medical College vaccine centre, before the special drive was extended.
Fourkan Hossain, councillor of ward-28 under Dhaka North City Corporation, told The Daily Star, "We have increased the number of booths from six to eight due to the heavy rush of people. Despite this, we are struggling to tackle the rush."
Our correspondents in different districts reported similar situations.
Meanwhile, at least 10 people were injured in a stampede after police tried to tackle a rush of vaccine recipients near the Health Management Vaccination centre in Savar on the outskirts of the capital.
Our Dinajpur correspondent reports four students were injured in another stampede near Birganj upazilla Health Complex vaccination centre.
On February 7 last year, the government introduced mass Covid-19 inoculation campaign countrywide through registration online.
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