The booster dose (third and fourth shots) campaign against Covid-19 will remain suspended from tomorrow as its stock has run out.

The campaign for administering first and second doses, however, will be continued, the health officials said.

"The stock of Covid-19 vaccines that is being used as third and fourth doses has finished. These vaccines are collected through Covax. We have placed new requirement that will take three to four weeks to reach the country," Prof Ahmedul Kabir, additional director general of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), said in a press conference today.

Prof Ahmedul Kabir also said people were reluctant to take booster jabs, specifically the fourth dose. "Despite this, the stock of booster dose vaccines has run out," he said.

Covax is a worldwide initiative aimed at equitable access to Covid vaccines.

"We have written to the Covax last Thursday [February 23] informing our demand for booster jabs. They usually send the vaccines within 21 days," Dr SM Abdullah Al Murad, programme manager (EPI) at the Directorate General of Health Services, told The Daily Star on Sunday.

However, according to health officials, the next consignment may reach the country within mid-March, Murad added.

As of Tuesday, around 15 crore people, above 12 years, have received their first dose while 14 crore got the second.

Of them, around 6.73 crore people received their first booster (third dose) while around 29.64 lakh received the second booster (fourth dose), according to the DGHS.