Reza Mahmud :
Public health experts have urged the government to start another vaccination campaign as soon as possible in a bid to inoculate a major portion of Bangladesh population.
They asked the authorities to mark all weaknesses and faults found in the first vaccination campaign run since August 7 to 12, inoculated about 3.5 million people across the country.
The jab seekers and recipients experienced huge sufferings while standing long queues in vaccination centers across the country during the campaign.
They accused of violating the priority measures stipulated by the health authorities for the campaign.
As per the allegations from the jab seekers, aides of local Chairman or Ward councilors used their influences on the process.
They had given priorities to their own people instead of old aged ones who supposed to get vaccine on priority basis.
As a result many jab seekers failed to be inoculated even waiting for hours.
Besides, health safety rules also violated in most centers due to mass gatherings.
Public health experts suggested the authority to make a well prepared plan shunning such faults and start another mass inoculating campaign soon as the covid infection on surge due to the recent attack of the serious contagious delta variant.
When contacted, eminent Virologist Professor Dr. Nazrul Islam, former Vice-Chancellor of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University told The New Nation on Saturday, “The health authority has learned enough from the one week’s mass inoculation campaign. In light of the experience, they should arrange another campaign soon to contain the serious contagious delta variant spreading.”
The Virologist said, there is no alternative option of mass vaccination and using face mask strictly to curb the spreading of the deadly virus.
He said, the Directorate General of Health Services must sort out mistakes happened during the campaign and take necessary measures to make the next campaign a success.
When contacted, public health expert, former Deputy Director of BSMMU Dr. Mukhles Uzzaman Hero told The New Nation on Saturday, “The vaccination campaign created huge response. People got jabs without online registration procedures.”
He said many things created sufferings among the vaccine seekers in the campaign due to the huge gatherings and inexperience.
But overall it was fruitful because many people have been inoculated within short time.
He suggested that the government should start another such campaign soon saying it will be very much useful for combating against the fatal disease.
When contacted, Dr. Robed Amin, spokesperson of DGHS told The New Nation on Saturday, “Surely, there were some weakness found in the first vaccination campaign. But we found that the DGHS is capable to conduct such massive inoculation campaign.”
The spokesperson said, the DGHS is keen to start another campaign but it is depend on availability on vaccines.
He said, “We must consider of keeping jab in stock for second dose. In such situation, if lots of vaccine we found in our stock then such campaign will be started again.”
