UNB :
Emphasizing the importance of vaccination for Covid-19 in rural areas, Health and Family Planning Minister Zahid Maleque Monday said 70% of Covid patients in hospitals are older people from villages while the fatality rate among them is 90%.
The national vaccination campaign will now be accelerated at ward, union and upazila levels of the country as per directives of the prime minister, Maleque said while briefing reporters after attending the Cabinet meeting on Monday.
An initiative has been taken to vaccinate elderly people from the ward level as they are more reluctant about receiving it, the minister said, stressing the need for ensuring more Covid-19 tests of the samples coming from rural areas.
He said, “Some 90% of hospital beds are occupied with patients and our health workers are now exhausted.”
Maleque said the government will appoint 4,000 more doctors and nurses soon to deal the with the situation and urged the authorities concerned to be stricter as the country may face terrible consequences if the lockdown is not maintained properly.
“This is unfortunate the way people are moving outside and travelling recklessly just on the fourth day of the lockdown, breaking the rules and risking their lives,” said Maleque.
He said the lockdown has to be made successful as there is no alternative to it to contain the Covid-19 spread.
