AHM Masum Billah :
The most important achievement in the modern medical world is the invention of vaccination. According to the World Health Organization, vaccines prevent at least 20-30 million deaths worldwide each year and protect against more than 20 diseases. Vaccines are less likely to make anyone ill but few people may have some common side effects, such as pain or a mild fever. However, at a later stage, the vaccinated person develops immunity against the disease. That’s how vaccines prepare the human body to fight against a specific infection, virus or disease. The first vaccine was developed in 1897 by the English scientist Edward Jenner against smallpox disease.
The best part of a vaccine is that when other drugs cure diseases, the vaccine prevents the spread of that disease. At the same time, most people can achieve hard immunity by getting vaccinated. It is evidential that there is no substitute for vaccines for developing hard immunity to deal with the epidemic, like the existing Covid-19.
In the current global scenario, Covid-19 situation vaccination is referred to as a very important tool in overcoming the epidemic. In most countries, if there is no health problem, everyone is being encouraged to get the Covid-19 vaccine. However, many countries have not yet been able to procure vaccines. According to the UN, 130 countries have not received a single dose of the vaccine so far. Bangladesh is one of the fortunate countries in the world that has started vaccination against the coronavirus. This has been possible due to the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. This is the best gift for the people of Bangladesh in the global corona epidemic situation.
The Government of Bangladesh has bought vaccines from the Serum Institute of India which is the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer and is partnering with Astra Zeneca to produce this Covid-19 vaccine. The covishield vaccine is being produced by the Serum Institute following the same quality procedure that is being developed in the main laboratory of Astra Zeneca in Belgium.
So there should be no misconception about the quality and effectiveness of this vaccine. It will develop immunity like those of other Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says no one will be infected with Covid-19 because of the vaccine. Covid-19 has serious health risks and the second risk of infection. So, whether infected or not, everyone should be vaccinated.
Vaccination activities are going on simultaneously from more than one thousand centers across the country. The interest in vaccination has been increasing day by day as the cabinet members and other key government officials and foreign diplomats have been vaccinated. The Covid-19 vaccination program started on 7 February, after it was inaugurated by vaccinating a nurse of Kurmitola General Hospital on January 27. As a part of the vaccination program, frontline staffs including doctors and nurses and citizens over the age of 40 are being vaccinated every day in thousands of hospitals in Bangladesh.
For a faster registration process, the surokkha app has been developed along with the website based and on-the-spot registration process. 70 lakh doses of vaccines have been brought to the country since the beginning. Another 25 lakhs doses are reaching the country by February. For uninterrupted vaccination, the vaccine will be brought regularly every month. Hence, there will never be a shortage of vaccines and everyone in the country will be vaccinated.
Meanwhile, the coronavirus infection scenario is improving in the country with a gradually getting lower infection rate and recovery rate of 90 percent. This success has been achieved through the relentless efforts of the government under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Frontline corona soldiers including doctors, nurses, police members, military personnel, government employees and others gave their lives for achieving this success. We need to appreciate their sacrifices.
Health experts around the world agree that there is no alternative to the vaccine to check death in the waves of Covid-19. Covishield vaccine has won the trust of the people of Bangladesh and they are getting more interested in vaccination. In many centers, the demand and registration rate has become much higher. However, publicity needs to be increased to make people more interested in getting vaccinated. For making the purpose of vaccination successful, everyone is to be vaccinated. Now it is time for the people to play their role. We need to get rid of all misconceptions and reluctance and take part in the efforts to bring the country back to normalcy through vaccination.
(Mr. Masum Billah is Senior Information Officer, PID)
