Reza Mahmud :
Booster dose of Covid-19 jab administration has been started in the country to cover risk population and to use up to the vaccine stock that the health authorities now have.
Health authorities say although they now have a stock of over three crore vaccines and more jabs are coming; a large segment of the population- young and old are unwilling to take them.
They have a target to vaccinate 80 per cent of the population which comes to about 13 crore population of 12 years and above. The government started to administer
Covid-19 vaccines on January 27, 2021.
Besides, inoculating of booster dose of the vaccines started on December 19 of that year.
As per the data of the Directorate General of Health Services, the health authorities have inoculated 7,42,92,370 jabs as first dose, which is 53.74 pc against its target and is 42.99 pc against the total population.
It has administered 5,28,43,389 jabs as the second dose, which is 38.22 pc against its target and 30.58 pc against the total population.
Meanwhile, public health experts stressed on covering target people of 80 per cent population fast than administering the booster dose to contain omicron contamination.
They said, government should find out those old aged people who are staying behind inoculation and give them first and second dose vaccines.
When contacted, Professor Dr. Be-Nazir Ahmed, former Director of disease control of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare told The New Nation on Tuesday, “Inoculating booster shots may give us advantages of five to 10 per cent as it will boost such immunity while the administering first and second dose of the jab will create 70 to 80 per cent immunity among the people.”
“This point showed us that first and second dose vaccination will give us 70 to 80 percent advantages, which is very much important than the booster dose,” the professor said. He, however said that inoculating booster dose is also important to fight against Omicron variant.
When contacted, public health expert Dr. Lenin Chowdhury told The New Nation, “About one-third of the people of above 60 are out of taking covid jab till now. The government should identify those and bring under vaccination soon to prevent Omicron spreading.”
He also suggested involving public representatives and eminent persons of localities to create awareness among the people so that they maintain the health rules and take vaccines.
When contacted, Professor Dr. M. Muzaherul Huq, former Advisor of the World Health Organisation told The New Nation on Tuesday, “With the threat of Omicron which spreads fast we need to inoculate 100pc of our population.” The priority should be senior citizens and co-morbid population, he said.
“As we have limited vaccines we are to make proper plan of our vaccination program with a strategic action plan starting from wards in villages to capital and big cities,” he said. The principle should be “No one is left”, the professor suggested.
Meanwhile, Professor Dr Abul Bashar Muhammad Khurshid Alam, DG of the DGHS told journalists on Monday that booster dose may also be given to the people under 60 years soon as per necessity.
When contacted, Dr Shamsul Haque, Member-Secretary of the Vaccine Deployment Committee of DGHS told The New Nation that he could say the number of target people for booster dose later.
But he could not be reached later while trying to contact over telephone.
