UNB :
The campaign to vaccinate school students, aged between 12 to 17, against Covid-19 kicked off in Dhaka on Monday.
Health Minister Zahid Maleque and Education Minister Dipu inaugurated the vaccination campaign at Motijheel Ideal School and College while vaccination in other centers in the city will start in seven other schools on Tuesday.
The vaccination campaign will be conducted at eight centres in the capital although it was scheduled to begin at 12 centers in the city. Other centers did not get approval due to lack of adequate facilities.
The seven other schools are: Hurdco International School, South Point School and College, Chittagong Grammar School, Dhaka, Ideal School and College, Mirpur Commerce College, Kakoli High School and College, South Bridge School and Scholastica School.
According to the Health Ministry, there are 70 lakh doses of Pfizer vaccine in stock and 30 lakh students will be vaccinated with Pfizer vaccine.
Besides, 35 lakh more doses of Pfizer vaccine will arrive in the country by November.
However, the Education Ministry has said there are almost one crore students, aged between 12 to 17, across the country.
Earlier, Health Minister Zahid Maleque said vaccination campaign for school students will begin at 12 centres in Dhaka while 21 centers in outside Dhaka from November 1.
Some 40,000 students will be vaccinated every day under the campaign, said Health Minister Zahid Maleque while talking to reporters after the cabinet meeting on Thursday.
“Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said to increase the vaccination centers and all steps have been taken to increase centres across the country alongside Dhaka,” he said.
So far, 29,237,863 people have been fully vaccinated in the country while 42,154, 848 received the first dose.
On January 27, Prime Minister Hasina launched the Covid-19 vaccination programme at Kurmitola General Hospital through a videoconference.
The government rolled out a countrywide mass Covid-19 vaccination drive on February 7 vaccinating people, aged 55 and above, in the first phase.
On July 29, the government lowered the minimum age limit for taking Covid-19 jabs to 25 from 30 years in a bid to give a boost to the lagging vaccination rates in the country.
Earlier on July 19, the government lowered the age limit from 35 to 30 for vaccine registration.
