Staff Reporter :
The long awaited campaign of the Covid-19 vaccination rolled out on Sunday across the country.
A total of 31,160 people have been vaccinated on the first day. Among them, 5,061 people were inoculated in Dhaka.
Professor Mizanur Rahman, Director of Management Information System, has confirmed the information.
As part of the fight against the fatal Covid-19 disease, the government initiated the free vaccinations programme among the people nationwide.
For getting a jab people must have to be registered their names through online.
Government has opened website for the people to be registered since January 27.
Health Minister Zahid Maleque inaugurated the programme addressing vaccination teams through video conferencing from the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) in Dhaka in the morning.
The minister said during the inauguration, the government is continuing its fight against the fatal virus.
He said that the Covid-19 situation in Bangladesh is now better than many other countries across the world.
The minister urged all not to spread propaganda against the vaccine as it is safe and has no side effects.
He said, “The vaccine campaign will continue throughout the year. There is another process to get vaccinated beside the online registration. People can take the jabs immediately after registering at the vaccine centres.”
Later, the minister received vaccine dose at Sheikh Russel Gastroliver Institute and Hospital vaccination centre in the city.
Agriculture Minister Abdur Razzak, Minister for Science and Technology Yeafesh Osman, Minister for Fisheries and Livestock SM Rezaul Karim, State Minister for Public Administration Forhad Hossain, Chairman of National Technical Advisory Committee Dr Mohammad Shahidullah, DGHS Director General Dr ABM Khurshid Alam, Chief Coordinator of the Burn Units across the country Dr Samanta Lal Sen, President of Bangladesh Medical Association (BMA) Dr Mostafa Jalal Mohiuddin, BMA Secretary Dr Ehteshamul Haque Choudhury, and President of Swadhinata Chikitshok Parishad Dr MA Aziz also took vaccine at the same centre.
Five teams have inoculated to 162 people in the hospital on the day.
Besides, Gonoshasthya Kendra founder Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury has taken the vaccine Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU). After taking the jab, the veteran Freedom Fighter urged all to take it without fear.
Meanwhile, Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain and High Court judges, including Justice M Enayetur Rahim, Justice Md Mostafizur Rahman and Justice Kazi Zinat Hoque received the vaccine at the BSMMU.
Army personnel took the jabs from Combined Military Hospitals in different cantonments while police officials took the vaccines in Rajarbagh police lines hospital.
The vaccination campaigning was started yesterday at 1,005 centres across the country Ministers, City Mayors, MPs and other public representatives and administrative officials took the first dose of the vaccines in dedicated centers across the country.
DGHS Director General Dr. Khurshid Alam on Saturday said a total of 2,400 immunization teams would be deployed across the country.
Of them, 204 teams have been deployed at 50 vaccine centres in Dhaka and 2,196 teams at 995 centres outside the capital.
The health authorities have decided to administer second doses of the vaccine four weeks after the first jab, instead of eight weeks.
Earlier on January 28, two-day piloting was done in the capitals five hospitals.
As per the government’s plan, a total of 138,247,000 people will be vaccinated in five stages.
Five million doses of Oxford- AstraZeneca covid-19 vaccine arrived in Dhaka on January 25.
Besides, on January 21, Bangladesh received two million doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine as a gift from the Indian government.
Bangladesh eventually is expected to get 68 million or 6.80 crore vaccines for 20 percent of its population or 3.40 crore people from the WHO, COVAX facility.
DGHS additional director general Professor Nasima Sultana said the frontline workers will get the vaccines on priority basis in line with a list with officials, also saying they included 452,027 government health workers and approved 600,000 private health workers.
Dr. Sultana said DGHS planned to carry out the vaccination campaign among 50 lakh people in the initial phase while roughly 50 lakh Covid-19 vaccine doses would arrive each month in Bangladesh.
All front runners and mass people aged above 55 will get vaccine during the first phase of the nationwide drive, she added.
