Bangladesh on Sunday launched the Covid-19 booster shot campaign with Pfizer vaccine to scale up its efforts for containing the spread of the lethal virus.
Health and Family Welfare Minister Zahid Maleque formally inaugurated the campaign at a function at Bangladesh College of Physicians and Surgeons (BCPS) in Dhaka, an official release said.
Health Minister Zahid Maleque, Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen, Law Minister Anisul Huq, Fisheries Minister SM Rezaul Karim, Director General of Directorate General Health Service Prof ABM Khurshid Alam, National Professor Shaila Khatun, a journalist, a police personnel, and chief of Anjuman Mofidul Islam received booster jabs Sunday.
The campaign for Covid-19 booster doses started with vaccinating Runu Veronica Costa, a senior nurse of Kurmitola General Hospital, who received the first shot of the Covid-19 vaccine in late January this year.
At the function, the health minister said, "Pfizer vaccine will be given as a booster dose....the people, who received any jabs earlier, can get Pfizer vaccine as a booster shot."
Elderly people aged 60 and above, people with comorbidity as well as frontliners will be given the booster dose on priority basis, he added.
Bangladesh has been lauded globally for successful continuation of the coronavirus vaccine drive, Maleque said adding.
Like the nationwide COVID-19 mass vaccination campaign, Bangladesh started booster dose drive compared to the many countries of the world, he added.
The health minister said Bangladesh yesterday recorded less than one percent positivity rate, which was described as a success for the country.
Updating process in the 'Surokkha app' for booster dose is underway, he said adding, "Right now fully vaccinated people will receive booster dose showing their vaccination cards."
"The country has 4.63 crore vaccines and nine crore vaccines will arrive at the beginning of the next year meaning we will not face any scarcity of vaccines. Bangladesh set a target to vaccinate 70 percent people by April next year," the health minister said.
With first and second dose of coronavirus vaccines, nearly 11 crore people of Bangladesh have so far been inoculated, he added.
