C T Online Desk: The government has extended the nationwide vaccination campaign till February 28 witnessing huge crowd of vaccine seekers at the centres across the country.
Earlier, the government had decided to hold a daylong countrywide mass vaccination campaign on Saturday aiming to inoculate at least one crore people with the first dose of Covid-19 vaccine.
“Many people might not be able to take vaccine today for various reasons. That’s why, this vaccination campaign will continue for two more days,” Health and Family Welfare Minister Zahid Maleque announced a virtual press conference on Saturday afternoon.
“A large number of people crowded the vaccination centres across the country. We think the total number of vaccinations will exceed the target of one crore,” the minister said.
“If the target of inoculating one crore people is achieved, more than 95 percent of the government’s target of inoculating 70 percent of total population aged 12 years and above, with the coronavirus vaccine, will be achieved,” he said.
“I also assure that the vaccination will continue even after the campaign of administering the first dose, second dose and booster dose,” Zahid Maleque said.
“Bangladesh is in 10th position among 200 countries of the world in inoculating people with the coronavirus vaccine while big countries like Russia, France and Germany are behind our country,” he said.
“There are adequate vaccines in stock. There is no shortage,” the minister said.
He said the infection rate is currently 4.5 per cent and daily deaths have declined which will decline further.
“So far 11 crore people received the first dose of Covid-19 vaccine and if we succeed in vaccinating one crore more today, the number will rise to 12 crore,” added the minister.
A total of 30,000 vaccination booths were set up across the country alongside mobile inoculation centres from city corporations to union levels. Around 1,45,000 health workers were engaged at these vaccination booths and inoculation centres.
The government sets up three makeshift vaccine centres in each union and ward in municipality areas. Five mobile vaccination teams in each upazila and 20 in each district worked during the campaign.
On the other hand, some 30 mobile teams conducted the vaccination in each city corporation of Dhaka while 40 in Narayanganj City Corporation, 60 each in Barishal, Sylhet, Cumilla and Mymensingh city corporations.
On February 15, DGHS chief ABM Khurshid Alam announced that the government is going to conduct a special vaccination campaign across the country on February 26 to complete the administration of the first dose to all targeted people.
