Bangladesh will be vaccinated for 40 percent of the population under CoVAX, a global initiative to provide corona vaccination. Of these, 20 percent will be vaccinated by next December.
Health Minister
Zahid Malek made the remarks in a statement after a bilateral meeting with World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Gebreasus last Friday . The health ministry sent the statement to the media on Saturday.
In a statement, the minister said he had requested the director general of the World Health Organization to send 40 per cent of the country’s population to be vaccinated under covax. Tedros Adhanom Gebreasus agreed.
Note that Bangladesh is buying 75 million vaccines from China. The issue of buying from Russia is also under discussion. India is also talking about exporting vaccines now. The availability of vaccines for 40% of the population from Covax will increase the availability of vaccines in Bangladesh. But so far, Bangladesh is far behind its neighbors in vaccination.
The government wants to vaccinate 80 percent of the country’s population against coronavirus. So far, 10 percent of people have received the full two-dose vaccine. Ticker stock is not very much in hand now.Advertising
According to the World Health Organization, 18 percent of people in India have received two doses of the vaccine. In Pakistan, the rate is 13 percent. In Bhutan and the Maldives, two doses of the vaccine were given to 8 and 62 percent of the people, respectively. In Sri Lanka, the rate is 53 percent.
Bangladesh’s position is slightly better than that of neighboring Myanmar. Eight percent of people in the country have received two doses of the vaccine. In neighboring Nepal, 21 per cent of the population has been vaccinated with two doses.
The government said last month that 100 million people would be vaccinated by December. In order to achieve this goal, in October, November and December, more than eight crore people will have to be vaccinated. Till Saturday, 1 crore 80 lakh 33 thousand 643 people have received full dose of vaccine in the country. And the first dose has been given to 3 crore 36 lakh 6 thousand 575 people.
Vaccination situation
The health minister said in a press conference on September 26 that about five and a half crore vaccines have been introduced in the country. Since then, 790,000 Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines have arrived from Germany via Kovacs.
About 5 crore 80 lakh doses of the vaccine have been received in the country so far. Analysis of supply and vaccination accounts shows that the Department of Health has about 5 million vaccines in stock after giving them to people. If you make 10 lakh a day, this vaccine should be completed in a week. On the other hand, it is not possible to run an expanded program with this small stock. However, the government says more vaccines will arrive in the country soon.
Have the ability
The amount of vaccines given in the country now is more than the capacity. The target of vaccinating 6 million people was set on September 26, the birthday of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. A total of 6 lakh 57 thousand 992 people were vaccinated on that day.
Health officials said vaccination activities were disrupted in six districts due to heavy rains that day. But it was done the next day. More than 6 million people were vaccinated on September 28 and 29. Earlier, on August 8, about 3 million people were vaccinated in one day.
Member Secretary of the Covid-19 Vaccine Management Task Force Committee of the Department of Health and Director of Maternal, Neonatal and Child Health Program Dr. Shamsul Haque told Prothom Alo that people want to get vaccinated. On the other hand, it has been proven through campaigns that it is possible to vaccinate more people in one day.
However, people concerned think that more people cannot be vaccinated quickly unless stocks are increased. Bangladesh has arranged more than 25 crore ticks by buying and promising. Now it is necessary to bring the vaccine quickly and give it. The health minister has stated in a statement when the vaccine will come through Covax. He said that after December, 20 per cent of the people in the country will be vaccinated under CoVAX and in a very short time, 40 per cent will be vaccinated. Besides, the work of buying vaccines from other means will also continue.
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) Chairman of the Department of Pharmacology. Sayedur Rahman told Prothom Alo that in order to get the benefits, more people have to be brought under the full two dose ticker in a short time. But the pace of vaccination in the country is slow. If we want to increase the speed, we have to increase the import of ticks.