Health Minister Zahid Malek said, “It can be hoped that vaccinations, including booster doses, will be completed by the end of this year.”
He made the expression in a conversation with reporters after the cabinet meeting at the secretariat on Monday.
The minister said, "By December, the people of the country will get a full dose of vaccine including booster. It can be hoped that everyone will be completely vaccinated by the end of this year.”
All the vaccines against the virus are effective, and any vaccine that is available should be taken, he added.
He said that a target has been set to vaccinate 140 million people in the country. Of them, 70 percent have been vaccinated. Vaccination activities are going on successfully.
More than 100 million people have received the first dose and about 80 million received the second dose. About 1.5 million students have been vaccinated. More than Tk 20,000 crore has been spent for vaccination purpose so far, added the minister.
Zahid Malek said, so far I have received 270 million vaccines. About 100 million vaccines are still in stock.
Read more: School children to be jabbed soon
The health minister said, “There are about 20 million people in the country who have not yet taken any vaccine. I urge everyone to take vaccine as soon as possible.”
Highlighting the hospital situation, he said, the number of patients in the hospital is now about 2500. About 1500 are in Dhaka division. Death rate has not reached an alarming state due to vaccination.
The health minister thanked the people for taking the vaccine understanding the urgency. He further said, vaccines reduce the risk of death, not infection. Hence, it is important to wear a mask and follow the hygiene rules.
The mass vaccination program kicked off in Bangladesh exactly a year ago on February 7 last year. Within just one year, the number of people who have received the first dose of vaccine in the country has crossed 100 million.
Initially, only Oxford University's AstraZeneca vaccine, produced by the Serum Institute of India, was given to the people of Bangladesh. However, later, Pfizer, Moderna, Sinopharm and Sinovac vaccines were also administered in phases, increasing the availability of vaccines to the people speeding up the process.