The campaign to vaccinate school students aged 12 to 17 will begin from today (Monday) at Motijheel Ideal School and College. The campaign will be continued at eight centers in the city from Tuesday.
After one and a half years of the pandemic, with the experimental procedures being completed, vaccination of 12 to 17 year age groups is being started in Bangladesh from today at Motijheel Ideal School and College. The children will get the jabs of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.
To get vaccinated, school students have to register in the ‘Surokkha’ app. The date of vaccination and the name of the vaccination center will be informed through mobile SMS. A vaccination card should be printed and taken at the time of vaccination.
On Sunday, the member secretary of the task force, committee for the collection and management of Covid-19 vaccine and the director of the vaccination program of the Department of Health, Dr Shamsul Haque said that Health Minister Zahid Malek and Education Minister Dipu Moni would jointly inaugurate the vaccination program for the students on Monday.
"We will use the World Health Organization-approved Pfizer vaccine for children in this vaccination program," he said.
Education Minister Dipu Moni expressed her excitement and enthusiasm towards the campaign in the book launch event of ‘Chikitshabigganer Adikotha’ on Sunday in the capital’s InterContinental Hotel.
“I am looking forward to opening the vaccination opportunities to the kids. It is a matter of pride that unlike a lot of other countries, we are being able to vaccinate the children of the country,” she said.
According to the Department of Health, eight centers have been allotted in Dhaka with the help of the Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education. From there, students of all other schools in the area will be vaccinated.
The centers are Hardco School in Bashundhara Residential Area, South Point School in Malibagh, Chittagong Grammar School in Gulshan, Motijheel Ideal School and College, Dhaka Commerce College in Mirpur, Kakoli School in Dhanmondi, South Bridge School in Uttara and Scholastica School in Mirpur.
“Each of these centers will have 25 booths. These schools will be able to vaccinate their children as well as students from other schools. However, no one will be vaccinated without registration,” he said.
According to the Department of Health, if any child falls ill after receiving the vaccine, treatment will be provided at Kurmitola General Hospital, Central Police Hospital, National Heart Foundation Hospital, Suhrawardy Hospital, and Kuwait Maitree Hospital.
The doctor further said that preparations are being made to vaccinate school students in 22 districts outside Dhaka.
On October 14, a total of 120 students of several schools in Manikganj were given the first dose of Pfizer vaccine experimentally. It was decided to vaccinate the school children after none of them faced any complications.
Bangladesh has already received more than 60 lakh doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. Another 35 lakh doses of Pfizer vaccine will arrive in the country in November.