When many countries including the advanced ones were grappling with securing Covid-19 jabs, Bangladesh on Sunday rolled out the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines across the country in a festive mood.
People from different social strata including ministers, bureaucrats, doctors, and journalists were seen taking the vaccine in different inoculation centres after the inauguration by Health Minister Zahid Maleque at the Sheikh Russel Gastroliver Institute and Hospital in Dhaka.
They also posted their photos in social media platforms facebook and twitter, showing the signs of victory and encouraging others to take the jab.
The health minister took the jab and said the vaccine means victory for us. “We want to achieve victory through the vaccination programme,” he said.
“I didn't even feel any pain in my arm,” he said, noting that many notable people were taking the vaccine along with the ministers and healthcare workers.
“We sincerely thank them for taking the vaccine with us. We are all healthy and doing well after the vaccination. No side effects were observed.”
Opposition politician and government’s critics Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury also took the jab.
Some 2,400 teams of health workers are deployed on the first day, with each team having the capacity to vaccinate 150 people. In total, 7,344 teams joined the vaccination drive.
In Dhaka, 204 teams are engaged in the vaccination programme at 50 hospitals. People will have to appear in hospitals between 8:00am and 2:30pm to get the first dose of the vaccine.
The second dose will be given two months later.
As many as 328,013 people completed registration for the vaccine so far using the ‘surukkha’ app.
They are getting messages indicating the date and venue for their vaccination.
Health workers will also help people register on the spot before vaccination if anyone turns up with a national identity card.
The government is using the Oxford Astrazeneca vaccine produced by Serum Institute.
In the first phase, 3.5 million people have been targeted as the government has seven million doses in stock including two million doses gift from India.
The government will get over 12 million doses by June under the Covax mechanism of the WHO apart from 25 million under the purchase deal with Beximco pharma.
“When many countries are still grappling with securing vaccines for their people, and most advanced nations showing their insensitivity by stockpiling a large quantity of vaccine depriving their fellow least developed and developing nations, we were able to secure this life- saving tool for our people. It was the Prime Minister (Sheikh Hasina) and her team which explored all possible avenues,” Barrister Shah Ali Farhad, special assistant to the Prime Minister, wrote in his facebook page.
“Good to see those who indulged in politically motivated fear- mongering concerning the efficacy of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine are the ones who got their jab today. Glad that when it came to their own health, rationality and good sense have prevailed,” wrote Dr Ashikur Rahman, executive member of Bangladesh Awami Jubo league, in a facebook comment, posting the photo of opposition politician Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury taking the jab.
Bangladesh reported its first Covid-19 cases on March 8 last year and the first death on March 18.
The prime minister inaugurated the vaccination programme on January 27.
Over 500 front-liners mostly healthcare workers took the jab on January 27 and 28 first before the countrywide rollout on Sunday.
