AMN/ WEB DESK
The nationwide vaccination programme against Coronavirus in Bangladesh was launched on Sunday in Dhaka. Inaugurating the programme at the National Sheikh Russel Gastroliver hospital in Dhaka Health Minister Zahid Maleque said that the vaccination programme will continue for the entire year.
Calling the vaccine safe, the minister said that ministers and other dignitaries will be taking the vaccine to enhance the confidence of the people in the vaccine. He also cautioned people not to listen to any rumours about the vaccine as it is very safe. A few Supreme Court judges took the vaccination shot on Sunday in Dhaka.
According to the Health Ministry, more than 3.25 lakh people have registered for the vaccinations programme across the country. The vaccination programme has been rolled out at more than a thousand hospitals and health centres across Bangladesh. More than 2400 teams of health workers are engaged in the vaccination programme in Dhaka and other parts of the country.
The Government of Bangladesh has signed an agreement for the purchase of 30 million doses of the Oxford University AstraZeneca vaccine from the Serum Institute of India (SII). Out of it, 5 million doses arrived in Bangladesh last month. India also gifted 2 million doses of the vaccine to Bangladesh.
Bangladesh has reported 8190 deaths till Saturday. According to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), the total number of corona positive cases in the country now stands at 5,37,770 with 4,82,841 recoveries till date. The country has a recovery rate of 89.79 percent. The daily infection rate among the people tested for the corona infection has also been keeping below 3 percent over the last several days.