78 lakh to get second Covid shot Thursday

More than 78 lakh people – vaccinated in a mass vaccination campaign marking the birthday of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina one month ago – will receive their second dose against Covid-19 on Thursday.

The campaign will run across the country from 9am to 3pm and, if necessary, the time will be extended, said the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).

If 78 lakh people receive their second dose on Thursday, about three crore people will be covered by the full two-dose course of a vaccine. As such, about 17% of the country's population will be fully vaccinated.

According to the DGHS, the first dose was given to more than 78.11 lakh people on 28 September, the birthday of the prime minister, and on the following day.  

Dr Shamsul Haque, member secretary of the Covid-19 Vaccine Management Taskforce of the DGHS, said, "We are planning to give the second dose to all of them on Thursday. If the target is not met on that day, the vaccine will be given later."  

At a regular bulletin on Wednesday afternoon, he said the vaccine would be given in all districts, upazilas, city corporations, and unions across the country.

"We have made all the preparations for the campaign. Miking (announcement) has been done in districts and upazilas. We have informed everyone and vaccines and logistics have been delivered everywhere," said Dr Shamsul Haque.

"Only the second dose will be given in this campaign. No vaccine can be had at a different center other than where a person got their first dose. "

School children to be inoculated in a week: Education minister 

School children will be vaccinated within the next one week, said Education Minister Dr Dipu Moni in responding to a question from journalists on Wednesday on the occasion of the third research day at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University.

She said registration was already underway and that vaccination would begin as soon as that is completed.

US donates 3.5m more Pfizer vaccines to Bangladesh

The United States has donated another 3.5 million doses of Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccine to Bangladesh. 

With the latest shipment, Washington's donation to Dhaka stands at 15 million doses.

Earlier this year, the US Food and Drug Administration authorised the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine for emergency use among children ages 12 to 17 years old. 

Following a trial in Manikganj, the US-donated Pfizer vaccines will enable Bangladesh to roll out vaccination for young people in this age group.

"The United States is pleased to donate another 3.5 million Pfizer vaccines to Bangladesh. We have also provided specialised training to hundreds of Bangladeshi health workers to help them safely administer these Pfizer vaccines among children ages 12 and up," US Ambassador to Bangladesh Earl R Miller said in a press release. 

"We hope this enables young people, especially students, to protect themselves from Covid-19 and safely resume their studies and social lives more fully."

This delivery of Pfizer vaccines is part of a broader commitment of the United States to lead the global Covid-19 response by providing one billion doses of Pfizer vaccine around the world free of charge through 2022.

Covid-19 claims 7 more lives in 24 hours

Bangladesh reported seven more deaths from Covid-19 in the last 24 hours till 8am Wednesday.

306 more people also tested positive for the virus during the same period.

The current positivity rate was reported at 1.53% after 19,951 samples were tested in 833 labs across the country.

With the latest figures, the death toll reached 27,841 and the case tally increased to 15,68,563 in the country.