Govt providing booster dose considering pandemic situation: PM

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday said considering the pandemic situation like the other countries in the globe, the government is providing the booster dose of Covid-19 vaccines.

“As per recommendation of the National Immunization Technical Advisory Group, Bangladesh, and the approval of the national committee on the implementation of Covid-19 vaccination programme, the booster doses of Covid-19 vaccines are being provided across the country from December 28, 2021,” she said, BSS reports.

The premier made the statement while replying to a tabled question from treasury bench lawmaker Ahsanul Islam (Titu) from Tangail-6 constituency in the Jatiya Sangsad (JS).

Sheikh Hasina said a total of 741,265 people have already received the booster dose of the Covid-19 vaccines till January 17 this year.

She informed the House that about 14.62 crore people have already been given the Covid-19 vaccines while over 8.91 crore got the first dose of coronavirus vaccines and over 5.70 crore received the second dose of the vaccines.

Putting priority on giving the vaccines free at the beginning of the outbreak of the lethal virus to stem its spread, the government took the initiative of collecting vaccine even before its invention and approval, the premier said.

As a result the Covid-19 vaccination programme began on January 7 in 2021 and is continuing still now, Sheikh Hasina added.