DHAKA, Oct 20, 2021 (BSS) - Health and Family Welfare Minister Zahid

Maleque today said the country has a target to vaccinate 50 percent people by
December this year as the government intensified its efforts to collect
required quantity of COVID-19 jabs.

   "We hoped that we will collect 16 crore doses of coronavirus vaccines by
January next year... meaning we will be able to inoculate 50 percent people
by December," he told a discussion in a city hotel, an official release said.

   Senior secretary of Health Service Division Lokman Hossain Mian, senior
officials of relevant organizations and leaders of different platforms, among
others, were present at the discussion with Director General of Directorate
General of Health Service (DGHS) Prof Dr Abul Bashar Mohammad Khurshid Alam
Maleque in the chair.

   The health minister said under the farsighted leadership of Prime Minister
Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh has been successful for collecting required
quantity of vaccines. "Success of Bangladesh to control coronavirus has been
lauded globally," he added.

   "A total of 120 students aged between 12 and 17 received Pfizer jabs...if
we get positive report from the vaccinated students, we will launch a large
scale programme for students in Dhaka city," he added.

   Both infection and fatality rate have started decreasing sharply since
late August as the government expanded vaccination programme up to
grassroots, the health minister said.

   The health ministry sources said Bangladesh set a target to vaccinate the
country's 80 percent population by 2022 under an accelerated inoculation
campaign, expecting receipt of required COVID-19 jabs within estimated
timeline.

   Till to date, Bangladesh has collected nearly seven crore doses of
vaccines, it added.

   As of October 19, 3,91,68,948 people received first dose of COVID-19
vaccine while 1,96,32,107 got second shot of the jab as the countrywide
vaccination campaign was launched on February 7.

   Bangladesh has so far approved eight COVID-19 vaccines to control the
deadly disease.

  The approved COVID-19 vaccines are from Moderna, Johnson & Johnson,
CoronaVac, Pfizer, Covishield, Sputnik V, AstraZeneca and Sinopharm.