DHAKA, Feb 28, 2022 (BSS) - The three-day nationwide mass vaccination 
campaign is underway with huge response from vaccine seeker people as the 
drive is scheduled to end today. 

      The third day of the vaccination campaign for administering the first 
dose of COVID-19 vaccines began at 8am this morning.

     "A total of 20,99,37,805 doses of COVID-19 vaccines including booster 
dose were administered till February 27, 2022 across the country," according 
to the data of Management Information System of Directorate General of Health 
Services (DGHS).

     A total of 12,26,89,831 people have been administered the first dose of 
COVID-19 vaccine till February 27 while 8,35,29,389 received the second dose 
across the country during the same period, it added. 

     As many as 37,18,585 people have so far received the booster dose of 
COVID- 19 vaccine to prevent the spread of the deadly virus, it added.

     Of the total vaccination doses, 19,33,775 people received the first dose 
of coronavirus vaccines on the second day of the campaign while 77,44,38 
received the second dose and 84,904 received booster dose during the same 
period, the DGHS added.

     "Bangladesh has extended the one-day campaign into three-day drive to 
reach fully the unvaccinated people with first dose... we are receiving 
unprecedented response from all levels of people across the country," 
Director General of Directorate General of Health Service (DGHS) Prof Dr Abul 
Bashar Mohammad Khurshid Alam told BSS.

    "Like the past two days of the campaign, all eligible people are 
thronging designated vaccination centres and booths to receive COVID-19 
jabs...we are monitoring the nationwide mass vaccination campaign to make it 
successful to fight the disease," Alam added.

     Earlier, the government set a target to complete the first dose of 
coronavirus vaccine on February 26, but it (government) decided to continue 
the campaign for two more days to reach remarkable progress in the first dose 
of vaccination coverage, he added.

     According to the DGHS, the second day of the nationwide mass vaccination 
campaign was conducted successfully as people thronged vaccination centers, 
makeshift and mobile booths to receive first dose of vaccines.

     "We have extended the campaign till February 28 (today)... the 
countrywide mass vaccination campaign, that began at 8am on Saturday, has set 
a new record for administering over 1.20 crore people in a single day," 
Health Minister Zahid Maleque told a function at Bangabandhu International 
Conference Center (BICC) here yesterday (Sunday).

     Of the total vaccination doses, 1,11,74,725 people received the first 
dose of coronavirus vaccines on the first day of the campaign while 8,15,073 
received the second dose and 73,855 received booster dose during the same 
period, he added.

     With administering the total doses of vaccine so far, the government has 
brought 73 percent people under vaccination coverage with first, second and 
booster doses, Maleque added.

     Bangladesh has set an impressive success on vaccination coverage as the 
country has already inoculated 21 crore doses of vaccine, he said adding, "We 
have been able to control three waves of coronavirus due to multiple 
initiatives including expansion of the vaccination programme."

     Bangladesh secured 10th position in the vaccination programme and the 
ongoing mass vaccination campaign will push the country into a new feat 
covering fully unvaccinated people to fight the COVID-19, the health minister 
added.

     "Like the first day of the campaign, all eligible people were thronging 
designated vaccination centres and booths to receive COVID-19 jabs...we are 
monitoring the nationwide mass vaccination campaign to make it successful to 
fight the disease," the DGHS chief said.

     "We have adequate quantity of vaccines and urge all eligible people to 
receive vaccines to protect themselves from the deadly disease," Alam added. 

     "We hope that we will create a milestone of success in administering 
coronavirus vaccines to a huge number of people during the three-day drive," 
he added.

     While visiting different vaccination centres in the capital, people were 
seen queuing from early hours of today to receive the COVID-19 jabs.

     There are a huge number of people, who are still out of vaccination 
coverage, the DGHS chief said this campaign will make considerable 
contribution to bring all under vaccination coverage.

     "All eligible people will be given vaccines as soon as possible...for 
this we are launching such drive to bring all eligible people under 
vaccination coverage with both doses," he added.

     "Since mid-February, we have geared up significantly the COVID-19 
vaccination programme and we will scale up our efforts to reach the target at 
the quickest possible time," Alam added.

     Dr Ayesha Akhter, a physician of TB hospital at Shyamoli said, "On the 
third day of the campaign, people started gathering in our hospital from the 
early hours."

     "A large number of people received vaccines from our hospital during the 
last two days of the drive and we have changed the scheduled time of 
vaccination as a huge crowd thronged our hospital during the past two days of 
the campaign to receive the vaccine," she added.

     The DGHS chief said, "We will go door to door at grassroots level to 
bring all people under the first dose of vaccination coverage. For this we 
have extended the campaign till February 28 (today)," he added.

     Health workers have been directed to provide vaccination services till 
today so that no one remains out of vaccination coverage, Alam added.

     He attributed the controlling of third wave of COVID-19 that hit 
Bangladesh mid-January this year, to expansion of vaccination coverage, 
including booster dose.

     "We have laid emphasis on vaccination coverage as it (vaccine) has 
reduced both fatalities and rising of positivity rate of COVID-19... more 
than 80 percent deaths linked to coronavirus are unvaccinated people," Alam 
added.

     "During the campaign, people are allowed to receive COVID-19 vaccines 
without registration or any documents from any centre," Dr Shamsul Haque, 
member secretary of the National Covid-19 Vaccine Management Taskforce, said.

     "We will complete administering the first dose of vaccination during the 
three-day drive," Shamsul said, adding all respective hospitals and 
vaccination centres have been directed to immunize coronavirus vaccine 
without any registration.

     "The main objective of mass vaccination campaign is to bring all 
vulnerable groups of people under vaccination coverage... meaning a 
significant progress of administering first dose of COVID-19 inoculation will 
be ensured ," he added.

     "A total of 30,000 vaccination booths have been set up across the 
country alongside mobile inoculation centres from city corporations to union 
levels," he said, adding 1,45,000 health workers have been engaged at these 
vaccination booths and inoculation centres.

     Anyone will be able to get COVID-19 vaccines only by giving mobile 
number, he said, adding that, "The people, who will receive the first dose of 
coronavirus vaccine, will be given a card... this card is given as a document 
for receiving second or booster dose."

     After a good progress on the first dose of COVID-19 vaccination 
coverage, Shamsul said, "We will focus on second and booster dose to scale up 
vaccination programme across the country."

     Three vaccination centres have been set up at each union across the 
country while five mobile vaccination centres will inoculate the people at 
each upazila and 20 mobile centres will extend their services at each 
district, the health service official said.   

     As many as 30 mobile vaccination centres have been set up at each zone 
of two city corporations of Dhaka while 40 vaccination centres have been set 
up at Narayanganj city corporations, Shamsul added.

     A total of 60 mobile vaccination centres will immunize at each zone of 
Barishal, Sylhet, Cumilla and Mymensingh while 25 mobile vaccination centres 
will extend their inoculation services at Khulna, Rajshahi, Chattagram and 
Rangpur.   

     As of February 27, a total of 9,64,94,689 people have been registered to 
receive COVID-19 vaccines in the country, the DGHS sources said. 

     "As many as 8,93,14,411 people have been registered using NID cards, 
14,38,600 registered using passports and 57,41,678 registered using birth 
registration certificates."