Bangladesh
Covid Vaccination All 18 and above will get booster dose
Own Correspondent, Dhaka, March 17: The government has now reduced the age limit for administering booster doses. According to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), the third or booster dose of corona vaccine will be given to all citizens aged 18 years and up.
On Wednesday (March 16) morning, Health Minister Zahid Maleque told a press conference after the briefing on the occasion of National Worm Control Week that a special vaccination programme of 3 crore 25 lakh doses of corona vaccine will be carried out from Thursday (March 17) to March 31 to mark the birth anniversary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Zahid Maleque said there is always a milestone with vaccination in the country. A few days ago, one crore 20 lakh vaccines were given in a single day. We're doing a programme as we have done before. That will be the booster dose, the second dose and also the first dose. This programme will start from Thursday, March 17, on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. It will continue till March 31.
"We have undertaken a huge target from March 17 to March 31," Maleque said. "We are determined to vaccinate 3 crore 25 lakh doses through this programme. I hope we can achieve our target."
Mentioning that the time limit for giving booster dose has been reduced, he said, "Earlier there was a rule to give booster dose six months after giving the second dose. It has now been reduced to four months. Three crore 25 lakh doses of vaccine will be given under the special programme from March 17 to March 31. This rule will come into effect from that day."
On Wednesday (March 16) evening, a letter from the DGHS's Extended Vaccination Programme stated that "the age for taking booster doses has been reduced from 40 to 18 years. Vaccines of Astrageneca, Moderna and Pfizer shall be given as booster doses depending on availability."
Those above the age of 12 years who have not yet taken the first dose of the vaccine should also be called upon to take part in the campaign and to get vaccinated.
