Bangladesh
Covid-19 Vaccination Vaccination drive to be carried out in every ward of the country: Zahid Maleque
Dhaka, December 30: Health Minister Zahid Maleque has said that the government will conduct vaccination drive in every ward of the country to prevent Covid-19 infections.
"Thirty-one crore vaccines have already been received. We are getting the required amount of vaccine every month. Of this, a total of 12 crore vaccines, including seven crore first dose and five crore second dose, have been given. A total of 28 crore vaccines, including booster doses, will be required to meet our target. Therefore, by meeting the target, including booster dose, three crore more doses will be in hand," he said.
The minister said, "In the meantime, we have also vaccinated the slum dwellers at school level. We are starting the work of giving at least four crores every month from next month. Therefore, we are taking initiative to vaccinate in every ward of the country from next month. It is hoped that we will be able to meet the target by next May-June."
He was speaking as the chief guest at the annual general meeting of Essential Drugs Company Limited (EDCL) at Dhaka Club in the capital on Wednesday (December 29).
The health minister said the production demand of EDCL in the country is increasing day by day. Besides the country, EDCL is also getting demand for production of various medicines from different countries of the world. But compared to that, EDCL is not self-sufficient. There are various problems including infrastructural weakness, lack of equipment, scarcity of factory space. That's why ECNEC now has a bill to build a state-of-the-art factory for EDCL. It will be completed soon. Once these initiatives are completed, EDCL will be even stronger.
He further said that Bangladesh has been praised by the world for its Covid-19 pandemic management. Bangladesh has become the first in South East Asia to effectively resist the pandemic. Bloomberg has praised the country in its report. Central oxygen lines have been set up in 120 hospitals. Field hospital have been made. Hospital beds have been increased. There was no drug or oxygen crisis anywhere in the country during the pandemic. He said it could be controlled because there were proper medical guidelines.
"The pressure could increase against due to the Omicron variant of the coronavirus. In that, just vaccines won't work, we will have to follow the guidelines. Only then can we stop the spread of the Omicron variant," the Health Minister said. He also urged citizens to wear masks at public gatherings.
The keynote address was delivered by EDCL Managing Director Dr. Ehsanul Kabir.
