The government will conduct the Covid-19 vaccination programme through setting up over 7,000 centres across the country, including around 300 in the capital, with a plan to inoculate two lakh people against the virus every day.

“Some 42,000 vaccinators and volunteers are being trained to carry out the coronavirus vaccination programme throughout the country. Vaccination centres will be set up at hospitals and diagnostics centres,” Health and Family Welfare Minister Zahid Maleque said on Monday.

Talking to the Daily Sun, Dr Mohammad Shamsul Haque, line director (MNC & AH) of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), said the government has already formed 7,344 teams at upazila, district and city levels to conduct the vaccination pogramme at over 7,000 centres.
“Each of the teams is comprised of two vaccinators and around four volunteers. The vaccinators include nurses, sub-assistant community medical officers and family welfare inspectors,” he said.

According to the DGHS, the vaccination centres will be established at upazila health complexes, district or general hospitals, government and private medical college hospitals and specialised hospitals, police and BGB hospitals, Combined Military Hospitals and Chest Diseases hospitals.

More than one centre and even 6-5 vaccination centres may be set up in one hospital if necessary, said Dr Mowla Baksh Chaudhury, programme manager (Extended Programme on Immunisation) of the DGHS.

Sources at the DGHS said the training process for the vaccinators and volunteers began on January 13 and necessary equipment, including syringes and safety boxes, for running the inoculation programme have already been procured.

However, vaccination might not take place at all the centres every day and each centre will inoculate around 150 people in a day against the deadly disease, the sources added.

While talking to reporters after a meeting at the DGHS on Tuesday, the health minister said around 2 lakh people will be vaccinated every day.
He said there will be four teams at district hospitals while six at medical college hospitals and two teams at upazila hospitals each.

The DGHS also decided that as per the guidelines of the World Health Organization (WHO), it will vaccinate those first who are working with risks and elderly people will get the priority. People below the age of 18 will not get the vaccine.

Meanwhile, the first lot of 5 million doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine from the Serum Institute of India may arrive in the country by January 25-26.

The government is now completing preparations to start the countrywide vaccination programme from the first week of February.

The country is purchasing 30 million doses of Covishield vaccine from the SII that will come in phases.

In addition to that, Bangladesh will get two million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine from India as gift. The vaccine will arrive in the country tomorrow.

Besides, Bangladesh is going to get around 8 lakh doses of Pfizer vaccine under the Covax facility and the jab may arrive anytime.

Zahid Maleque said the government has also prepared a policy to allow private sector to import and sell coronavirus vaccines commercially in the country. “The government will fix the prices of vaccines that may vary depending on brands,” he added.

According to the DGHS, once the gift vaccine doses arrive from India, some will be administered to vaccinators of any hospital or medical college in Dhaka city and volunteers and they will be kept under observation for a week to see whether they show any side effect.

“We’ll give Covid-19 vaccine to a few people in some places. The places may be medical colleges or hospitals. Vaccinators will be inoculated first and if anyone else voluntarily wants may apply for getting vaccinated. We’ll observe the situation for a week after giving the vaccine,” DGHS official Dr Shamsul said.

On Monday, the health minister said the vaccine may have side effects like every drug. “Some side effects have already been found in Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, too. As far as we know, the side effects aren’t severe. It can’t be said there will be no side effect of the vaccine. People will have to take the vaccine agreeing that there might be its side effect.”

He also said the government will bear the expense for treatment if anyone shows any side effect.