Amid a surge in the transmission of COVID-19 with its sub-variant JN. 1, the government is going to resume inoculation with Covid-19 vaccines in the capital today to prevent the spread of the disease.
“We have already sent letters to eight vaccination centers of the capital to receive the vaccine to administer among people. Some of them already have taken the jab,” SM Abdullah Al Murad, programme manager of the DGHS, told the Daily Sun.
He said the priority group of people, including pregnant women, frontliners, elderly people, people with serious comorbidity, will get the third and fourth dose of the vaccine initially.
“In phases, we will try to ensure the vaccination for all across the country,” Abdullah Al Murad added.
DGHS sources said initially the vaccination will be run in eight vaccination centers set up in Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, Dhaka Medical College Hospital, Kurmitola General Hospital, Sir Salimullah Medical College Mitford Hospital, Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital, Mugda Medical College Hospital, Sheikh Russel National Gastroliver Institute and Hospital, and Fulbaria Sharkari Karmachari Hospital.
“We have already collected 1,000 doses of corona vaccine from the EPI. We will administer the third and fourth dose of the vaccine among people from tomorrow (Saturday),” acting director of Mugda Medical College Hospital Dr Niatuzzaman told the Daily Sun.
DGHS sources said the health authority has planned to administer the first and second doses of the vaccine across the country in phases.
Amid the surge of the new variant of the coronavirus variant JN1 in different countries, the daily infection rate has suddenly increased in Bangladesh for the last few weeks over 5%.
The daily infection rate earlier declined to below 1%, while the virus infection rate was reported at 5.12% on Friday. Some 22 corona infection cases were reported in the past 24 hours till 8 am on Friday, raising the total number of cases to 20,46,711. The total number of deaths from the virus has risen to 29,479.
According to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), 419 corona infection cases and at least two deaths were reported in 19 days of the current month January.
Health experts have expressed concerns about a potential fresh surge of COVID-19 in Bangladesh following the detection of the new JN.1 variant of the novel coronavirus in the country.
“The COVID JN.1 variant has been detected in the country after carrying out genome sequencing among five coronavirus patients. They are from Dhaka city and the countryside,” Prof Dr. Tahmina Shirin, director of the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control, and Research, told the Daily Sun on Thursday.
Prof Dr. Nazmul Islam, director (Disease Control) of the DGHS, said there is no need to panic but emphasized the importance of maintaining health safety rules, including wearing face masks.
“JN.1 is a subvariant of the Omicron coronavirus. Earlier, the Omicron variant could not influence the rise in infection in Bangladesh,” he added.
The National Technical Advisory Committee (NTAC) on COVID-19 has recommended that authorities remain alert for further transmission of the virus amid the surge of the JN1 variant in different countries.
Talking to the Daily Sun, Prof Dr. Nazrul Islam, a member of the NTAC, said the authorities concerned have to strengthen surveillance and screening to ensure the prevention of the disease immediately.
