B'desh teachers asked to get vaccine jabs as schools set to reopen

Dhaka, Feb 9 Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has asked the teachers to get their vaccine shots within 7 days, as the country is gearing up to reopen the educational institutions anytime soon, with the nationwide inoculation drive underway.

During the cabinet meeting on Monday, Hasina urged the citizens above 40 to come and get vaccinated.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh has reported eight new Covid-19 fatalities and 387 new cases in the past 24 hours. Of the sample tests, 2.67 per cent have tested positive, while 14.26 per cent cases were detected from the total tests, conducted so far. The toll has climbed to 8,229, according to the latest data by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) of Bangladesh.

On the second day of the nationwide inoculation drive on Monday, 46,509 people have received their first jab, which was higher than the first day's turnout.

As many as 6 lakh people have registered for the vaccine shots across the country, said Health Secretary Abdul Mannan on Tuesday.

Bangladesh Premier virtually inaugurated the vaccination programme in Kurmitola General Hospital on January 27.

The country now has a stock of 7 million doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca (Covishield) vaccine, of which the government has procured 5 million doses from Serum Institute of India (SII).

Bangladesh will get 1,27,92,000 doses of the Oxford University-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine in the first half of 2021 under Covax programme, said the Secretary of Health Ministry.

Bangladesh to get 1.31 lakh Covax doses under Covax by end of February, he added.

Elderly people, who are unable to get registered, will be administered vaccines under special arrangements, the Health Ministry added.

State Minister of Primary and Mass Education Zakir Hossain said: "The Prime Minister has already instructed the Health ministry to vaccinate the teachers. We will do this within one week."

Bangladesh government announced the closure of all schools and other educational institutions in the country on March 17, last year, following the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.

"All of us have taken the vaccine shots. They showed no signs of side-effects. People in my locality also got the jabs. They didn't show any symptoms of side-effects either," Hossain added.

Health Minister Zahid Maleque received his vaccine shot after the roll out of the immunisation drive across Bangladesh.

( With inputs from IANS )