Students Aged 12-17 to Get Vaccine Soon: Health Min

Health and Family Welfare Minister Zahid Maleque said the World Health Organization (WHO) has agreed to vaccinate school children under the age of 18. They will be vaccinated with Pfizer and Moderna doses soon.

"I visited Geneva four days ago," the minister said. I talked to the head of the World Health Organization about vaccinating students. They have approved Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for 12 to 17-year-olds to prevent infection.

He said this at a press conference on Covid-19 vaccine and contemporary issues at Bangladesh College of Physicians and Surgeons in Mohakhali on Sunday (October 10).

The health minister said Pfizer now has 6 million vaccines in stock. This 60 lakh vaccine will be given to 30 lakh students. Of this, another 70 lakh vaccines will come this month. Then there will be no shortage of vaccine for the students.

He said it would be possible to vaccinate 80 million people in the country between December and January. About three and a half crore more vaccines will come this year. And by next March, we will be able to bring 120 million people under vaccination. This population is 80 percent of the country.

"We have received 7.22 crore vaccines so far," he said. Of these, 3.61 crore people have been vaccinated with the first dose and 1.79 crore people have been vaccinated with the second dose. Now there are one crore 81 lakh dose of vaccine in hand. However, there are more than 52 million people registered in the Surokkha app.

"Even if the coronavirus is under control now, everyone has to follow the hygiene rules," he said.

Senior Secretary of the Health Services Division of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare Lokman Hossain Mia, Director General of Health Directorate Prof Dr ABM Khurshid Alam Additional Director General Prof. Mirzadi Sebrina Flora, line director and director of vaccination program. Shamsul Haque and others were present on the occasion.