46,509 Get Vaccine Jab on 2nd Day

A total of 46,509 people were administered COVID-19 vaccines on the second day of the countrywide vaccination campaign.

Of them, 35,843 were male and 10,666 female, according to the data of Management Information System of Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).

As of today (Monday), the number of vaccine receivers is 77,669 as 31,160 were vaccinated on the first day of the campaign, it added.

People aged 40 years and above now can get registered to receive COVID-19 vaccines, said Health and Family Welfare Minister Zahid Maleque on Monday.

''Now people aged 40 years and above will be able to get registered to receive COVID-19 vaccines, while as the frontline fighters, the health officials of both private and public hospitals will get priority in vaccination,'' he said.

To this end, decisions were taken in line with the instruction of the cabinet meeting today with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.

According to an earlier decision of the government, people aged 55 years and above were only eligible for taking vaccines but the decision has been revised a day after launching of the countrywide COVID-19 vaccination campaign yesterday.

''The health minister has already directed the authorities concerned to bring commoners aged 40 years and above under coronavirus inoculation coverage,'' senior information officer of the ministry Maidul Islam told journalists.

The vaccination drive was conducted at 50 hospitals in Dhaka city and 1005 hospitals outside the capital today, the DGHS said, adding the immunization programme will begin at 8 am and it will continue till 2.30 pm every day.

But some hospitals will continue the vaccination programme throughout the day, the health official said.

The inoculation would be administered among people in government hospitals up to upazila level while over five lakh people so far got them registered to be inoculated.