As the Delta variant of Covid-19 keeps wreaking havoc, Bangladesh today started a mass vaccination drive across the country -- aimed at inoculating 32 lakh people in six days.
The drive is going on at 4,600 unions smoothly, Dr Shamsul Haque, line director of the Maternal Neonatal Child and Adolescent Health (MNC&AH) of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), told The Daily Star today.
Although the government had initially planned to inoculate around one crore people against Covid-19 during a six-day special drive beginning today, it has revised the target down to 32 lakh -- apparently due to a shortage of vaccines.
Abul Bashar Mohammad Khurshid Alam, director general of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), yesterday said people aged 25 and above would get the doses, moving away from the government's previous statement that those aged 18 and above would be jabbed, during the drive.
He said people aged 50 and above, women, people with disabilities and people living in remote areas will get priority during this special campaign.
The vaccination programme is being carried out in 1,054 municipalities and 433 wards in city corporation areas across the country with the help of 32,706 vaccinators and 48,459 volunteers.
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