Booster dose of Covid-19 vaccine from Sunday on trial basis: Maleque

Health and Family Welfare Minister Zahid Maleque has said the government decided to vaccinate the booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine to the elderly people and front line workers such-- physicians, nurses, government officials and journalists.

"Booster doses are likely to be administered from tomorrow on trial basis," he made the announcement while addressing a function at the Suvra Center here on Friday.

The minister said about seven crore single dose and four crore and fifty lakh second dose of coronavirus vaccines have been immunized in the country.

Maleque said preparations for booster dose are underway and hoped it (booster dose) will start on Sunday.

"The country has 4.7 crore vaccines and two crore vaccines will arrive in the next month," he added.

The minister said the government acted very seriously from the very outset of this global crisis to halt the outbreak of the lethal disease in Bangladesh.

"Bangladesh has been successful for collecting required quantity of vaccines. Success of Bangladesh to control coronavirus has been lauded globally," he added.

The health ministry sources said Bangladesh set a target to vaccinate the country's 80 percent population by 2022 under an accelerated inoculation campaign, expecting receipt of required COVID-19 jabs within estimated timeline.