2nd round of Covid vaccination drive from 7 April: Health minister

Health Minister Zahid Maleque has said that the second round of Covid-19 vaccination drive will be administered from 7 April.

He made the remark in a press conference at the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare Affairs today.

The health minister said that even after getting a double dose, countrymen will have to show a Covid negative certificate to visit abroad.

The health minister also said that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has asked teachers, pilots and airport workers to be vaccinated on priority basis.

Students under the age of 18 will not be vaccinated, those who are older will be vaccinated as per the government decision.

When asked about the reopening of universities in the pandemic, the minister said that teachers will get vaccines first and the government will soon decide about students.

So far, 23 lakh 80 thousand people have been vaccinated and more than 36 lakh have been registered, the Health Minister added.

He said that there are 4 crore people in the country above 40-years-old. India's Serum institute will give some 3 crore doses. 

On 7 February, the country started the mass inoculation drive with 70 lakh doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine – 50 lakh doses purchased and 20 lakh as a gift from India.

The vaccination campaign is currently being carried out at 1,005 centres across the country. Except for on weekends, around 2,400 teams are inoculating citizens from 8am to 2:30pm every day.