Govt to roll out 4th dose of Covid vaccine from 20 Dec

The 4th dose of the Covid-19 vaccine will be administered on a trial basis on 20 December with a target to vaccinate 700 people, said Professor Dr Ahmedul Kabir, additional director general of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). 

He said that initially, the 4th dose would be given experimentally in seven centers, Dr Kabir said at a press briefing on Tuesday on booster doses at the DGHS conference room, adding: From 1 January, people aged over 60 years, frontliners and pregnant women will be vaccinated across the country, 

One hundred people will receive a vaccine from each center on a trial basis.
After that they will be kept under observation for two weeks, Dr Kabir said.

The seven centers are - Dhaka Medical College Hospital, Secretariat Clinic, Mugda Medical College Hospital, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), Kurmitola General Hospital, Government Employee Hospital and Sheikh Russell Gastroliver Hospital. 

People can receive the 4th dose after four months of being inoculated with the third dose. SMS regarding the fourth dose will be sent out from vaccination centres.

On Monday, Health Minister Zahid Maleque said announced that citizens aged over 60 years will get the 4th dose of the Covid-19 vaccine.

The Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina approved it and people can be vaccinated during the ongoing seven-day campaign from any centre, the minister told reporters at the secretariat.

So far, 14 crore people have been vaccinated with the first dose while more than 12 crore people with the second dose and six crore with the booster dose against Covid-19 in Bangladesh.