Over 91,000 Sinopharm doses reach Chattogram

The Chattogram district authority will start the second phase of inoculation Saturday as 91,200 Sinopharm vaccine doses reached the port city Friday morning. 

Civil Surgeon Dr Sheikh Fazle Rabbi said the vaccination programme would start on Saturday at Chattogram Medical College Hospital.

"The vaccine doses reached Chattogram in a specialised transport. They were later stored in the expanded programme on immunisation (EPI) cold storage at the civil surgeon's office," he told The Business Standard. 

Earlier, Chattogram received 80,913 vials (about eight lakh doses) of the AstraZeneca vaccine in two phases. Vaccination started on 7 February. 

About 542,274 people have registered to get vaccines and 453,760 have taken the first dose while 348,145 got the second dose. Some 112,715 recipients are still waiting for the second dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

Healthcare workers, police officials, registered expatriates, and students of public and private medical colleges will be able to get vaccinated by showing their ID cards. Students of government nursing and midwifery institutions, medical assistant training schools (MATS), and institutes of health technology (IHT) will be vaccinated in the same way. 

Citizens would be vaccinated in 10 categories, said the civil surgeon. 

"Besides, Chinese citizens living in Bangladesh and those involved in government development activities will get vaccines on a priority basis alongside those engaged in the funerals of Covid-19 victims and cleaning workers of the city corporation," he added. 

However, those who have taken the first dose of any vaccine other than Sinopharm will not be able to receive jabs from this batch.