Regular bulletins will offer vaccination info: Health minister

The Directorate General of Drug Administration (DGDA) will stringently monitor the Covid-19 vaccination process to curb any irregularities, and the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) will publish regular bulletins to disperse all information regarding the initiative.

Health Minister Zahid Maleque made the disclosure after a meeting on the application and distribution of Covid-19 vaccines held at the ministry's conference room on Thursday, stating that the government has the capacity to store at least 14-15 crores of vaccine doses in the country.

"So, when 4-5 crore doses of the vaccine arrive in Bangladesh, ensuring their proper application will not be an issue," he said, adding, "After the government's vaccination process kicks off, internationally renowned private facilities will also be allowed on condition to provide vaccines."

Reiterating that the government is fully prepared to launch the vaccination process, the health minister said, "Doses will be distributed from government hospitals across the country. We have made arrangements for storing 4.25 lakh doses at cold rooms of district-level hospitals.

"Besides, each of these hospitals have 5-10 freezers on average, which will allow us to store an additional 71,000 doses of the Covid-19 vaccine. Presently, 7,344 vaccination teams are at the ready throughout the country, and each team has six healthcare workers."

The government is training around 42,000 healthcare workers to carry out the vaccination process. Moreover, an app to support the initiative is currently at the final phase of development under the Information and Communication Technology Division, the minister said.