The highly anticipated mass inoculation campaign kicked off on 27th January when a nurse of Kurmitola General Hospital, Runu Veronica Costa, got the first shot in Bangladesh. Government confirmed that large scale inoculation will begin from February 7.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the nationwide vaccination programme via videoconferencing and witnessed the administration of the first five vaccine shots.
“We have vaccinated five persons, and all of them are in a sound condition,” said Zahid Maleque, the minister of health and family welfare. “25 more will be vaccinated today. Tomorrow, we’ll vaccinate around 500 people in five hospitals simultaneously. And we will start the procedure of vaccination in the whole country from February 7.”
Bangladesh, with the onset of COVID-19 vaccination drive, intends to administer more than 30 million doses over the next few months. The first batch of people who received the first shot of the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine at Dhaka’s Kurmitola General Hospital on Wednesday included a nurse, a doctor, a military official, a traffic policeman and a senior official of the government’s health department.
Bangladesh has received seven million vaccine doses from India, including two million as gifts from the Indian government and the rest were purchased from the Serum Institute of India. The AstraZeneca-Oxford University vaccines, manufactured under license by the Serum Institute of India, will primarily be given to front-line workers, including doctors and nurses.
Day 2: VIPs take vaccine publicly to bolster credibility amongst locals to incentivize mass immunization
On the second day of coronavirus vaccination, two state ministers along with several other VIPs of the country received shots publicly to bolster public acceptance of the vaccine and encourage people to join the campaign. They expressed concern over how different quarters of society were spreading misinformation and conspiracy theories against the vaccine as well as instilling fears into the minds of the mass, and therefore they had decided to take the doses to make a statement and debunk the myths surrounding the vaccines.
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, Dhaka Medical College Hospital, Mugda General Hospital, Kurmitola General Hospital and Kuwait Bangladesh Friendship Government Hospital administered the shots to around 500 people. State Minister for ICT Zunaid Ahmed Palak got injected at around 11am to become the first member of the parliament to receive a dose in the country.
Later, State Minister for Cultural Affairs KM Khalid, former communication minister Syed Abul Hossain, economist Wahiduddin Mahmud, Health Secretary Md Abdul Mannan, Information Secretary Khaja Miah, Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Education Khaleda Akhter were also administered vaccine shots.
“A group is spreading false propaganda and fears over vaccines. I didn’t feel any side effects after taking the vaccine. No problem at all,” Palak said. “Let no one pay any heed to those who are spreading rumours on social media and conspiring against the nation. I took the vaccine in front of the media for this reason. The vaccine is safe, everyone can take it without fear.”
State Minister Khalid received the dose around 12pm at Dhaka Medical College Hospital. “The people have this fear that the VIPs not taking the vaccines. We’ve taken the vaccines today to calm the nerves. I’m not feeling any side effects. People have no reason to be afraid,” he reiterated.
BSMMU’s Vice-Chancellor Kanak Kanti Barua was the first to inaugurate the drive there. “I received the honourable ministers after taking the vaccines. I returned to my office afterwards and attended a seminar,” he said. “Everybody’s been working, none of my colleagues who took the vaccine reported they felt sick. This COVID-19 vaccine is safe.” Chief of DMCH’s Ear, Nose, Throat Department Prof Sheikh Nurul Fattah Rumi was the first to be vaccinated there.
Other doctors who had taken the vaccines also reported no side-effects and urged people, especially the lower-class and middle-class demographics at higher risk, to get immunised.
“It feels good to take the vaccine on the first day of the programme. There was no pain, fever, respiratory issues or swelling where I was injected. But taking the vaccine does not mean that I’m completely safe now. The health directives must always be followed,” commented Nandita Paul, senior consultant of Mugda Medical College Hospital’s Department of Medicine, who had received the first shot at the hospital.
Week 1: Follow up
Surokkha App:
By January 31, over 13,000 people have registered online for inoculation against Covid-19 on www.surokkha.gov.bd, which was opened on January 27. On the “Surokkha” website, the list of vaccination centres appears automatically based on the address used in the National ID card. Officials in Directorate General of Health Services said, the app will be available on google play store in a few days.
On January 13, the DGHS had asked all deputy commissioners to send the list of frontline staffers and their NID numbers. Vaccine inoculation will start in 49 centers in Dhaka city and in 613 centers outside. The government has decided to inoculate 1.5 crore people in the first phase- 60 lakh people in the first month and another 50 lakh the following month.
Side Effects:
After 48 hours had passed, the people having taken the jab were once again interviewed. While everybody reported continuing with their daily chores, some mentioned mild body ache and/or fatigue was felt. “Initially I thought I was tired from work and in need of rest. After two days I talked to my colleagues who had also been vaccinated and I am now recognising this as an impact we have all had from the injection,” Dr Lubna Khondker, an associate professor at BSMMU, commented. “But if this is the only side effect I could recognise, I am indeed very happy with my decision of taking the vaccination the first day of the inauguration. It is an honor.”
Bangladesh’s Beximco could sell AstraZeneca vaccine by next month
Bangladesh’s Beximco Pharmaceuticals will buy up to three million doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine from Serum Institute of India at about $8 each for sale on the private market, Beximco’s chief operating officer, Rabbur Reza confirmed.
Beximco, one of Bangladesh’s biggest pharmaceutical companies, is the exclusive distributor of the AstraZeneca vaccine in the country. Reza said Beximco had also had preliminary discussions with other Indian vaccine developers such as Biological E and Bharat Biotech, whose shot was approved this month by India as a backup to the one developed by AstraZeneca with Oxford University.
“As of now, our partner is Serum and we will continue with them, that’s our goal,” the COO said in a phone interview. “If the government wants more vaccines, we can discuss other vaccines too that Serum is working on – if the government wants something other than the AstraZeneca one.”
Serum Institute, the world’s biggest vaccine maker, plans to sell 100 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine for 200 rupees ($2.73) each to the Indian government, and will charge slightly higher for subsequent purchases. India has already bought 11 million doses at that initial rate.
Serum wants to sell the shot for 1,000 rupees ($13.66) a dose on the private market, whenever that is allowed by New Delhi. Though Beximco is initially paying $4 per dose for the vaccine for the Bangladeshi government programme, the price will eventually be adjusted to around the average rate the Indian government would pay Serum, Reza said.
Serum is bearing the cost of transporting the vaccines to the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka from India. The friendly gesture of delivery of the shots of India to its neighbour comes as India strives to meet global demand for vaccines and bolster its reputation as a global pharmaceutical powerhouse. As a low-income country, Bangladesh will also get around 68 million doses of vaccines – possibly including the one developed by Pfizer Inc with partner BioNTech SE – at a subsidised rate from global vaccine alliances.
Serum has partnered with British drugmaker AstraZeneca, the Gates Foundation and the Gavi vaccine alliance to produce more than a billion doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine for poorer countries.
Vaccination drive for cricket players
The Bangladesh Cricket Board announced on Thursday about the vaccination of hundreds of cricket players by the end of February in an attempt to prompt their proposition of restarting domestic tournaments. Apart from two small events last year and the current tour by the West Indies everything has been suspended since March of 2020.
The upcoming campaign will enlist the top 500 players, reportedly. The board did not disclose how it would get the vaccines. But it is to be noted that the BCB president Nazmul Hassan is also the chief executive of Beximco Pharmaceuticals.
Earlier, the Bangladesh Cricket Board had ruled out resuming cricket at all levels until all players are vaccinated.
Bangladesh has recorded 533,000 coronavirus cases and more than 8,000 deaths since March last year.