3rd, 4th doses of Covid-19 vaccination underway

City Desk :
The Directorate General of Health Services has resumed administration of third and fourth doses of Covid-19 vaccination in nine centres of Dhaka from Sunday.

Earlier, the health directorate gave instructions in this regard on Thursday (18 January) as the infection of coronavirus is increasing again and a new sub-variant of the virus was detected in the country.

Dr Mohammad Nizam Uddin, member secretary of the Covid-19 Vaccine Management Task Force at the DGHS, on Tuesday said, “We have sent the required vaccines to the centres.

“The vaccination programme has been initiated with priority given to frontline health officials, individuals aged 60 and above, those aged 18 and above with chronic diseases or poor immunity, and pregnant women.”

In the initial phase, booster doses (3rd and 4th dose) of the Pfizer VCV vaccine will be administered at nine centres in Dhaka city, he said.

These centres are: Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, Dhaka Medical College Hospital, Kurmitola General Hospital, Sir Salimullah Medical College Mitford Hospital, Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital, Mugda Medical College Hospital, Sheikh Russel National Gastro Liver Institute and Hospital, Fulbaria Government Employees Hospital, and National Institute of Ear, Nose and Throat.

Subsequently, the Covid-19 vaccination programme will be gradually expanded to various specialised institutes, government hospitals in Dhaka, government medical college hospitals outside Dhaka, and district-level hospitals.

For the 1st and 2nd doses, the Pfizer RTU vaccine will be used. Initially, vaccination will be provided at Dhaka North City Corporation’s Covid Dedicated Hospital in Mohakhali and Dhaka South City Corporation’s Nayabazar Dhaka Metropolitan General Hospital.