A special program has started from today to give the fourth dose of Corona vaccine. Director General of the Department of Health Ahmedul Kabir inaugurated the program at Kurmitola General Hospital in Dhaka at 9 am. According to the Department of Health, people above the age of 60 who have already received the third dose will be vaccinated under the programme. In the circular signed by the member secretary of the Covid-19 Vaccine Management Task Force Committee, Shamsul Haque, it is said in the circular that, besides, frontliners, pregnant women, people aged 18 years and above with low immunity and chronic diseases will be vaccinated during this campaign. Among the frontliners are - freedom fighters, workers of the Ministry of Health and its affiliates and affiliated private healthcare organizations, all employees of public-private and autonomous organizations, law enforcement and military personnel, journalists, bank employees, national team players and others working on the frontline. The fourth dose campaign will be administered only by Pfizer and will be administered at permanent vaccination centers across the country. According to the Department of Health, there are about 1,000 such centres. As of December 14, about 14.9 crore people have been received the first dose, over 12.65 crore people have been received the second dose and about 6.46 crore people have been received the booster dose. The government started the mass vaccination program from February 8 last year with the Oxford, AstraZeneca vaccine prepared by the Serum Institute of India. Later 6 more vaccines from different companies were added to this list. These are - Pfizer, Sinopharm, Moderna, Sinovac, Johnson & Johnson.

The Department of Health said that the fourth dose of the coronavirus (Covid-19) vaccine will start in the country from December 20. This vaccination will be given to people over 60, frontline fighters, pregnant women and lactating mothers to prevent the spread of coronavirus. According to the notification of the Department of Health, the Pfizer vaccine will be given as the fourth dose. This information was informed in a circular signed by Director and Line Director of Health Department, Member Secretary of the Covid-19 Vaccine Management Committee Shamsul Haque. According to the notification, the second or fourth dose can be administered to those who have passed 4 months after receiving the third dose. The notification also informed that all permanent Covid-19 vaccination centers located at city corporation, district, upazila and municipal area nationwide (Specialized Hospitals, Government Medical College Hospitals, 500, 250 and 100 bed hospitals, District Headquarters Hospitals, Upazila Government Health Complex etc. The fourth dose of vaccine should be given in these running booth Apart from this, these vaccination centers include Secretariat, Dhaka Medical College Hospital, Kurmitola General Hospital, Mugda Medical General Hospital, Sheikh Russell Gastroliver Hospital and Government Employees Hospital.

Education Minister Dr Dipu Moni today (Thursday) said those students who have completed two doses inoculation against COVID-19 are allowed to attend classes physically in the schools from February 22.  The minister made this announcement while addressing a press conference at her ministry conference room in the capital.   The decision has been taken after discussion with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina following holding discussion with National Technical Advisory Committee on Covid-19 on different aspects including teaching in class rooms during last night.  “All the secondary, higher secondary educational institutions and universities will be opened,” she said adding that “the students who so far didn’t complete two doses of corona jabs will have to take online lesson or through television.”    But the students and the teachers must have to follow the strict health guidelines aiming to avoid corona infections. Nearly 1,26,57,222 students ageing between 12 and 17 years so far have been inoculating with first dose corona jabs  and only 34,40,448 students so far inoculated with second dose corona jabs.   “We hope that second dose inoculation would be completed for the rest of the students by February 21,” Dipu Moni told the press conference. She, however, told that the class room teaching must be administered with enforcing strict Covid-19 health guidelines. The universities will fix their own schedule, but the university authorities could start their teaching programmes from February 22, said the minister. Regarding opening of the primary schools, the education minister said as per the opinion of the consultants that the infection rate has come down at 12.20 percent and the rate is declining quickly, so, the primary students who so far have not inoculated could come to school within next two weeks. Initiatives on inoculation with corona jabs to those of bellow 12 years will be taken and the World Health Organization (WHO) is working to this end.  The lists of the students under primary and mass education ministry have already been prepared, she said. The brief syllabuses for the current SSC and HSC candidates would be completed shortly and the tentative for the examinations is from June to August.   State Minister for Primary and Mass Education M ZakirHossen, Secretary of Secondary and Higher Education Division Md Abu Bakar Siddique, Director General (DG) of the Department of Secondary and Higher Education (DHSE) Professor Nehal Ahmed, Technical and Madrasha Division Secretary Tariqul Islam, among others, attended the press conference. All the educational institutes across the country are remaining close from January 21 due to rising corona infections. Source: BSS AH

Expatriates are performing an important role in our economy after beginning of the Corona crisis around the globe. Continuation of remittance flow was strong because of expatriates in the pandemic situation. So these remittance fighters have to pay for corona test at the airport that should not be. Expatriates Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Imran Ahmed has announced that from now on expatriates do not need to pay for corona tests while performing those at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport. He said, the ministry will pay 1,600 taka per test on behalf of the expatriates at the RTPCR lab at the airport. The minister was speaking at a view exchange meeting with the expatriates at the Bangladesh embassy in UAE on Saturday. At the program Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi spoke as the special guest. Bangladesh ambassador to the UAE Md Abu Jafar presided over the program. The expatriate welfare minister said, expatriate workers are the remittance fighters of the country. With immense hardship they send money to the country. Their role in the country’s economy is undisputed. The government is proactive for their welfare. As part of that the ministry will pay 1,600 taka per head for performing Covid test for the UAE bound passengers at the airport. AH       

Education Minister Dr. Dipu Moni has said that if Coronavirus transmission rate increases in the country after reopening of educational institutions then those will be made closed again. She said this at Jamalpur circuit house on Saturday morning. The education minister said, all the educational institutions of the country will be reopened from Sunday. If lessons are given abiding by the health safety guidelines then there is possibility of less virus transmission. If the transmission rate increases then the educational institutions will be declared closed. She said, though teaching in the classrooms was suspended but online teaching was going on. Lessons were being continued through television and online platform. She also requested all not to allow children for going to schools if any student or member of the family is infected with Coronavirus. AH

Another consignment of 10 lakh doses Sinopharm vaccines as gift from the Chinese government have reached in Dhaka. A flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in the evening carrying the vaccines. With this 10 lakh doses, so far, 21 lakh doses of corona vaccines have reached in Bangladesh as gift from China. China at first sent five lakh doses of Sinopharm vaccines as gift on May 12. In the second consignment six lakh doses of vaccines came on June 13. AH 

Another consignment of six lakh doses Sinopharm corona vaccine as a gift from China government has reached in the capital. On Sunday at around 5:30 pm two transport aircrafts of Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) landed at Hazrat Shahjalal Airport carrying the vaccines. Earlier, on Saturday a press release of ISPR said that two C-130 J transport aircrafts of BAF left Dhaka to bring the consignment. On May 12 five lakh doses corona vaccine of Sinopharm reached in Bangladesh as a gift from Chinese government. BAF aircrafts brought the vaccines. On May 21 Foreign Minister Dr. A K Abdul Momen had telephone conversation with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. At that time the Chinese foreign minister informed Momen about the second consignment of gift. It was informed from the Chinese embassy that China is closely observing the corona situation in Bangladesh following emerge of the worldwide pandemic. Bangladesh is continuing its fight against the pandemic. For that reason China has stood beside Bangladesh as a friendly country. As a result after the first consignment of five lakh doses vaccine, the second lot of six lakh doses vaccine has arrived. AH      

The second wave of coronavirus infection is prevailing in Bangladesh. For the last several months the detection rate comparing to the tested samples is remaining over 10 per cent. Every day around 30 people are dying after being infected with the virus. And the number of detections is remaining over one thousand. In this situation Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) of the government has delivered new information regarding coronavirus variant. On Sunday, at the regular press briefing IEDCR Director Professor Dr. Tahmina Shirin told the news media, we have done 263 genome sequencing and fresh coronavirus variants are being traced in the country. So far, we have found 27 UK variants, 85 South African variants, five Nigerian variants and 23 Indian variants. She said, tracing new variants is not an exceptional matter. As long as corona patients would be identified then there will be transmission and new variants would be found. So, whatever the variant is, we have to abide by the health protocols. Vaccine has to be taken on time. In this way we can decrease number of transmission and will be able to control the pandemic. AH

In Bangladesh 13 people have been detected with coronavirus Indian variant. It was known that of the 13 people seven are from Chapainawabganj district. The news of this type of detection was published on German global information database GISAID. It was known that of the infected 13 people five have recently returned after visiting India. And the rest eight people were infected while staying in Bangladesh. IEDCR has collected the samples from these persons. On May 8 Indian variant of coronavirus (B.1617.2) was detected with two persons for the first time in Bangladesh. Both of them have recently visited India. So far five coronavirus variants have been detected in the country. These are variants of UK, Brazil, India, South Africa and Nigeria. AH

One lakh 620 doses of coronavirus preventive vaccine are going to arrive in the country which are being got from Covax. Maidul Islam, Senior Information Officer of health and family welfare ministry confirmed the information to Rtv online. Earlier the Directorate General of Drug Administration approved Pfizer vaccine in the country for emergency use. With this total four vaccines were authorized in the country. AH