Bangladesh is set to begin its COVID-19 vaccination campaign today by inoculating 25 frontline healthcare providers, freedom fighters, journalists and law enforcers at Kurmitola General Hospital in the capital.

Amid a growing public doubt about the vaccine’s efficacy, the mass vaccination would commence on February 7 as the country has so far secured 70 lakh doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine made by the Serum Institute of India.

While visiting the Kurmitola hospital on Tuesday afternoon, health minister Zahid Maleque said that prime minister Sheikh Hasina would inaugurate the vaccination drive at a virtual event at 3:00pm today.

‘She will virtually witness the vaccination of five people here. Thereafter 20 healthcare providers, freedom fighters, journalists and law enforcers will be inoculated on the day,’ he said.

Up to 500 frontline healthcare providers will be vaccinated at four other hospitals in the capital on Thursday for observation for a week before the mass vaccination programme is rolled out on February 7, instead of earlier-fixed February 8, the minister added.

‘We hope that we will achieve the success of the vaccination programme as we did in tackling the COVID-19 crisis under the guidance of the prime minister,’ he said.

The minister later visited Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University where the vaccination is scheduled to begin tomorrow.

‘We are excited to see the preparations for the vaccination here. The observation room, emergency care management facility with medicines — everything is well-prepared,’ he said.

Earlier on the day, the Directorate General of Drug Administration announced its approval of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine for use in the country.

Fifty lakh of the three crore vaccine doses purchased by the government arrived from India on Monday.

DGDA director general Mahbubur Rahman said, ‘We have tested the vaccine from every box and found them alright. So we are issuing the lot release certificate for the 50 lakh doses imported from the Serum by Beximco.’

‘With the approval, there will be no legal restriction from the DGDA — the apex drug regulatory body of the government — to use the vaccine,’ he added.

Bangladesh, which has so far tallied over 8,000 COVID-19 deaths and more than 5.30 lakh cases, on November 5, 2020 signed a deal with the Serum and its local vendor Beximco to procure three crore doses of the vaccine developed by Oxford University and  British-Swedish pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca and manufactured by the Serum.

Bangladesh on Thursday received 20 lakh doses of the vaccine from India as gift.

Mahbubur said that the drug regulatory agency would issue its approval for the 20 lakh doses once they were sent to them.

Some people are spreading rumours about the vaccine so that people reject it, said health minister Zahid Maleque while visiting the BSMMU.

‘Those who are spreading false rumours are enemy of the people,’ he further said.

‘The vaccine has been brought for saving the lives of the people. Any false information and rumour will only linger the COVID-19 crisis,’ he said.

About the demand from health experts for top public leaders to publicly take the shots to gain confidence among the mass people, Zahid said that they would take the vaccine as per the government plan that has prioritised frontline workers.

‘We’ll take the vaccine in time. We have no priority as VIP,’ he said.

According to a study carried out by Dhaka University’s Institute of Health Economics on the perception of the acceptance of COVID-19 vaccines in Bangladesh, only 32 per cent of respondents are interested to take a COVID-19 vaccine now, highlighting doubt about the vaccine’s effectiveness and quality as well as fear of side effects.