Those who contract the coronavirus while waiting for their booster dose cannot get the vaccine immediately after testing positive, said Prof Nazmul Islam, a spokesman for the Directorate General of Health Services.
“If someone is eligible for the booster dose and receives a message with the date it will be administered, but contracts the coronavirus before they receive it, they will have to wait six weeks for the booster,” he said.
Bangladesh launched its COVID vaccination programme in February 2021. On Nov 1, it began administering doses of the vaccine to school students in Dhaka between the ages of 12 and 17. This was later expanded nationwide on Jan 1.
On Dec 28, the Directorate General of Health Services launched its booster dose programme.
People over the age of 60, those working on the frontlines of the pandemic and those with serious health risks were the first to get the booster vaccine. The general age limit was lowered to 50 on Jan 17. It was lowered again to 40 on Sunday.
According to the DGHS, some 97 million people in Bangladesh have received the first dose of the COVID vaccine as of Saturday. Of them, 61 million have received the second dose as well. The booster dose has also been administered to 1.46 million people.
