Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Vaccines running out, second dose jabs to last one more week: DGHS

Vaccines running out, second dose jabs to last one more week: DGHS

THE CURRENT stock of the Covid-19 vaccines in Bangladesh will be able to support the second dose of vaccination for only one more week.

The declaration came from Prof Nazmul Islam, spokesperson for the Covid 19 management of Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), in a press conference on Sunday (16). 


“With the stock, we have at our hand right now, the vaccination program could be continued for a week maximum,” Prof Islam said adding that people have to take the same vaccine for both doses.

He added that with the current quantity, DGHS will not be able to give the second dose to all the people who have already taken the first dose.

The interim period between two doses of the vaccine has already been increased to 16 weeks from the usual 8 weeks so that the government gets time to acquire the required doses.  The government is trying their best to get the Oxford- AstraZeneca vaccine from other sources so that the first jab takers could get the second jab on time, said DGHS.

Till now over 5.8 million people got their first dose of the vaccine, among whom only 3.7 million people have got their second dose, while 2.1 million are still waiting for their second dose. 

The country has managed to receive 10.3 million Oxford’s AstraZeneca vaccine, 7 million from purchase and 3.3 million as gift from India. Among the 10.3 million doses, the country has already administered over 9.5 million doses and only 0.8 million doses are left in stock.

Besides, the country has also received 500,000 Sinopharm vaccines from China as a gift on Thursday (12). Discussion is going on over getting more Sinopharm vaccines from China, DGHS spokesperson said.

“We are expecting a positive update over the contract for the purchase or production [of Sinopharm vaccine] at the end of this month or early next month,” he added.

More For You

'Hundreds of million pounds can be saved by abolishing NHS'

Keir Starmer speaks with medical staff during a visit to the Elective Orthopaedic Centre at Epsom Hospital in Epsom, England. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)

'Hundreds of million pounds can be saved by abolishing NHS'


HUNDREDS of millions of pounds could be saved and patient waiting lists reduced as prime minister Keir Starmer announced plans to abolish NHS England, the body overseeing the state-funded health system.

In a speech delivered in Hull, Starmer explained his decision to streamline the National Health Service's management structure: "I can't, in all honesty, explain to the British people why they should spend their money on two layers of bureaucracy."

Keep ReadingShow less
Early risers in the UK witness stunning Blood Moon eclipse

The lunar eclipse of Friday may not have been as dramatic as the total eclipses seen in other parts of the world

iStock

Early risers in the UK witness stunning Blood Moon eclipse

In the early hours of Friday morning, stargazers across the UK were treated to a partial lunar eclipse, with many enthusiasts rising before dawn to catch a glimpse. The celestial event, which saw the Earth's shadow partially covering the Moon, began at 05:09 GMT. Although only partial for most UK observers, it still presented a spectacular sight, with western parts of the country and regions further afield, such as the Americas and some Pacific islands, witnessing the eclipse.

For some, like Kathleen Maitland, the experience was magical. Stargazing from Pagham Harbour in West Sussex, she described the beauty of watching the Moon gradually darken and transform into a reddish hue, with the sunrise unfolding behind her. The eclipse gave rise to the so-called "blood Moon," a phenomenon that occurs when the Moon moves into the Earth’s shadow, turning a dusky red as sunlight is refracted through the Earth's atmosphere.

Keep ReadingShow less
Sangam Foundation celebrates Women's Day

From L- Reetu Kabra, Maya Sondhi, Shobu Kapoor and Meera Syal during Sangam Foundation's Women's Day celebrations.

Sangam Foundation celebrates Women's Day

HUNDREDS of women gathered for the International Women's Day celebrations of Sangam Foundation last week. Prominent actresses Meera Syal, Shobhu Kapoor and Maya Sondhi have attended the event, a statement said.

The British Asian celebrities shared their experiences of breaking into an industry rife with misogyny and prejudice. The industry veterans also talked about challenges they faced in a male-dominated field.

Keep ReadingShow less
Asian tycoon Sudhir Choudhrie  backs Liberal
Democrats with £23,000

Sudhir Choudhrie

Asian tycoon Sudhir Choudhrie  backs Liberal Democrats with £23,000

BUSINESSMAN Sudhir Choudhrie has emerged as one of the biggest British Asian donors to the Liberal Democrats in the last quarter of 2024, according to the latest data from the Electoral Commission.

Choudhrie, currently an advisor on India to the leader of the Liberal Democrats, contributed on six different occasions to the party between October and December 2024, totalling more than £23,000. He contributed in a similar fashion in the previous quarter as well.

Keep ReadingShow less
Sunak is ‘content in his MP role
and has no desire to move to US’

(From left) Rishi Sunak with wife Akshata Murty, and parents Usha and Yashvir Sunak

Sunak is ‘content in his MP role and has no desire to move to US’

RISHI SUNAK “loves being an MP” and has no intention of flying to California to begin a new life in America, as his enemies alleged during the general election campaign last year.

And, unlike Boris Johnson, he is not striving to be prime minister again, even though he is still only 44.

Keep ReadingShow less