Bangladesh eyes COVID-19 booster shot for senior citizens, frontliners after Omicron cases reported
Source: Xinhua | 2021-12-14 | Editor:Ines
Bangladesh plans to step up work on a precise guideline over the campaign of booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine in the country following the discovery of Omicron cases.
The government issued a directive to relevant departments at a regular cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the wake of the rapidly transmissible variant Omicron surfacing in different parts of the world as well as in Bangladesh.
The directive also followed the latest suggestions of the country's health consultative body, which recommended senior citizens and frontliners get a COVID-19 booster shot six months after the second dose.
The government's National Technical Advisory Committee on COVID-19 suggested that the frontliners and those aged 60 and above, who received the second jab at least six months ago, be given booster doses of COVID-19 vaccine.
The committee during the meeting held on Dec. 11 recommended limiting any gathering and meeting to control the new Omicron variant of the virus.
It said all the meetings should be held online unless absolutely necessary.
It also stressed the need for screening, quarantine and isolation around the country as part of various beefed-up measures to rein in the COVID-19 pandemic.
Health Minister Zahid Maleque said Saturday that the Omicron variant was detected in two female cricketers of the Bangladesh Cricket Team. The cricketers returned to the country recently from Zimbabwe, he added.
The Bangladeshi government has recently made 14-day institutional quarantine mandatory for those returning from seven African countries as part of precautionary measures to rein in the new variant of the COVID-19.
On Monday, Bangladesh reported 385 new cases and three new deaths from the virus, bringing its total tally to 15,79,710 with the death toll standing at 28,031.
You May Like
-
Another span of Bangladesh's longest Padma Bridge installed
InKunming 2020-11-02 -
India's COVID-19 tally rises to 7,706,946, Bangladesh's case...
InKunming 2020-10-23 -
Floods hit Faridpur, Bangladesh
Floods triggered by heavy seasonal rains and onrush of water from hills have worsened again in parts of Bangladesh, including central Faridpur district, some 10...
InKunming 2020-07-20 -
Floods in Bangladesh affect over 1.3 million people
The floods in parts of Bangladesh have affected over 1.3 million people and displaced tens of thousands of families, official data revealed Sunday.
InKunming 2020-07-13 -
Bangladesh passes 67-bln-USD budget for next fiscal year
The Bangladesh parliament on Tuesday passed a record 5.68-trillion-Taka (nearly 67 billion U.S. dollars) national budget for the 2020-21 fiscal year (July 2020-...
InKunming 2020-07-01 -
Bangladesh slowly hits restart button on economic activities...
Offices, businesses and transports resumed in Bangladesh Sunday on a limited scale after being suspended for over two months following the COVID-19 outbreak.
InKunming 2020-06-01 -
Preparations on full swing as cyclone "Amphan" approaches Ba...
Bangladesh on Wednesday raised its storm danger signal to the highest level of 10 as "very severe" cyclone "Amphan" formed in the Bay of Bengal is heading towar...
InKunming 2020-05-21 -
Bangladesh's COVID-19 cases reach daily high of 887
The number of new COVID-19 infections in Bangladesh rose by 887 on Sunday, the highest daily increase since March 8.
InKunming 2020-05-11 -
Bangladeshi gov't launches open market sales of essentials a...
The Bangladeshi government has launched open market sales (OMS) of essentials at subsidized rates in parts of capital Dhaka.
InKunming 2020-04-13 -
Bangladesh to conduct population, housing census next year
Bangladesh will conduct countrywide population and housing census early next year.
InKunming 2020-01-10
