Bangladesh to allow vaccination for students aged 18 and over

By SM Najmus Sakib

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AA) - To help Bangladesh’s educational institutions gradually reopen, the country is allowing students aged 18 and over to use the government’s COVID-19 app to schedule vaccinations.

A feature for students in the vaccination app has already been installed, Dr. ABM Khurshid Alam, head of the Health Services Directorate General, told the media Friday.

The decision was made to ensure students’ safety and help schools gradually reopen as directed by the government, he added.

Earlier this month, the directorate backtracked from a decision to lower the minimum vaccination age to 18 for everyone, instead keeping the age at 25, but now has lowered the age for students.

Bangladesh is among 19 countries which didn’t reopen educational institutions during the pandemic at all despite repeated calls from the UN, education rights advocates, and experts.

Students who were studying abroad but got stranded in Bangladesh in the pandemic or are seeking admission to universities abroad can get COVID-19 jabs for an extended period of time until Aug. 26, according to a Foreign Ministry statement.

Bangladesh has so far administered over 22.41 million vaccine doses to its citizens, including over 6.1 million second shots.

Bangladesh on Thursday reported 159 more coronavirus-related deaths and 6,566 new cases, bringing the country’s death toll to 24,878 and the total number of confirmed infections to nearly 1.45 million, according to the directorate.