By Md. Kamruzzaman
DHAKA, Bangladesh (AA) – Bangladesh has inoculated over 2.8 million people with COVID-19 vaccinations, the highest number ever in a single day, as part of a six-day special immunization campaign, said an official statement on Sunday.
According to a government health bulletin, 2.8 million people were immunized on Saturday, with a record 2.7 million receiving their first dose.
Since the country began mass vaccination in February, nearly 17.6 million doses have been given to people, including both first and second doses.
The government last week announced it would give 10 million doses on Aug. 7-14. However, due to a vaccine shortage, the country backed out of the ambitious project and set a target of inoculating at least 3.2 million people in the period.
During the six-day drive, people will be inoculated at 4,600 unions, 1,054 wards under municipalities, and 12 city corporations across the country, including the capital Dhaka.
The vaccination drive involves a total of 32,706 vaccinators and 48,459 volunteers.
Bangladesh is currently experiencing its deadly second pandemic wave, with over 200 daily fatalities and more than 1,000 cases on average.
With 261 deaths on Saturday, the country set a new record for single-day fatalities, bringing the total to 22,411, while the caseload surpassed 1.3 million, including 8,136 new cases. However, nearly 1.2 million people have recovered from the disease so far.
Bangladesh has been on a stricter nationwide lockdown since July 1 to stem the spread of COVID-19, with the exception of a nine-day break during the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha.