No plan yet to vaccinate children

The Directorate of General Health Services (DGHS) on Sunday said that there was no plan to vaccinate children under 18 against coronavirus.Md Shamsul Haque, secretary general of Covid-19 Vaccine Management Taskforce Committee of the health directorate, at an online briefing yesterday stated, "We have no knowledge of the plan to vaccinate students below 18 years right now. Since the government is thinking about it, we will be able to inform you once any plan is finalized."

Health and Family Welfare Minister Zahid Maleque earlier said the government was planning to vaccinate children up to 12. The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) on August 20 announced that students as young as 18 could register for the vaccine. The minimum age requirement is 25 for others.

At Sunday's briefing, Shamsul said 1.93 lakh people were waiting for their shots after registering for vaccination. He said, "We believe that vaccinating these people is our number one priority. We are trying to increase the number of vaccination centers and prepare human resources accordingly." COVID-19 is caused by a coronavirus called SARS-CoV-2. Older adults and people who have severe underlying medical conditions like heart or lung disease or diabetes seem to be at higher risk for developing more serious complications from COVID-19 illness.