The government today administered Covid-19 vaccines to 120 students aged between 12 and 17 from three schools in Manikganj on a trial basis.
Health and Family Welfare Minister Zahid Maleque inaugurated the trial run vaccination programme at Colonel Malek Medical College Hospital of Manikganj.
"A total of 120 students aged between 12 and 17 received Pfizer jabs... we will observe their health condition for seven to 14 days," Director General of Directorate General of Health Service (DGHS) Prof Dr Abul Bashar Mohammad Khurshid Alam told BSS this afternoon.
If any positive report from the vaccinated students is found, a large scale inoculation programme for students in Dhaka city will be launched, he added.
The health ministry sources said the government has decided to vaccinate children aged between 12 and 17 years as the World Health Organization (WHO) has agreed on Pfizer jabs for this age group of kids.
Children will be allowed to complete their registration using their birth registration certificate, it added.
Bangladesh set a target to vaccinate the country's 80 per cent population by 2022 under an accelerated inoculation campaign, expecting receipt of required COVID-19 jabs within the estimated timeline.
