The health directorate yesterday launched the campaign for administering Covid-19 vaccine booster doses “on a limited scale” in Dhaka.

India has approved Merck’s Covid-19 pill and two more vaccines for emergency use as the world’s second most populous country braces for a possible spike in coronavirus cases due to the rapidly spreading Omicron variant.

Bangladesh this morning officially began administering booster doses of Covid-19 vaccine, but “on a limited scale”.

The government will begin rolling out the booster dose of Covid-19 vaccine on a trial basis for people 60 and over in Dhaka today.

Booster dose of Covid-19 vaccine will officially be administered in Bangladesh from tomorrow, said Health Secretary Lokman Hossain Miah today.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi last night announced Covid-19 vaccine for children between 15 and 18 years of age and booster doses for frontline, healthcare workers and those above the age of 60 from January, amidst mounting cases of Omicron.

British pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca today said that a third, or "booster", dose of its Covid-19 vaccine Vaxzevria (previously AstraZeneca) "significantly" lifted antibody levels against the Omicron strain in a laboratory study.

AstraZeneca Plc said on Tuesday it is working with Oxford University to produce a vaccine for the Omicron coronavirus variant, joining other

Japan has provided 704,010 more doses of AstraZeneca vaccines to Bangladesh, bringing the total number of vaccines from the east Asian country to 4.5 million.

Israel announced yesterday that it will offer a fourth dose of the Covid-19 vaccine to people older than 60, amid concern about the spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.

People aged 60 years and above, and the frontliners can now take booster shots of Covid-19 vaccines by showing vaccine cards, Health Minister Zahid Maleque said yesterday.

Administering Covid-19 vaccine booster dose will begin across the country after updating the registration app “Surokkha”, Health Minister Zahid Maleque said today.

The government is procuring around 20 million Covid-19 vaccine doses from China, using funds given by the Asian Development Bank, under bilateral arrangements.

Moderna Inc said on Monday that a booster dose of its COVID-19 vaccine appeared to be protective against the fast-spreading Omicron variant in laboratory testing and that the current version of the vaccine would continue to be Moderna’s "first line of defense against Omicron."

The campaign for Covid-19 booster doses started in the country yesterday with vaccinating Runu Veronica Costa, a senior nurse at Kurmitola General Hospital.

Health Minister Zahid Maleque today said the booster dose of the Covid-19 vaccine will work against the newly emerged variant Omicron.

The United States government has contributed 1.78 million doses of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine to Bangladesh through the COVAX facility. 

Bangladesh today received 1,197,600 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccines from France under the COVAX facility.

The campaign for Covid-19 booster doses started in Bangladesh today with vaccinating Runu Veronica Costa, a senior nurse of Kurmitola General Hospital who had received the first shot of the Covid-19 vaccine in Bangladesh back in January.

The country would begin a campaign for Covid-19 booster doses at Bangladesh College of Physicians and Surgeons today.