Rajshahi city to administer first shot of Moderna Covid vaccine on August 14, 16

The Rajshahi city authorities are going to administer the first dose of Covid-19 vaccine produced by US pharmaceutical company Moderna Inc as they resume the mass vaccination drive in the city on Saturday. 

The shots will be administered on Saturday and Monday, at 84 centres across the 30 wards under the Rajshahi City Corporation (RCC). 

Confirming the matter to Dhaka Tribune, RCC Chief Health Officer Dr AFM Anjuman Ara Begum said only those who had registered for the first dose of Covid vaccine would be able to receive the shot.

Rajshahi Civil Surgeon Dr Qayyum Talukdar said a consignment of Moderna vaccine had already reached the city. 

“This vaccine will be administered in the city corporation area only,” he said.

RCC Chief Health Officer Dr Begum said they had already collected the vaccine shots from the civil surgeon’s office. 

“We have received 60,480 doses of Moderna vaccine,” she told BSS. 

Also Read - Covid-19: Rajshahi hospital records 13 death in a day

As the government conducted a nationwide mass vaccination drive on August 7, Rajshahi also saw a massive surge in the number of people interested in getting their vaccine shots. 

In all 30 wards of the city corporation, 78,873 people received their jabs on August 7 and 8, but then the vaccination campaign had to be suspended as the local health officials ran out of jabs. 

There were four vaccination centres that had the campaign still running, but they too had to shut down due to the shortage of vaccine doses. 

Dr Anjuman Ara Begum said 248,637 people have, so far, been vaccinated, including both first and second doses, in the city, according to BSS. 

Of those, 138,819 received the first dose of Moderna vaccine, 102,562 Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine - both first and second doses - and 6,965 Sinopharm vaccine - both first and second doses.