Mohammad Al-Masum Molla

Students would soon be able to get Covid-19 jabs at their own school premises as the government looks to fix the chaotic situation that prevails each day at the eight vaccination centres to inoculate 12-17-year olds.

Once the education ministry sends the list of schools to the Directorate General of Health Services, health professionals go to each premise and inoculate the students, Health Minister Zahid Maleque told The Daily Star yesterday.

The decision was taken to ease the vaccination process and the new process is likely to start within seven days, he said.

“We are ready to inoculate in the schools from tomorrow but the education ministry has to send the list,” Maleque added.

At present, the government has converted eight schools in Dhaka into vaccination centres, where the schools’ students as well as those in the surrounding areas can come to get the vaccine developed by Pfizer-BioNTech.

The eight schools are Ideal School and College in Motijheel, Hurdco International School at Bashundhara, Southpoint School and College at Malibagh, Chittagong Grammar School in Gulshan, Dhaka Commerce College in Mirpur, Kakoli High School and College in Dhanmondi, South Breeze School in Uttara and Scholastica School in Mirpur.

The government had planned to vaccinate 40,000 12-to-17-year-olds each day from November 1 but the long queues, mismanagement in the vaccination centres and multiple difficulties in the registration process have dampened the excitement surrounding the government’s initiative.