Bangladesh began inoculating thousands of Rohingya refugees with China’s Sinopharm vaccine on Tuesday as part of a three-day initiative, officials said.
Around 49,000 Rohingya from 34 refugee camps in the Cox’s Bazar district of southern Bangladesh will be vaccinated with the help of UN agencies to curb an uptick in coronavirus disease (COVID-19) infections across the country.
“Vaccination cards have been distributed to some 49,000 Rohingya aged 55 and above,” said Dr. Abu Toha Bhuiyan, a health coordinator at the Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commission.
“If all the Rohingya are not covered by Thursday, we will continue the program for two more days next week,” he said, adding a similar drive will be conducted next month to administer second doses.
Rohingyas have welcomed the move, describing it as a life-saving initiative.
The first COVID-19 case was detected at a Rohingya camp in May last year, with more than 2,662 infections and 28 refugee deaths registered since.
Aid workers have long warned of a potential humanitarian disaster if there is a significant outbreak in the refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, the border district where over a million Rohingya who fled brutal military crackdowns in neighboring Myanmar have found sanctuary.
Around 49,000 Rohingya from 34 refugee camps in the Cox’s Bazar district of southern Bangladesh will be vaccinated with the help of UN agencies to curb an uptick in coronavirus disease (COVID-19) infections across the country.
“Vaccination cards have been distributed to some 49,000 Rohingya aged 55 and above,” said Dr. Abu Toha Bhuiyan, a health coordinator at the Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commission.
“If all the Rohingya are not covered by Thursday, we will continue the program for two more days next week,” he said, adding a similar drive will be conducted next month to administer second doses.
Rohingyas have welcomed the move, describing it as a life-saving initiative.
The first COVID-19 case was detected at a Rohingya camp in May last year, with more than 2,662 infections and 28 refugee deaths registered since.
Aid workers have long warned of a potential humanitarian disaster if there is a significant outbreak in the refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, the border district where over a million Rohingya who fled brutal military crackdowns in neighboring Myanmar have found sanctuary.
