Catholic nurse Runu Veronica Costa (front) with her colleagues
By Sumon Corraya
Jan 28 2021
38-year-old Runu Veronica Costa works at the Kurmitola General Hospital in Dhaka. The facility hosted the inaugural day of the campaign. Mass vaccination will begin on February 7. Dhaka has already purchased 30 million doses from the Oxford-AstraZeneca company, produced in India.
DHAKA – The vaccination campaign against Covid-19 started today in Bangladesh. On this first day, of great symbolic value in the fight against the global pandemic, a total of 25 people received the first vial and, among them, there was also the Catholic nurse Runu Veronica Costa (in the photos).
The woman was able to take advantage of the inoculation as she belongs to the category of health workers, among the most exposed in the fight against the virus, receiving the vaccine at 4 pm local time.
Runu Veronica Costa, a 38-year-old from the parish of Santa Rita in Mothurapur, a village in the metropolitan area of Pabna, works at the Kurmitola General Hospital in Dhaka and has a long experience in the public health sector.
Other personalities who received the first dose of the vaccine today include: Dr. Ahmed Lutfur Moben, Dr Nasima Sultana, Didarul Islam, and Army General M Imran Hamid. The campaign that took place inside the Kurmitola General Hospital was inaugurated by the Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina through video link from her official residence in Ganabhaban.
As soon as the injection was completed, the premier, who “thanked” all those present at this historic day in the fight against the pandemic, turned to the Catholic nurse asking her if she had fears or concerns about the vaccine. Her confident and smiling answer: “No”.
People with priority access to the vaccine include doctors, nurses, other health professionals, members of government agencies and police forces, the military and journalists, all represented today by at least one member who was able to receive the first administration. After the injection, both the Catholic nurse and the other beneficiaries remained inside the hospital “under observation” for an hour.
The appointment is now for 7 February, when the mass campaign will start, which can be accessed by booking through the “Surokkha” app. The government intends to vaccinate at least six million people for the first month and another five million the next. Bangladesh has purchased 30 million doses from the Oxford-AstraZeneca company produced in its Serum, India plant. Five million doses were delivered on January 25, while the first shipment of two million arrived on 21st of the month as a gift from the Indian government. – AsiaNews
