| English | Dzongkha | Wednesday, April 14, 2021 |
Over a hundred countries have received COVID-19 vaccines from the COVAX facility. But Bhutan is yet to receive it. The World Health Organisation (WHO) country office is still waiting for the Royal Government of Bhutan to sign a document to get the vaccines. The WHO started its first-quarter distribution of COVID-19 vaccines in February.
Coronavirus is spreading like a wildfire in the densely populated region of South Asia. Bangladesh and India saw a surge in the rate of infections and deaths in recent weeks. Bangladesh announced a second lockdown last Saturday and some of India’s largest city said they were on the verge of declaring one. BBS asked Bhutanese residing in India and Bangladesh how they are coping with the situations there.
COVID vaccines provide strong immunity against coronavirus infection only after the second dose is administered. But not many in the country seem aware of it. The health ministry says the country cannot afford another outbreak at the cost of complacency. The ministry is advising public to follow COVID protocols seriously.
As of yesterday evening, the health ministry has administered the first dose of the COVID vaccine to 472,139 individuals. This means almost 94 per cent of the total eligible population have received the vaccine. However, around 37,000 eligible population are yet to come forward for the vaccine.
The government will review the existing restrictions and decide on its relaxations only after the second dose of the COVID vaccine is administered. The health minister shared this yesterday during a press briefing. Lyonpo also urged people to follow the COVID safety protocols even after getting vaccinated.
In the last ten days, almost 90 per cent of the total eligible population were vaccinated. The vaccination drive is still ongoing for people with disability and the elderly as well as for those who missed out.
Except for the two artists from the Royal Academy of Performing Arts (RAPA), so far, no one else from the Prime Minister’s entourage to Bangladesh tested positive for COVID-19. The routine test for the delegates was conducted yesterday. The results were all negative.
Three people accidentally received a double dose of the Covishield vaccine during the vaccination campaign. For now, no severe reaction was reported and they are in good health. Although they took a double dose of the vaccine, they will have to take the second jab during the second vaccination rollout. The vaccination campaign began on […]
More than 370 people in Lunana, in the extreme north of Gasa, received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. The team of seven health officials and seven Desuup personnel will start the home-based vaccination services for elderly people above 70 years of age and people with disability from this Sunday after vaccinating themselves.
The lockdown came down harshly on street vendors, as it did for many other workers in the country’s informal sector. One such example is the street hawkers selling tea and snacks at the sale outlet near the national referral hospital in Thimphu. A year has passed already and the outlet still remains closed affecting the livelihood of the street hawkers.