The inoculation programme was launched at the Kurmitola General Hospital in Dhaka on Monday by Dr Ahmedul Kabir, additional director general at the Directorate General of Health Services, reports bdnews24.

Antibodies for COVID-19 do not remain in the body for extended periods of time and so the government has taken the initiative to distribute the fourth dose of the vaccine to shore up immunity, Kabir told the news portal.

“Nearly 40 million people across the country are eligible to receive the vaccine,” he said. “But the fourth dose of the coronavirus vaccine is currently going out to people over the age of 60, people aged 18 and up suffering from chronic illnesses, people who suffer from diminished immunity, pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers, and those designated as frontline fighters.”

So far, 150 million people across Bangladesh have received the first dose of the vaccine, 125 million have received the second dose, and 65 million have received the booster shot, according to Shamsul Haque, member secretary of the COVID-19 Vaccine Management Taskforce Committee, who was present at the event, reports bdnews24.

Bangladesh announced its move of implementing a fourth vaccine shot at a time when China is witnessing a surge in COVID-19 infection.