Health and Family Welfare Minister Zahid Maleque has said Bangladesh is now largely safe from the Covid-19 pandemic.

"Bangladesh is among the countries where the Covid-19 death rate against that of its infection is the lowest in the world. Bangladesh is much better off than neighbouring India, Europe or America. Bangladesh is much safer from Covid-19 now," he said today.

 The health minister said this while launching the National Vitamin A plus Campaign 2020 at Dhaka Shishu Hospital in the city.

He opened the campaign by feeding Vitamin A capsules to children aged 6-59 months.

The Vitamin A plus capsules will be given to the children through some 120,000 camps across the country till October 17 under the campaign.

Maleque said Bangladesh has been able to check the Covid-19 pandemic due to the right directions from the PM and the relentless efforts of the country's health workers.

 "When the Covid-19 infection was first detected in the country in March last, many people had started speculating many things. It was said that human corpses would be lying on the streets in Bangladesh. Tens of thousands of people would die from Coronavirus," he said.

About the Vitamin A plus Campaign, the minister said, "If the children are vaccinated, they'll be healthier and talented ones in the future. If they aren't given the vaccines, the children can be infected with various diseases."

 He urged all concerned to implement all the initiatives taken by the government to make sure that not a single child is born with diseases and motivate mothers to go to immunisation centres.

Under the vaccination campaign, about 26 lakh children under the age of six months to one year of age and 1.93 lakh children from the ages of 1-5 will be given Vitamin A capsules.

Vitamin A capsules will be administered in phases through 120,000 permanent EPI vaccination centers, community clinics and other healthcare centers.

Director General of the Health Department Abul Bashar Mohammad Khurshid Alam, President of the National Technical Committee Prof Shahidullah, Line Director Mustafizur Rahman and other senior officials also spoke as special guests at the meeting chaired by Additional Secretary of the Health Services Department Mostafa Kamal.