With the launch of the nationwide vaccination program in Bangladesh on 7 February 2021, the country—intending to immunize 80% of the population in three phases—is gearing up to take the next step in combating the novel Coronavirus. This report aims to shed light on the COVID-19 vaccination program in Bangladesh by means of three surveys conducted over various periods of time, from late January to the end of March 2021. We begin by tracing out the events starting from the first discussions on the vaccine in Bangladesh to all the way up to the end of March this year with the help of media tracking, and then proceed to capture the factors which determine one’s willingness to be vaccinated (WTV) in Bangladesh, with a focus on governance-related factors. We also investigate the differences between the borderline cases. Additionally, we analyze the temporal differences for the youth in terms of WTV. We then discuss our findings of WTV among the urban slum residents. Finally, we present the findings of vaccine registration-related factors among urban slum and rural respondents. The study found a rather high WTV prevailing nationally in early February 2021. The majority of those unwilling to be vaccinated do not feel the necessity of it. Proportionately more urban slum dwellers had heard about the registration compared to rural residents. Women are falling behind in terms of both registration knowledge and completion. The same is also true for certain occupation groups. Social networks and mass media are vital sources of information, and the former is also a major source of encouragement.
Authors: Faruk, Avinno; Quddus, Ishmam Al
Type: Report
Year: 2021
