Prime Minister's Special Assistant Barrister Shah Ali Farhad on Sunday encouraged all to receive the coronavirus vaccine.

"Please register. And get vaccinated. If not for you, for your fellow human beings. For the loved ones we couldn’t say goodbyes to," he appealed in post on his verified Facebook account.

He said now is not the time for politics over the vaccine issue. "Please. No responsible human being can speak ill of a lifesaving tool like vaccine," he said.

Sharing his joy over the vaccination drive, Farhad said this is indeed a turning point. "I remember every day since March 8 last year when the first case of Covid-19 was detected in Bangladesh."

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He said he was present at the emergency meeting on the same day with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, where she and her sister, Sheikh Rehana, told them unequivocally that Father of the Nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was the leader of the people.

"And they couldn’t, in good conscience, allow any Mujib Borsho events or gatherings in his name which could potentially put even one of his people at risk," Farhad recalled.

He remembered distinctly, the initial confusion and chaos, not just here, but all across the world. "The surging cases, the lockdowns, the food relief drives, the shortage of PPEs, people turning on their frontline worker neighbours, not adhering to health rules, lack of ICUs and ventilators, and so on. And of course, the pain of not being able to say goodbye to our loved ones."

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But as a nation, Farhad said, "We showed our resilience. We fought back. Strongly. We remedied our shortcomings. Our Prime Minister led the efforts from the front. Our frontline workers, our doctors, our nurses, our medical technologists, our community health workers, our local officials, our administrators, our police, our armed forces, our youth, our volunteers, all came together."

When many countries are still grappling with securing vaccines for their people, and most advanced nations showing their insensitivity by stockpiling large amounts of vaccine at the cost of depriving their fellow least developed and developing nations, Farhad said they were able to secure this lifesaving tool for the people.

"It was the Prime Minister and her team which explored all possible avenues. It wasn’t easy. Let me tell you that," he mentioned.