Information Minister Hasan Mahmud on Wednesday said the demand for sending BNP chief Khaleda Zia abroad was raised with a political reason, not because of her health problems. “Who’ve said Khaleda Zia is in a critical condition? BNP central leaders, including Mirza Fakhrul Islam Almgir and Rizvi said. No physician has said yet that Khaleda Zia is critically ill,” said the minister while talking to reporters at the secretariat. Read:Pro-BNP lawyers’ memo over Khaleda’s treatment to be examined: Law Minister Physicians and Evercare Hospital authorities did not say anything about the necessity of sending her abroad for treatment and it is only BNP’s demand, Hasan Mahmud insisted. “It’s my question whether the BNP leaders have become doctors! It’s also a question whether the government will take any decision as per BNP leaders’ prescription,” he said. “We saw it in the past when Khaleda Zia fell sick; they always demanded the government send her abroad whether it is knee pain or high body temperature, they always demanded the same. It’s a politically motivated demand,” said the minister. They want to send Khaleda to London where Tarique Zia is staying so that she could continue politics from there despite being a convicted accused, the minister said. Khaleda, a 76-year-old former prime minister, was readmitted to Evercare Hospital on 13 November, six days after she had returned home from the hospital. The BNP chief's physicians said she has been suffering from rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, critical cardiac, kidney ophthalmological and dental complications. The hemoglobin level in her blood has also dropped. Read: No scope in law for Khaleda’s treatment abroad, says Home Minister On behalf of the family, Khaleda's younger brother, Shamim Iskander, submitted an application to the Home Ministry on 11 November urging the government to allow her to go abroad for better treatment. Law Minister Anisul Huq, however, recently said the BNP chairperson first has to make a fresh application by going back to jail to go abroad for treatment. A delegation of pro-BNP lawyers on Tuesday submitted a memorandum to Law Minister Anisul Huq seeking the government’s permission to send ailing Khaleda Zia abroad for treatment. They argued that there is no legal obstruction for the government in allowing Khaleda to go abroad. The minister said that they will examine the memorandum.

Am I fully vaccinated without a COVID-19 vaccine booster? Yes, people who got a two-dose vaccine or the single-dose Johnson & Johnson shot are considered fully vaccinated — even without a booster. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says you're fully vaccinated two weeks after receiving a second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, or one dose of the J&J. Read:Almost 25 per cent of India fully vaccinated against Covid-19 The vaccines offer strong protection against serious illness. But U.S. health officials now recommend boosters for some people at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19 based on evidence that protection against milder disease can wane, especially among older adults. The CDC says people 65 and older, long-term care residents and others ages 50 to 64 with health problems such as diabetes or heart disease should get boosters if they got Pfizer shots at least six months ago. The agency stopped short of recommending boosters for people 18 to 49 with health problems, but says they can also get the shot after considering their individual risk. The same is true for anyone 18 to 64 whose job could put them at higher risk for infection, such as health care workers, teachers, first responders, agriculture workers and public transit workers. Read: Biden, McConnell get COVID-19 boosters, encourage vaccines People who got the Moderna and J&J vaccines aren't eligible for boosters yet, but that's likely coming soon. The availability of boosters varies around the world. Britain and Israel have also been giving boosters, despite objections from the World Health Organization that poor countries still don’t have enough for their initial doses.

Countries around the globe are observing the World Hepatitis Day on Tuesday.