British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has extended his thanks to British Bangladeshis for everything they have done in their struggle against Covid-19.

“Let’s look forward to the next 50 years of friendship between Britain and Bangladesh. Joy Bangla,” he said in a video message as they also celebrated the Golden Anniversary of Bangladesh’s independence on Thursday.

The British prime minister mentioned that just this week the UK donated over four million AstraZeneca vaccines to Bangladesh through Covax, the vaccination alliance.

“So, get boosted now for yourself, for your friends and your family,” he said, noting that at this moment thousands of “fantastic” doctors and nurses of Bangladeshi heritage are working in their National Health Service (NHS), providing care and comfort and saving lives.

Johnson said the best thing they can all do to support their efforts and keep them safe is to get “booster” jabs as soon as possible.

“So please go online and book your booster jab to protect yourself and everyone else from the Omicron variant,” he said.

He said the faster they are all protected, the faster they can overcome this new threat.

“And press ahead with building back better and building back greener. Britain will do that in partnership with Bangladesh in the spirit of 50 years of friendship,” he said.