Awami League leader Obaidul Quader has chided the chief of the health services directorate for his “short-sighted and irresponsible” statements on the likely duration of the coronavirus epidemic, reports bdnews24.com.
It came after Director General Abul Kalam Azad suggested the coronavirus crisis could persist for another 'two to three years'.
Addressing Azad's comments on Friday, Road Transport Minister Quader said: "When the prime minister and the government are striving day and night to keep people's spirits up, such short-sighted and irresponsible statements on the length of the coronavirus epidemic from certain health officials can create despair among the public."
Azad’s comments came at a time when Bangladesh is grappling with surging COVID-19 cases and deaths. The tally of cases crossed the grim milestone of 100,000 in just over three months after the authorities detected the first patient on Mar 8. The government reported half of the cases in the past 16 days.
DG Azad appeared in the daily COVID-19 bulletin on Thursday for the first time since his recent recovery from the respiratory illness caused by the virus.
“The coronavirus situation is not ending in two to three months,” he said, adding that his assumption is based on experiences of different other countries and opinions of public health experts.
“It will last for at least two to three more years, though the level of infection may not remain high,” he added.
