Professor Mohammod Shahidullah also urged the healthcare workers not to let their guard down at a seminar organised by the Society of Surgeons of Bangladesh at a Dhaka hotel on Sunday.
Bangladesh was “dumbstruck” like other countries in the beginning of the pandemic, but it “achieved the capability” to tackle the virus gradually, said Prof Shahidullah, the president of Bangladesh Medical and Dental Council.
The doctor said following the health rules – wearing masks, washing hands with sanitiser or soap and water, and keeping physical distancing – is the best way to prevent infection because no-one knows for sure when a vaccine will be available.
“These are no rocket science. If we can do these three things, I think we will be able to stave off a second wave,” Shahidullah said.
Health Minister Zahid Maleque said at the programme that the government will be able to say which vaccine Bangladesh can accept after “a few more days”.
“We will take the vaccine that will be available fast and at a reasonable price,” he said.
He also said the government will take vaccines from Bangladeshi firm Globe Biotech if they are proved effective and safe in trials.
The World Health Organization has recently included three candidates of Globe on its list of experimental vaccines in pre-clinical trial stages.
The minister also hit back at those who criticised the Health Services Division in the seven months after the coronavirus outbreak began, saying that none of the critics stood by the people.