Fight Covid: Bangladesh did better than Sweden, India
Bangladesh has performed better than Sweden and India in the fight against Covid-19, said UNFPA’s country representative Dr Asa Torkelsson yesterday.
Asa, a Swedish citizen, said this during a farewell meeting with Planning Minister MA Mannan in his office.
She has fulfilled her role as UNFPA’s national representative for the past four and a half years, Mannan told reporters after the meeting.
“Dr Asa said that Bangladesh has a population that is at least 20 times larger than Sweden, but the mortality rate in both countries is almost the same,” he said.
People in Bangladesh have responded well to vaccination, Asa said, adding that many citizens in several countries around the world, including the United States, refuse vaccination.
“On the contrary, people in Bangladesh have shown great interest in taking jabs.”
Bangladesh is an example of economic recovery, she said, adding that the country’s economy stalled due to the pandemic, but has now returned to its pre-Covid state.
“The stop, which was also seen six months ago, is not obvious now, as dynamism has been infused into economic activity,” Mannan said, quoting Asa.
Asa also assured the Minister that UNFPA’s activities would increase in Bangladesh in the coming days and that it will place greater emphasis on education and research activities.
In response to concerns from the UNFPA representative on the existence of child marriage, Mannan informed her that the government had made great efforts to curb it.
“Hopefully, the incidents of such marriages will diminish in the coming days,” he added.