The Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University or BSMMU has brushed aside reports that its Vice Chancellor Prof Kanak Kanti Barua has tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
“[Prof Barua] is in good health. He is not suffering from the coronavirus disease. Even his sample hasn’t been tested,” the university’s spokesman Proshanto Mazumder told bdnews24.com on Monday night.
He said English daily The New Age carried the report on its online version saying Prof Barua and members of his family caught COVID-19.
“That created the confusion,” Proshanto said.
The newspaper retracted the report later and apologised to Prof Barua, bdnews24.com reported citing the university’s spokesman.
The New Age also published another report later saying the VC’s Private Secretary Aminul Islam and members of Aminul’s family were infected with the virus.
The lone medical university of Bangladesh is running coronavirus tests and providing telemedicine services amid the outbreak.
Earlier in April, a BSMMU professor had developed the respiratory illness and recovered.