Turkey’s Health Ministry added seven new professors to a scientific board that is assisting the ministry in the fight against the coronavirus, while a second board will soon be announced to look into the sociological, psychological and religious aspects of the pandemic, the Diken news website reported on Monday.
The scientific board was first assembled with 31 scientists in January, chaired by the Health Minister Fahrettin Koca.
“Different from a period in which cases and numbers were discussed, we are engaged in an effort to form a board with experts from other fields that will work on the psychological, sociological, religious and statistical aspects [of the outbreak],” Koca said at a press conference a few days ago.
Ahmet Saltık, a Turkish academic, on April 2 called on the scientific board members to resign because he claimed the political decision-makers do not listen to their voices in meetings.
As of April 5 Turkey had officially reported 27,069 cases of COVID-19 with a death toll of 574.
Turkish Minute