Infection Cases Increasing Drastically In Yangon, Myanmar Faces Third Wave Of COVID-19

JAKARTA - The COVID-19 case has gone crazy in Yangon City, after hundreds of infections were reported in the past two weeks, leaving Myanmar facing the third wave of COVID-19.

Myanmar's commercial capital has grown to become the second hotspot for the spread of the coronavirus in Myanmar after the Sagaing Region, due to 600 infections reported in the past two weeks.

More than half of the total infection cases of COVID-19 during this period came from a cluster of private schools in Hlegu. Making Myanmar recorded more than 147,000 cases of infection.

“Yangon has seen more than 600 cases over the past two weeks. This spike was caused by more than 350 cases in Hlegu,” said Dr. Khin Khin Gyi, director of the Epidemiology Unit of Emerging Infectious Diseases of the junta-controlled Ministry of Health and Sports (MOHS), reported The Irrawaddy Sunday, June 20.

The cluster of infections at Mahawthahta Private High School was detected after a student who reportedly lost her sense of smell, one of the symptoms of COVID-19, turned out to be positive in the second week of June.

Meanwhile, a teacher at the school died of COVID-19 while being treated at the Hlaing Tharyar Hospital in Yangon on June 10.

Dr. Daw Khin Khin Gyi said on his Facebook page on Monday last week, as many as 246 of the 456 students, teachers, and school staff tested positive for COVID-19 Currently, 246 COVID-19 patients are isolated at the school and being treated there.

Myanmar was hit by the third wave of COVID-19 on May 27 but is still under control according to the ministry. Sagaing became the region with the largest infection cases, reaching more than 800 cases, followed by Yangon with more than 600 cases, and Chin State with more than 500 cases.

The military regime has imposed stay-at-home restrictions and orders for a number of states, such as Tamu and Kale in the Sagaing Region.

As well as the cities of Hakha, Tonzang, Falam, Tedim, and Thantlang in Chin State, with schools in those cities ordered to close from the first week of June.

Schools were also ordered to close on June 14 in Letpadan Township in Bago Region, after cases of COVID-19 were reported there. The MOHS imposed a stay-at-home order in the township on Friday night.

Since the coup, the military regime has struggled to maintain COVID-19 prevention, control, and treatment, as thousands of government medical staff and many volunteers refuse to work for the junta. Meanwhile, members of the public also chose not to receive COVID-19 injections under the military regime.

The Ministry of Health is reportedly only able to conduct around 1,500 to 2,000 COVID-19 tests per day, compared to between 16,000 and 18,000 tests under the ousted civilian government.

For information, as of Sunday, June 20, Myanmar recorded a total of 147,615 cases of COVID-19, with 3,258 deaths and 133,537 recovered patients, as reported by the Wolrdometer.

Meanwhile, as of Sunday, June 20, the Association for Assistance to Political Prisoners (AAPP) recorded 872 civilians were killed and 6,219 detained, with 5,033 of them still in detention since the coup of the Myanmar military regime on February 1.

Myanmar Coup. The VOI editorial team continues to monitor the political situation in one of the ASEAN member countries. Casualties from civilians continue to fall. Readers can follow the news covering the Myanmar military coup by clicking this link.