Myanmar Sets Daily Infection Record, Military Regime Admits Difficulties Facing COVID-19

Nurses stage an anti-coup demonstration by the Myanmar military. (Twitter/@HninYuL56255394)

JAKARTA - Myanmar residents have chosen to self-isolate at home, rather than getting inadequate medical services in hospitals, amid a spike in COVID-19 infection cases with the military regime admitting the difficulties of dealing with the pandemic.

Ma Yati has no doubts that she is infected with COVID-19, along with fever, weakness, and loss of sense of smell. However, this resident who was born in Kale, Western Myanmar chose to self-isolate at home, rather than getting an official test or entering a quarantine center.

"My trust in the junta's healthcare system is 0 percent", the 23-year-old woman told Reuters by phone from her home, where she is now recovering and trying not to infect others.

"The quarantine center has no one to provide care. There will be no one to help in an emergency", she said.

Although there are no figures to show how many, more people like Ma Yati are avoiding Myanmar's health system, despite the doubling of COVID-19 infections, fearing substandard care in hospitals abandoned by medics in protest of the military coup on February 1.

Hospitals in Myanmar are under intense pressure, as the military coup and health workers choose to join the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM), refusing to work under the regime.

Myanmar military regime leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing inaugurated a new hospital. (Source: Global New Light of Myanmar)

As well as increasing the risk to their own health, medics say people's reluctance to get tested for COVID-19 or enter quarantine could lead to more infections.

In contrast, the ousted civilian government appears to have been more successful in easing previous waves of infections, due to people's willingness to submit to testing, tracking, and isolation.

A spokesman for the Myanmar military regime said they were doing all they could and asked for cooperation in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic in the Land of a Thousand Pagodas.

"There are difficulties now. We know charity groups and people are also having difficulties and we would like to ask them to cooperate with us", regime spokesman Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun told a news conference.

Neither he nor the health ministry responded to further questions about the handling of the outbreak. But one of the junta's responses to the crisis has been to open military hospitals to the public and improve services there.

Late Monday, Myanmar's health authorities said the country recorded a record daily infection case of 5,014 infections, the first time it has surpassed 5,000. Launching Worldometers, Myanmar's total recorded 197,227 positive cases, 3,927 people died and 148,060 patients recovered.

Burmese military regime spokesman Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun (Source: rfa.org)

With more than a third of positive tests of COVID-19, the figures doctors say suggest the outbreak is much wider than official testing figures suggest.

"The recent rise in COVID-19 in Myanmar is truly worrying. The very high rate of positive cases over the past few weeks, suggests a much wider range of infections. This is quickly becoming critical, as many people still have limited access to hospitals. and health care", said Joy Singhal, Head of the Myanmar Delegation, International Federation of Red Cross, and Red Crescent Societies.

Separately, Myanmar's underground Government of National Unity says the system previously built under Aung San Suu Kyi is now destroyed by the military.

"Health care systems and services have fallen apart due to the military's persecution and terrorism against the people", said Dr. Sasa, a medical doctor, and spokesman for the underground National Unity Government.

To note, days before the coup Myanmar had started one of the first vaccination campaigns but stalled amid widespread public refusal to accept any assistance from military authorities.

The former head of the vaccination campaign, Htar Htar Lin, who was appointed by the ousted civilian government, is among dozens of medics who have been arrested.

On Monday the Myanmar military regime announced plans to ramp up COVID-19 vaccinations, in part with help from its biggest foreign ally, Russia.

The Myanmar Coup. The editor of VOI continues to monitor the political situation in one of the ASEAN member countries. Civilian casualties continue to fall. Readers can follow news about the Myanmar military coup by tapping this link.