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Volunteers wearing personal protective equipment carry the body of a Covid-19 casualty to a cemetery in Yangon. Photo: AFP

Myanmar struggles to contain coronavirus as health workers who protested against coup are targeted by junta

  • Myanmar’s health authorities on Monday reported 5,014 new infections, surpassing 5,000 in a single day for the first time
  • ‘We are doing everything we can … even makeshift clinics are continuously raided and the doctors abducted by the junta’s troops,’ one doctor said
Thuya Aung recalls driving through the night last week searching for medical oxygen for his father, who was suffering from Covid-19 at the family home in South Dagon township near Yangon. Thuya’s mission meant defying the overnight curfew imposed by Myanmar’s military junta but he had no choice.

“Time was running out,” the 29-year-old said. “So I have to go out although I know I could be arrested or get shot by soldiers on the way.”

Eventually his mother called. His father had died.

Myanmar’s health authorities on Monday reported 5,014 new infections, surpassing 5,000 in a single day for the first time. The price of oxygen has been driven up by inflated demand. There is already a shortage, leading to queues outside shops. Others search on social media.
A Yangon resident collects a cylinder of medical oxygen from a factory. Photo: EPA

Thuya’s father had been diagnosed six days earlier before being treated at home. The family had taken him to hospital but were told to return home as there was no space.

“Some numbers [we called] couldn’t be reached, some answered [and said oxygen] was no longer available,” Thuya said. “So we had to let him go.

“We didn’t even meet a doctor. The receptionist told us to go home and self-quarantine for 14 days. We felt totally helpless.”

Myanmar’s total number of infections is now almost 200,000 with almost 4,000 deaths. Residents of Yangon and Mandalay, the country’s two largest cities, have been urged to avoid non-essential outings as the infection rate among those tested for Covid-19 has exceeded 30 per cent.

However, these numbers are based on figures released by military hospitals, and may not reflect the true toll. On Monday, about 14,000 Covid-19 tests were administered, down about 30 per cent from before the coup.

Attempts to contain the spread of the virus have been undermined by the fact many health workers have joined the civil disobedience movement to protest against the February 1 coup.

In response, the junta has reportedly arrested and in some cases violently assaulted health care professionals on strike.

The Myanmar Doctors for Human Rights Network on July 1 said there have been at least 240 attacks on health care personnel and facilities, as well as at least 17 deaths. Dr Htar Htar Lin, the former head of the country’s Covid-19 vaccination roll-out, is among those to have been detained.

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Naing, a 24-year-old assistant surgeon at Yangon General Hospital, has resorted to consulting over the phone with patients to educate them about the dangers of the virus.

“I receive more than 80 calls per day from the patients,” Naing said. “We are doing everything we can … even makeshift clinics are continuously raided and the doctors abducted by the junta’s troops.

“People are just trying to survive with directives they see on social media. That’s not right. So we have to explain how to take care of the virus.”

Min Maung Maung, a surgeon captain who defected from the army, recently told Radio Free Asia the detention of medical workers has exacerbated the crisis.

“If the junta gives up power today, all the doctors, nurses and health workers will return to work tomorrow,” he said.

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The curfew imposed by the military also has made matters worse. Volunteers claim the military has been unwilling to help, instead leaving the public to fend for themselves.

“Our ambulance was stopped on the way by soldiers at midnight and [they] warned we should have come out earlier if it was an emergency,” a 24-year-old volunteer from Tamwe township said.

Protesters display the three-fingered salute during a demonstration against the military coup in Yangon. photo: AFP

Over the past month, there have been at least 500 deaths reported in Kalay township in Sagaing, a small city of about 400,000 people where fighting between the military and civilian groups has been intense.

Cases have also spiked in Naypyidaw, the capital, where military leaders reside. Private hospitals have refused to accept members of the public, sending them instead to government hospitals for tests.

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Myanmar has also been plagued by slow vaccination uptake. Before the coup, Myanmar was one of the first countries in Southeast Asia to receive India’s Covishield vaccine.

However, vaccination status has been difficult to track since the military seized power and civilians have rejected vaccinations offered by the junta. Members of the military and government officials have been given priority.

Additional reporting by Kyodo

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