YANGON — Myanmar’s health ministry said on Tuesday that the country’s first two coronavirus patients did not have acute health conditions.
The Ministry of Health and Sports reported the country’s first confirmed coronavirus cases in two men on Monday night: a 36-year-old who traveled to Tedim, Chin State, from the United States, and a 26-year-old student who flew back from Britain to Yangon International Airport.
The student was in a group that was directly sent to a quarantine center in Hlegu Township, Yangon, for 14 days.
Both are Myanmar nationals. They are now in isolation in Tedim General Hospital and Yangon’s Waibargi Specialist Hospital.
Dr. Khin Khin Gyi, director of contagious diseases at the ministry, told The Irrawaddy that neither patient was suffering from respiratory issues.
The patient in Tedim, who a had high fever and sought medical treatment, had since recovered. The student in Yangon had no cough or fever, she added.
The ministry was following World Health Organization guidelines for people coming from countries with confirmed cases and examining everyone who was in contact with them, she added. She urged the public not to panic and to avoid sharing misinformation.
President’s Office spokesman U Zaw Htay said the government officer who met the patient from Tedim at Yangon International Airport before his next flight and five staff from Myanmar National Airlines will be held in home quarantine for 14 days.
He called for the other passengers on the flight to contact the public health department.
“It is a time when the government and the community must work together in responding to this emergency,” Dr. Khin Khin Gyi said.
“Public panic could destabilize the country. The public needs to rely on the trusted media and follow instructions issued by the ministry.”