Myanmar reported nearly 700 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, yet another 24-hour record for new infections since the junta’s February coup, as the country faces a fresh COVID-19 wave.
The regime-controlled Ministry of Health and Sports (MOHS) recorded 680 new cases nationwide on Wednesday, a jump from 630 cases the previous day.
The latest outbreak started on May 27, with most of the new cases being reported in Sagaing Region, followed by Yangon, Chin State and Tanintharyi Region.
The MOHS has suggested that the virus has spread from India due to illegal border crossings.
In Kalaymyo, Sagaing Region, patients are treating themselves at their homes as they have no trust in the coronavirus care facilities managed by the military regime, according to a Kalay-based humanitarian organization.
“Kalay has had constant contact with India, especially cargo trucks engaged in the border trade, just as India is experiencing a serious outbreak. But people here have failed to take proper precautions, so a new outbreak has occurred. For now, the outbreak is out of control,” said a volunteer.
“There are not enough supplies of oxygen. There are many people treating themselves at home in every ward [in Kalay], taking medicines and breathing oxygen from oxygen cylinders,” he added.
As of June 22, over 200 cases have been reported in Shan State’s Lashio.
On June 15, the MOHS announced that three “highly transmissible and more severe” coronavirus variants – Alpha, Delta and Kappa – have been detected in Myanmar.
Since May, the coronavirus infection rate has increased significantly from over three percent to over 12 percent in June.
More than 2.6 million people were tested for coronavirus between Mar. 23 2020 and June 23 this year. There were 149,927 COVID-19 cases with 3,269 deaths during that period, according to the MOHS.
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