Rakhine COVID-19 Hospital Reports High Recovery Rate

By Min Aung Khine 15 September 2020

Sittwe, Rakhine State—A total of 214 COVID-19 patients have recovered and were discharged from Sittwe People’s Hospital in Rakhine State since Sept. 5, according to Dr. Zaw Lwin, the medical superintendent of the hospital.

A total of 396 COVID-19 patients were admitted to the hospital since cases broke out on Aug. 16 in Sittwe. Of them, 214 have been discharged and 181 others are still receiving treatment while one has died.

“Thirty-eight people who have recovered were discharged today,” Dr. Zaw Lwin told The Irrawaddy on Monday.

While the virus strain found in the ongoing outbreak in Rakhine seems to have a high infectious rate, most of the patients have reported good health and only one person has died and his death was due to underlying, age-related health problems, said Dr. Zaw Lwin.

“A 75-year-man died on Sunday. He saw a doctor for fever and tested positive for coronavirus. He was suffering from heart problems, a stroke and high-blood pressure. He died despite treatment because of his age and underlying health conditions,” said the superintendent.

The man was admitted to the hospital on Saturday and died the following day.

Most of the COVID-19 patients in Rakhine reported a loss of smell, which is a less common symptom than fever and cough. Most of them have not had breathing problems and intensive care treatment has barely been necessary, said Dr. Zaw Lwin.

COVID-19 cases surged in Rakhine after a bank clerk was infected with coronavirus on Aug. 16 in Sittwe.

According to the Ministry of Health and Sports, there were 722 COVID-19 patients from Aug.16 to Sept.14 in Rakhine, which has seen the highest number of COVID-19 cases after Yangon. Currently, 376 COVID-19 patients are still receiving treatment at 14 hospitals across Yangon.

Rakhine State’s government has imposed stay-at-home orders across the state with a 9pm-4am curfew in Sittwe.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko 

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