Myanmar Overtakes Malaysia’s COVID-19 Death Toll
By Zaw Zaw Htwe 24 September 2020
Yangon – Myanmar has overtaken Malaysia to record the third-highest death toll in Asean with 133 deaths reported.
On Thursday morning, Myanmar reported 7,827 COVID-19 cases and 2,085 recoveries.
In terms of reported COVID-19 cases, Myanmar is behind the Philippines’ more than 295,000 cases, Indonesia with more than 257,000 cases, Singapore with more than 57,000 cases and Malaysia with more than 10,000 cases.
Since Aug. 16, Myanmar has reported 7,453 cases, compared to the 374 cases and six deaths in the five months after March 23, when the country’s first case was reported.
Since Sept. 4, 127 COVID-19 deaths have been reported.
Indonesia has reported more than 9,900 deaths and the Philippines has announced more than 5,000 deaths.
Around 600 COVID-19 cases are being reported per day in Myanmar and 865 cases were reported in the 12 hours before Thursday morning.
The Ministry of Health and Sports said COVID-19 cases have been reported in 205 townships across 14 states and regions with only Kayah State reporting no coronavirus cases.
At the center of the outbreak is Yangon, which reported more than 4,700 cases on Wednesday noon with around 400 cases per day. It is followed by Rakhine State with more than 1,100 cases since Aug. 16.
The health ministry has ordered all Yangon residents, except for those on the islands of Cocokyun Township, to stay at home.
Garment factories in the city are also instructed to cease operations until Oct. 7. Other businesses and organizations have been ordered to work from home.
Restrictions in the city have been extended until Oct. 7 as the authorities attempt to trace anyone with a contact history with known COVID-19 patients.
Residents have been threatened with prosecution for leaving their homes without a proper reason.
By Sept. 21, more than 7,400 people who had traveled or had contact with COVID-19 patients have been placed at 98 quarantine centers in Yangon.
On Wednesday, Professor Zaw Wai Soe, vice-chairman of Yangon’s coordinating of COVID-19 prevention, control and treatment committee, said new COVID-19 cases in Yangon have declined from 500 to 300 during the week.
He said the city’s more than 3,500 hospital beds should be sufficient, with patients being discharged after 11 days.
The Yangon health authorities are currently preparing about 1,500 extra hospital beds and more than 100 intensive care beds.
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