by Khin Zar Thwe
YANGON, Sept. 24 (Xinhua) -- It is much more difficult to control the second wave of COVID-19 which broke out in Myanmar on Aug. 16, a health official told Xinhua.
Myanmar has seen a dramatic increase in the number of local transmissions of the virus during the second wave in comparison with that in the first wave since late March.
COVID-19 was first detected in Myanmar on March 23 and during the first wave, imported cases accounted for about 80 percent of the total infections while the rest 20 percent was locally transmitted cases, Khin Khin Gyi, director of Contagious Disease Prevention and Eradication Division of the Public Health Department under the Health Ministry, told Xinhua.
The second wave of the outbreak hit the country again on Aug. 16 and the local transmissions took up 92 percent of the total number of infections while the imported cases accounted for over 7 percent, the director said.
In six months since March 23, the number of infections reached 7,827 on Wednesday morning, the ministry's latest figures showed.
According to the findings, most of the infections were detected from patients aged between 20 and 39 years.
"About 70 percent of the total cases are asymptomatic while the contact history of some patients under investigation has yet to be known. Although they have some symptoms of infection, they have no idea with whom they had come into close contact," the director said.
"Patients aged over 60 years with underlying diseases accounted for 70 percent of the total deaths, but this does not mean that young people will be exempted from infection or death. Young people should not underestimate the infection rate of the disease," Khin added.
Among the total infections, patients aged between 60 and 90 years were found that they contracted the disease not because of going outside, but through family members.
"I lost sense of smell and tested positive three days ago. But apart from losing sense of smell, my health condition is fine and I am gradually getting the sense back now," Kyaw Zin Thant, 24-year-old patient, told Xinhua on Thursday.
"I don't know from whom I got infected, but I'm trying my best to maintain the healthy diet and to keep myself fit during the stay at the medical center. I am doing fine thanks to the support from my family and friends," he said.
According to the ministry's latest report, the infection rate among people who had close contact with infected patients was 20.57 percent, while it was 17.84 percent among patients under investigation and 0.98 percent among people under quarantine as of Wednesday, six months after the COVID-19 outbreak in Myanmar.
Of the total deaths, over 90 percent are patients with underlying diseases, the official said.
During the second wave of the outbreak, new death cases have been reported daily in the country and the death toll has risen to 133 on Thursday morning, according to the ministry's figures.
Myanmar reported first COVID-19 death on March 31 and only six deaths were reported in the first wave of the outbreak.
The death count reached three-digit numbers in over 20 days since Sept. 3 during the early stage of the second wave.
"Staying at home and wearing masks when you have to unavoidably go out is the effective and cost saving strategy," Union Minister Myint Htwe for Health and Sports said in his recent message to the public.
The minister called for cooperation and active participation of the public in the fight against COVID-19.
The minister also highlighted the need to protect frontline medical workers from infection while reducing the mortality rate of patients to provide systematic management on creating more quarantine facilities and aggressively conduct contact tracing of the infected patients.
The Myanmar government recently imposed a stay-at-home order in Yangon region, where local transmissions are rocketing in number.
"The situation here can be defined as clusters of cases, not community transmission. Meetings or gatherings in tight, indoor space with little air flow can result the higher infection risk," Khin said.
"Yangon is the most populated region and is a home to migrant workers and factory staff. In some houses, three generations of the family are living together and most of the locals mainly rely on public transport," she added.
In the midst of spike in cases, hospital beds are in demand and the government recently made relaxation of criteria for discharging the patients by reducing the period of staying at hospitals for the patients with minor symptoms, with the aim to reduce overcrowding at the hospitals.
"Arrangements are being made by the authorities to expand the health care facility or centers to accommodate patients," Khin said.
A total of 2,085 patients have been discharged from the hospitals, the ministry's latest figures said.
The daily testing capacity at the country's laboratories reached nearly 6,000 samples, up from around 3,000, she said.
Kayah, located in southeastern Myanmar, is the only one state with no infection case reported so far. Enditem
