Second shot coming for recent Covid vaccine recipients: health official

By DMG 20 Aug 2021

DMG Newsroom
20 August 2021, Sittwe 

Arakan State recipients of Covid-19 vaccines supplied by China during the pandemic’s ongoing third wave will receive their second jab starting later this month, according to Dr. Soe Win Paing, assistant director of the state’s Department of Public Health. 

“We’ve planned to deliver a second dose starting from August 26. More than 94,000 people who got the first dose will be vaccinated. Currently, the vaccines haven’t arrived yet,” he said. 

Like most Covid-19 inoculation regimens globally, the Chinese vaccine requires two shots to complete. 

In Arakan State, more than 110,000 people have been vaccinated since January 2021, according to the state’s Department of Public Health. 

Recipients were injected with vaccines manufactured and donated by either India or China, said Dr. Soe Win Paing. 

Under Myanmar’s military regime, the vaccination campaign is being rolled out on a tiered eligibility basis, starting with those over 65 years of age — deemed more vulnerable to the ravages of the virus — as well as monks, bank employees, civil servants and volunteers helping to combat the virus. 

The Arakan State death toll from Covid-19 in the four-plus months from May 12 to August 19 totalled 358, according to the state’s Department of Public Health, with 3,717 infections recorded across all 17 of the state’s townships. A total of 407 patients were being provided medical treatment as of August 19. 

Sittwe Township has recorded the highest number of fatalities to date, at 91, followed by Taungup Township’s 64 deaths and Kyaukphyu Township’s 33. 

Dr. Soe Win Paing stressed that for Covid-19 patients who are discharged from hospitals, an initial period of rest afterward is important. 

Oxygen levels might be lower due to the respiratory disease’s effects on the lungs, he explained. 

“Some patients who were discharged from hospital died at home because of a damaged lung. Their oxygen level is lower if they work hard while their lungs are damaged. So, they need to take a rest for some time,” Dr. Soe Win Paing told DMG. He added that family members of discharged patients need to adhere to Covid-19 regulations and best practices during the week when the patient is expected to quarantine at home. 

“We tell patients who are discharged from hospital to stay under home quarantine for a week. Family members need to have a social distance of six feet from the patient to prevent from being infected,” he said.