Delta variant brings elevated transmissibility and added concerns: health official 

By DMG 04 Sep 2021

DMG Newsroom
4 September 2021, Sittwe  

Dr. Khin Khin Gyi, director of the Health Awareness Division of the Public Health Department under the Ministry of Health, has warned that the coronavirus’s Delta variant now present in Myanmar is highly contagious and more likely to result in family infections. 

“The Delta variant is the worst and most contagious [of the most common coronavirus variants]. The Delta variant causes family infections and increases the need for oxygen cylinders,” she added.

 There are currently four coronavirus variants of greatest concern; namely Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta. Myanmar has recorded cases of Alpha, Beta and Delta. The Delta variant has spread to more than 160 countries around the world. 

“People also need to be protected from Covid-19 and know that more [variants] could be found in Myanmar. Therefore, the public should adhere to the Covid-19-related rules. If you are careless, you can get the virus. I would like to inform people to be very careful about the risk of deadly viruses,” she said. 

Fifteen people in Myanmar have been identified as having contracted the highly contagious Delta variant, the junta-controlled Ministry of Health said in a statement on August 31. 

The Delta-infected patients are one each from the Arakan State capital Sittwe, Taungoo, Lashio, Monywa, Mawlamyine and Kalay; two each from Yangon and Mandalay; and five from Nay Pyi Taw, the statement said. 

Motorcyclists and pedestrians without masks were reportedly questioned by authorities in Sittwe after the Delta variant infection was detected there. 

As of September 2, a total of 4,241 Covid-19 cases and 400 deaths were reported in Arakan State during the pandemic’s ongoing third wave, according to data from the state’s Department of Public Health.