Kyauktaw Twsp may face oxygen shortage as pandemic worsens

By DMG 13 Jul 2021

DMG Newsroom
13 July 2021, Kyauktaw 

Eight of the Covid-19 patients in Kyauktaw Township, Arakan State, have been given supplemental oxygen and if the virus-infected population increases, local healthcare providers may find themselves facing a shortage of it, according to the township Department of Public Health (DPH). 

Eight of the 12 people currently receiving treatment for Covid-19 in Kyauktaw Township are suffering from shortness of breath and need to be given oxygen, said Dr. Than Tun Oo, a doctor in Kyauktaw Township. 

“Eight people were given oxygen due to poor health. At present, there is enough oxygen for the virus-positive patients. As more patients become infected with the virus, the need for oxygen may be exacerbated,” he explained. 

Kyauktaw Township had recorded 20 cases of the Covid-19 virus as of July 13, with eight virus patients having been discharged from the hospital. 

Dr. Than Tun Oo said it would be difficult to control the pandemic due to local people’s poor compliance with virus prevention regulations. 

“There are only five oxygen cylinders in Kyauktaw. We ordered oxygen cylinders from Magway but could not get there due to traffic congestion and queues to get oxygen there,” said U Saw Shwe Tun, treasurer of a local social organisation that donates oxygen to needy patients.  

“Oxygen is urgently needed right now. When those five oxygen cylinders run out, there is nothing left. Without oxygen, patients can die within three to four minutes. Therefore, I would like to ask other civil society organisations to help in getting oxygen in Kyauktaw Township,” he added. 

Civil society organisations in Kyauktaw Township also needed to help set up an oxygen generator to prevent shortages of oxygen for Covid-19 patients, he added. 

Covid-19 and its multiple variants can cause serious respiratory problems, and oxygen demand is currently on the rise across Myanmar as more and more patients have to be fitted with oxygen tubes. 

U Hla Thein, a member of the Arakan State military council, has previously downplayed the prospect of oxygen shortages in Arakan State, saying the local government was planning to provide sufficient oxygen to those patients in need. 

During the ongoing third wave of Covid-19 (since May), a total of 853 infections and 16 deaths had been reported in Arakan State as of July 12.