Mask distribution campaign in Sittwe seeks to stem rise in COVID-19 infections

By Kyaw Thu Htay 23 Nov 2020

Kyaw Thu Htay | DMG
23 November 2020, Sittwe

Public health advocates in Sittwe launched a mask and face shield distribution campaign at seven busy junctions in the Arakan State capital on November 23 as the numbers of COVID-19 infections and deaths are once again on the rise in the state.

With infections increasing after gatherings of people during the election period, the distribution campaign is being carried out in cooperation with the government, according to Ko Zaw Zaw Tun, a spokesperson for the Arakan Humanitarian Coordination Team (AHCT).

“They cast votes. They celebrated. Virus infections surged again after the election,” explained Ko Zaw Zaw Tun. “The government concluded the need to control the virus across the nation. We did it in cooperation with the government as we want to remind the people again.”

He said AHCT members would continue their campaign over the coming days.

“COVID-19 is transmitted through the respiratory tract. We have been doing the campaign as we want the people, by being given the education, to change their behaviour and not to get infected through busy places,” said Dr. Soe Win Paing, assistant director of the Arakan State Department of Public Health.

“It is best if there is no gathering. However, some people have to go out for various reasons and the main protections are masks and face shields. So the idea is we are educating people to avoid transmission, even as shoppers inevitably have to do their job. We also want people to change their habits,” Dr. Soe Win Paing added.

The Arakan State Department of Public Health said they will be distributing masks and face shields in other townships as well.

The death rate from COVID-19 in Arakan State is 0.7% or seven deaths per 1,000 infections, Dr. Soe Win Paing told DMG last week. In total, 28 patients have died in the state so far.

As of press time, Arakan State had recorded 3,361 infections, with 3,140 patients having been discharged from hospitals following recovery.

Currently, 221 COVID-19 patients are receiving treatment at hospitals in the state, according to November 22 figures from the Arakan State Department of Public Health.