Sittwe Hospital patient ‘not a coronavirus suspect’: health officials

By Hnin Nwe 01 Feb 2020

Hnin Nwe | DMG
1 February, Sittwe
 
A 20-year-old resident of Arakan State’s Kyauktaw Township who recently returned from China and was hospitalized with illness less than a week later is not being treated as a coronavirus case, Sittwe General Hospital’s Medical Superintendent Dr. Tun Tun Win told DMG.

The sick youth returned to his home in San Thar Pyin village on January 21 and was admitted to Kyauktaw Hospital on January 27. He was then transferred to Sittwe General Hospital, on February 1, where he continues to receive medical treatment but is “not a coronavirus suspect,” according to Dr. Tun Tun Win.

An initial quarantine of the patient has been lifted, he said.

“The patient is not a coronavirus suspect. After making a diagnosis, professors said it is just seasonal flu. The patient was treated separately before, but now has been receiving treatment together with other patients,” said Dr. Tun Tun Win.

Dr. Soe Win Paing, assistant director of the state’s Department of Public Health, also confirmed to DMG that the patient was not a suspected coronavirus case.

“According to the latest information we got, Professor-Doctor Maung Maung Than from Sittwe said no coronavirus was detected. That’s why we are not designating the patient as a coronavirus suspect,” he said.

The Department of Public Health in Arakan State has said it is carrying out measures in the region to raise awareness about coronavirus prevention and control, including instructing local health officials to post notices in public places.