Possible Covid cluster among vaxed group raises concerns at IDP camp in Kyauktaw Twsp

By DMG 20 Sep 2021

DMG Newsroom
20 September 2021, Kyauktaw

Thirty-three internally displaced people (IDPs) from Taung Min Kala IDP camp in Kyauktaw Township, Arakan State, are ill and have lost their sense of smell, raising concerns about a potential coronavirus infection cluster despite the 33 having been recently vaccinated.

They are sick and coughing, as well as suffering muscle pain and lost sense of smell, and are being provided attentive medical treatment, said U Aung Kyaw Win, manager of the camp.

Five elderly people and two 10-year-olds are included among the 33 patients, he added.

“It is about three weeks and some of them are recovered. We placed them separately and told them to stay in line with Covid-19 prevention regulations,” U Aung Kyaw Win said.

If the number of people who report losing their sense of smell increases notably in the camp, he will impose a lockdown on the camp, he added.

One of the 33 IDPs who lost their sense of smell is a 40-year-old woman who said she is worried about her health as she has underlying conditions.

“I am worried because I have a heart problem. I’ve lost my appetite and do not smell. When I’ve been sick previously, I did not suffer such symptoms. I feel shortness of breath a bit at night while I am trying to sleep,” said the woman, who declined to be named.

The IDPs who have experienced symptoms of Covid-19 are being provided close medical treatment, said Dr. Than Tun Oo, superintendent of Kyauktaw Township Hospital.

“Those who lose their sense of smell are under quarantine. ... There is no patient in critical condition,” he told DMG.

A total of 531 people are sheltering at Taung Min Kala IDP camp and they are Arkanese, Mro and Khami people.

As of September 18, a confirmed 4,614 coronavirus cases and 444 related deaths were reported in Arakan State during the ongoing third wave of Covid-19, according to the state’s Public Health Department.