The number of Covid-19 fatalities in Arakan State during the ongoing third wave of coronavirus has almost tripled the combined total of statewide deaths in the first two waves of the pandemic.

Some camps for internally displaced people (IDPs) in Arakan State have been hit by flooding due to recent heavy rains while Covid-19 lockdowns are making it difficult for inhabitants to earn money for food, according to camp managers.  

Ex-National League for Democracy (NLD) lawmaker U Min Aung, a former Arakan State MP in Taungup Township, and a fellow party member were charged under Section 25 of the Natural Disaster Management Law at a court hearing on July 26. 

Repeatedly delayed efforts to get the ancient Arakan Kingdom capital Mrauk-U inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site may again be set back as western Myanmar, like much of the rest of the country, remains in the grip of a deadly new wave of coronavirus. 

Arakanese singer Myet Ni aka Ko Nyi Nyi, who was born in Arakan State’s Ponnagyun town, died of Covid-19 at his home in Yangon’s Tamwe Township on Friday evening, according to family members. 

Covid-19 patients will be remotely monitored using CCTV cameras at Sittwe General Hospital as the hospital is understaffed, said the Arakan State Administration Council of Myanmar’s military regime. 

The Peace Process Steering Team (PPST) announced on July 24 that it has formed a virus control group to expedite emergency coronavirus control and treatment services in Myanmar due to the growing Covid-19 outbreak in the country.

A newly built oxygen plant in Mrauk-U Township has refilled about 200 oxygen cylinders since it started production on Wednesday night, according to Nang Yeik Garunar, a community-based charity group helping to supply oxygen in the town. 

The death toll of the pandemic’s third wave in Arakan State had risen to 93 as of July 23, according to the state’s Department of Public Health (DPH). 

Two patients receiving medical treatment at Kyaukphyu Township public hospital died of Covid-19 on July 23, according to philanthropists assisting the virus victims. 

An oxygen plant funded by the military regime at Thandwe Township Hospital in Arakan State starts production on Saturday.

Charities in Manaung Township have stressed the need to keep oxygen reserves due to logistical difficulties with transporting oxygen to the town, which is only accessible by water.

On Facebook and among civil society, criticism mounted of the Arakan State military council, which has maintained that there is enough oxygen to meet the state’s medical needs as shortages due to the Covid-19 pandemic were reported across Myanmar.

U Hla Thein, a spokesman for the Arakan State Administration Council, struck a defensive tone on his Facebook page Friday as social media criticism has piled up over alleged medical oxygen shortages amid the Covid-19 pandemic’s third wave. 

Three novices from the Sasana Linkarya Monastery in Arakan State’s Mrauk-U Township tested positive for coronavirus on July 22. The three novices range in age from 9 to 12. 

The Arakan State Administration Council has instructed healthcare workers not to give interviews to media outlets unless necessary to avoid misinterpretation, adding that the order was intended to prevent misunderstanding between health workers and members of the public. 

Some camps for internally displaced people (IDPs) in Arakan State are in need of food, including rice, as well as Covid-19 preventive equipment such as masks, hand sanitiser and soap, according to IDP officials. 

An oxygen generator set up by locals in Mrauk-U, Arakan State, began operating on Wednesday evening, helping efforts to supplement a national supply of medical oxygen that has not been up to the challenge of rising pandemic-related need. 

Covid-19 cases in Manaung Township, Arakan State, rose to 21 and two people here died on July 19-20 as the statewide death toll surpassed 50 during the pandemic’s ongoing third wave.