Maungdaw District Hospital in northern Arakan State is in need of oxygen supplies, according to the hospital’s superintendent, Dr. Nu Kaythi San.

With Covid-19 fatalities during the pandemic’s third wave in Arakan State rising to 31 on Friday, it appeared likely that by weekend’s end the death toll would surpass the statewide total, 37, of the first two waves of the virus combined. 

Facing charges of incitement and violating Covid-19 regulations, four Arakanese students on Friday demanded the swift conclusion of their case, with their vocal protestations outside the courthouse in Sittwe resulting in an altercation with the police escorting them. 

Two locals from Kyauksin village in Ann Township were injured in a landmine explosion and one victim’s leg was amputated, while the other was said to be at risk of losing his eyesight.

Residents of Lay Taung town in Arakan State’s Ramree Township are taking Covid-19 prevention into their own hands, rolling out a local regulation against overnight guests from other townships amid complaints that official efforts to combat the virus are virtually nonexistent. 

In response to spiking Covid-19 cases in Arakan State, the central market in the state capital Sittwe will temporarily be limiting hours to half days, according to the market’s management body. 

Six new coronavirus cases have been detected at Sinbawkaing IDP camp in Arakan State’s Mrauk-U Township since it was locked down due to a female IDP testing positive for Covid-19 on July 14. 

Twenty-six civilians have been reported missing and 24 others were killed in custody during some two years of clashes between the Tatmadaw and Arakan Army (AA) in Arakan State, according to the Arakan Human Rights Defenders and Promoters group. 

A total of 1,151 people in Arakan State were infected with coronavirus as of July 16, and 29 people statewide have died during the pandemic’s third wave, according to data compiled by the Arakan State-level State Administration Council. 

Installation of oxygen generators has begun at an oxygen plant in Mrauk-U town, Arakan State, since July 14, said the Nan Yeik Garunar social welfare group, which is providing help securing oxygen supplies locally. 

With no end in sight to the Covid-19 pandemic’s ongoing third wave, a shortage of basic and widely used medicines and concerns about the economic impacts of prolonged disruption to the border trade are just a few of the knock-on effects being felt across Arakan State.  

Ko Aung Hlaing Win, chairman of the Moe Pyinnyar Dana Philanthropic Association in Taungup Township, was transferred to the Taungup Township Police Station by the Tatmadaw (Myanmar military) on July 14, according to family members of the detainee. 

The Sinbawkaing IDP camp in Mrauk-U Township, Arakan State, has been under lockdown from July 14 after an IDP woman tested positive for Covid-19, manager of the camp Mrata Zaung Sayadaw said.  

Two women infected with Covid-19 in Taungup Township, Arakan State, died on Thursday morning, and total fatalities statewide since June 28 reached 26.   

Travellers to Arakan State will be put under quarantine if they come from townships under stay-at-home orders imposed by the Ministry of Health and Sports, the Arakan State-level State Administration Council member U Hla Thein told journalists on July 14. 

Travel by motorway, waterway and flight is not suspended in Arakan State but regulations on travellers have been tightened, the Arakan State Administration Council says, as Covid-19 infection rates continue to rise nationwide. 

No fighting between the Tatmadaw (Myanmar military) and Arakan Army (AA) is currently taking place in Arakan State, but some villages in Rathedaung Township have left farmland uncultivated due to the nearby presence of Tatmadaw troops, according to locals. 

Strand Road and View Point Beach in Sittwe will be closed on Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. due to the continuing spread of Covid-19 in Arakan State, according to the state’s military council. 

Travel by motorway, waterway and flight is not suspended in Arakan State but regulations on travellers have been tightened, the Arakan State Administration Council says, as Covid-19 infection rates continue to rise nationwide.