N 113 Covid 19… 3^rd Wave

Maybe it started about a month ago or somewhat earlier than that. The Covid 19 virus doesn’t stay constantly in one form. It changes over time. So the virus that hits the whole country ( and other countries as well ) this July and August  is called Delta Variant and it causes a terrible impact on the lives of the people of Myanmar.

As most people don’t believe in the news that the Army Council is broadcasting we get our news mostly from Facebook. Before Covid and power grabbing by the Army Facebook was full of everything, good  and bad, entertaining and fruitful, and annoying and worthless.Many people in our country spend much time on it.

But now when we open Facebook the posts we see are mostly about Covid’s suffering.About people who passed away,posted by families and friends.Some posts are by some who are at present hit by the virus and how they are coping, some are encouraging posts about how they went through it and recovered.There are also many advisory posts.

Oxygen is the most needed remedy in curing Covid. Because the Virus attack the lungs and cause difficulty in breathing and in Yangon where it is wide spreading there is shortages of O2.People have to go around town to look for  O2 filling stations.   Those  who have O2 cylinders have to stand in line for a long time to have their cylinders filled. Some who have successfully acquired the O2 they needed, returned home with the cylinder , only to find their loved ones already dead because they cannot wait anymore. Some people got a call while waiting for his or her cylinder to be refilled that there is no need to get the O2 because the patient at home had already died.

Bussiness people are not staying quiet while all these are happening, Some who have power to import the O2 through the border checkpoints really do so and sell them at a high price. We  also heard about the exploitation of O2 by the Army. They would arrive at the filling stations and grabbed away all the O2 available without leaving some for the people who are lining to buy. A convoy of trucks carrying O2 donated by rich people arrived but news about distributing to the people in need were not heard anymore.

Without O2, medicine , and even food lives cannot be sustained. Many people lost their lives during this 3^rd wave, especially in Yangon where many people live crammed in a small space. One who live alone died alone. Two people who lived together died together. The most horrible incident was the news that all 18 people in one family all died together. The photo of a young man sitting with his mother’s corpse waiting for cremation with a status that said… Mum I can’t wait anymore, I have to go home. They are mother and son who lived together , only 2. The thought of his going home alone to suffer the disease and die alone had hurt my feelings much.

So with much dying in Yangon ( and also Mindat ) the problem of cremating the dead bodies arise. This is mostly done by welfare association and people.When usually there are about 50 dead bodies to cremate , now when it had risen to about 300 , the crematorium cannot cope with this and so dead bodies would pile up there. People have to die without dignity and proper rites. The army council instead of taking action to reduce the spread of Covid ordered the setting up of 10 crematoriums.

While Covid deaths are surging there are not enough hospitals and care centres for the affected. People would take their sick relatives and go around town to look for care centres, only to be refused to be taken in, and so have to take back to their homes to care for by themselves. And so more were infected which resulted in more deaths.

During this time prices of food and medicines had risen significantly, but medicines are selling well. People have to queue to buy medicine which also result in more infections. Many people are without food and medicines and no help come from the power grabbing military government. They even beat and nab welfare people who are trying to help those who are in need. We can’t understand their actions , but have to assume that they are wanting people to die and starve to death.

With the unstable political situations  and the pandemic the economy is declining. Some estimate that the GDP will fall about 18% this year which is huge. Inflation has risen about 50%which hits the consumers terribly.  I hear that many people are really without money and food and are in harsh conditions. If help will not arrive in time people will be without food and medicine which will lead to starvation and more deaths.I hope the country will not come to that worst situation and will see better days before long.