COVID-19: Myanmar calls for international help as coronavirus cases surge

Myanmar's Junta rulers have sought international support to fight the Coronavirus, reported state media on Wednesday, July 28. Myanmar's poverty has led it to look beyond China's support in this struggle. The country has been in upheaval since the military took power in February, with many hospitals ill-equipped to handle an influx of patients after many medical staff members protested the coup.

Stay-at-home orders have failed to stem the flood, with crematoriums overcrowded and volunteers attempting to exhume the bodies of those who died in their houses. According to Junta head Min Aung Hlaing, who said during a "coordination meeting to beef up collaboration with the international community," Myanmar could request the cash from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations' COVID-19 response fund.

According to Myanmar's Global New Light newspaper, attempts are being made to engage with ASEAN "and friendly countries." On Wednesday, July 28, fewer than 5,000 new COVID-19 cases were reported, up from about 50 per day in early May, though analysts estimate the true number is far higher.

Sinopharm pills received from China

The State Administration Council stated that out of a population of 54 million people, roughly 1.75 million had been vaccinated so far, according to the junta. A cargo of donated Sinopharm pills arrived from China last week, according to junta officials, although they will be prioritized for people living close to the China-Myanmar border. In an effort to prevent an influx of cases from Myanmar's coup-plagued country, China has also handed more than 10,000 rounds of ammunition to a rebel group operating along the country's southern border.

The junta announced earlier this month that it had placed an order with China for four million vaccine shots, with Beijing pledging to give another two million. A shipment of 1.5 million doses arrived from India earlier this year.