YANGON, Sept 17 (NNN-MNA) – Eighty percent of people infected with COVID-19 in Myanmar, between Jan 28 and Sept 7, are unvaccinated against the virus, the country’s Ministry of Health said, yesterday.
Myanmar confirmed more than 80,000 new cases of COVID-19, and over 130 new deaths during the country’s fourth COVID-19 wave, which started at the end of Jan this year.
The total number of infections from Jan 28 until Sept 7, included 80 percent of people who were not vaccinated, 15.9 percent of people who got the first doses of the vaccine, four percent of people who were fully vaccinated, and 0.1 percent of people who received booster shots, the health ministry said.
The death toll from COVID-19 during the period consisted of 84.1 percent of people who were not vaccinated, and who got only the first dose, 14.4 percent of people who were fully vaccinated and 1.5 percent of people who received booster shots, the ministry said.
As COVID-19 infection was on the rise again in the country, starting from Aug, its health authorities have urged people to get booster shots and abide by the health guidelines issued by the ministry, to curb the resurgence of COVID-19 infections.
In Aug, the country also reported COVID-19 cases with Omicron BA.2.75, BA.2.76, BA.4 and BA.5 sub-variants, after detecting people who returned from abroad.
“Vaccinated people can boost immunity against COVID-19 and reduce death risks,” Tun Min, deputy director-general of the Yangon Regional Health Department, told reporters.
Myanmar has already vaccinated more than 36.9 million people, or roughly over 66 percent of its total population, official data showed.
The figures comprised over 30.4 million people aged 18 and above, and more than 6.5 million people aged under 18 years old, it said.
Yangon Region saw the highest number of COVID-19 infections, followed by Kayin State and Mandalay Region, in the second place and third place respectively, its figures showed.
Myanmar recorded 618,303 COVID-19 infections in total, since the beginning of the pandemic in the country, in Mar, 2020.
The death toll from COVID-19 in the country remained unchanged at 19,444 yesterday, and a total of 594,984 COVID-19 patients have recovered and discharged from hospitals in the country as of yesterday, official data showed.– NNN-MNA
