People queue up with their oxygen tanks outside an oxygen refill station in Pazundaung township in Yangon on July 11. (AP Photo)
.jpg)
Bangkok, July 11 (AP): Myanmar is facing a rapid rise in COVID-19 patients and a shortage of oxygen supplies.
The situation comes as the country is consumed by a bitter and violent political struggle since the military seized power in February after ousting civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
Myanmar had weathered last year’s surge by severely restricting travel and securing vaccines from India and China. Her ouster came less than a week after the first jabs were given to health workers. People shunned military hospitals after the takeover and medical workers spearheaded a popular civil disobedience movement. Myanmar’s new rulers have ordered oxygen plants to work at full capacity including converting industrial oxygen for the needs of patients.
