The benevolence of the Head of State was to enable all the ethnic people from various parts of the nation to overcome the challenges of COVID-19 through vaccination and to soonest regain recovery with the best immunity against the disease, said Vice-Chairman of the State Administration Council Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar Vice-Senior General Soe Win at the 12th meeting of COVID-19 prevention, control and treatment activities at Bayintnaung Villa in Nay Pyi Taw yesterday morning.
Speaking at the meeting, the Vice-Senior General said he attended the meeting on behalf of the Head of State. It was found that there were 431,833 infected patients till 12 September and the infection rate declined to 10-8 per cent from 5 to 12 September. Thanks to the cooperation of the people, the infection rate was down to 8 per cent from 40 per cent this week. More than 400,000 of over 800,000 service personnel have been vaccinated, accounting for more than 50 per cent. The decline of infection rate was based on behaviours of the people under restrictions of COVID-19 during the period of over two months office holidays. Respective ministries resume operations with the strength of staff who will work in two-week duty and two-week off system under the restriction of COVID-19 as of 13 September.
Although the decrease of infection rate reaches 8 per cent, it is necessary to ensure safety for the people at less than five per cent based on the review of the Ministry of Health and international standards. Hence, all need to energetically strive for reduction of the infection rate to reach the safety level. If the people are careless in infection of the disease and officials are weak in enforcement for the COVID-19 restrictions, the infection rate will rise again.
Efforts are being made to reduce the infection of COVID-19 through the oxygen contribution of the people and assistance of the government, and construction of oxygen plants in regions and states. But, regrettably, some local and foreign organizations commit disturbance against the treatment of COVID-19 patients and the vaccination process.
They spread the misinformation about vaccination of the State and disturb the vaccination work process on the ground. They committed grenade attacks and threats on volunteers and people not to join the vaccination process. These were unacceptable Bio terrorist acts. On one hand, it violates individual rights. They are being exposed and taken severe action against them. Moreover, security will be tightened continuously. It is necessary to violently prevent and respond to those who undermine the prevention, control and treatment activities of COVID-19. As the government adopted the plans to take vaccines and medicines for the prevention of COVID-19, anyone should not disturb such a process. The Head of State gave guidance to vaccinate those from ethnic armed organizations for vaccination of COVID-19 with goodwill to enable the ethnic people across the nation to overcome the challenges of the pandemic. The relevant ministry and the National Unity and Peacemaking Working Committee contacted the NCA signatories and non-signatories for vaccination. As the vaccination is implemented through the QR Code system, they were contacted to send the necessary member lists for receiving the vaccination. It was reported that some organizations misunderstood the demand of the member lists for vaccination and sparked doubts. The benevolence of the Head of State was to enable all the ethnic people from various parts of the nation to overcome the challenges of COVID-19 through vaccination and to soonest regain recovery with the best immunity against the disease.
Concerning the vaccination, although the organizations formed in regions and states cooperate in the vaccination, there remain many numbers of people to receive vaccines in some regions and states. Hence, it is necessary to systematically scrutinize the statistics from respective townships not to leave the target groups, not to complicate the statistics and try hard to finish the work process. Efforts must be made for systematically giving the allotted vaccines to the target groups. As COVID-19 will not disappear totally, the Head of State assigned the relevant ministries to manufacture the vaccines at home. The government is striving for the production of vaccines at home, and region and state chief ministers need to emphasize the soonest vaccination and sending of the correct statistics on vaccinated lists.
Next, meeting participants reported on infection of COVID-19 in regions and states, recoveries, treatment for patients at hospitals, conditions of hospitals and centres which have prepared to admit confirmed patients and suspects, vaccination to health staff and remaining numbers, arrivals of 4 million units of vaccine from China on 12 September, arrangements to send the vaccines to regions and states, progress of vaccination, remaining number of people, need of cooperation in systematic vaccination, progress of vaccinating the people of above 55 years old in the process including those with disability and members of EAOs, contacts for purchase of vaccines, potentials to arrive 10 million units of vaccines purchased from China in September, 10 more million units in October and four million units in November, donations of vaccines, medicines and humanitarian aids from ASEAN and dialogue partner countries, production of COVID-19 vaccines at home to distribute through ready to full system, further running of relief flights to call back Myanmar citizens abroad, destruction of communication towers by terrorists and progress of repairing, and treatment for infected people at military hospitals and military units.
In his concluding speech, the Vice-Senior General said as already arrived vaccines will further be distributed, a large volume of remaining vaccine stock may cause difficulty to new arrivals for storage in the cold chains. If the vaccines cannot be stored properly, they will be damaged. It is necessary to vaccine the people in respective target groups in townships. In the vaccination process, some people do not have IDs and lose IDs in some regions, chief ministers need to form vaccination teams with some officials from the Pan Khin Project to ensure the correctness of statistics on the vaccination process and contribute to the soonest completion of Pan Khinn Project. It is necessary to assign the health staff only to vaccinate the people despite the cooperation of private associations. Although the number of COVID-19 patients declines at hospitals, these hospitals need to prepare rooms for emergency treatment for other patients at any time. The current infection rate reaches just 8 per cent but preparations must be made for future processes, and reports must be sent to the emergency response committee and the central committee on the current situation of the disease. —MNA
