UN warned of ‘dire’ COVID situation in Myanmar

Half of Myanmar’s population could get COVID-19 within the next two weeks, the UK tells United Nations Security Council. Myanmar has been in chaos since the military deposed an elected government led by Aung San Suu Kyi on February 1, triggering widespread protests and fighting between the army and newly-formed civilian militias. “The coup has resulted in a near-total collapse of the healthcare system, and healthcare workers are being attacked and arrested,” Britain’s UN Ambassador Barbara Woodward told an informal Security Council discussion on Myanmar. “The virus is spreading through the population, very fast indeed. By some estimates, in the next two weeks, half of the population of Myanmar could be infected with COVID,” she said.