By Hseng Leng/SHAN

A 30-year-old man with COVID-19 died at the Lashio Public Hospital in northern Shan State on Wednesday, November 18. He was transferred to Lashio from the hospital in Tang Yang where he tested positive for the disease. The man was cremated the same day he died.

Ko Arkar Lin, chair of Lashio COVID-19 Protection Team, told SHAN he had tuberculosis.

Eight people who had contact with the deceased patient, including six medical staff, were tested and placed in quarantine. The man’s wife and uncle were among the non-medical staff in quarantine, Dr Nyan Myint, head of Lashio Public Hospital, told SHAN.

A female patient with COVID-19 is in critical care at a hospital in Muse. The woman traveled to the city located next to the border with China from Yangon before testing positive.

Thaung Tun, from Muse’s Garuna Social Association, told SHAN she stayed at two guest houses for about a week before being admitted to the Muse Public Hospital where she’s receiving medical treatment.

The guest houses where she stayed have been closed, and four people who had contact with the woman are in quarantine. Health officials are conducting contact tracing to determine who else came into contact with her.

In Shan State, there have been two deaths from COVID-19. 

The Ministry of Health and Sports reported on November 20 there were 76,414 confirmed cases in the country, while 56,601 have recovered from the disease and 1,695 died.