By Hseng Leng/SHAN

A hospital in a small town in northern Shan State experiencing a surge in COVID-19 cases doesn’t have enough beds for all the new patients. Because there’s only three doctors at the hospital, if cases continue to rise they will soon face a dearth of medical personnel to care for all the new patients.

Ko Myat Moe Aung, from Nawngkio COVID-19 Volunteer team, told SHAN that sixteen transmissions have been confirmed in Nawngkio. Of these, only three are from the town.

While there are enough staff for the local population, there are not enough for the lorry drivers from Yangon or Mandalay who tested positive at a medical checkpoint in Chay Myitpin, located in Nawngkio Township. In addition, there are only two ambulances to transport confirmed cases or others who had contact with them to the hospital.

SHAN repeatedly tried to reach Nawngkio Public Hospital for comment, but no-one responded.

According to Ko Myat Moe Aung, there are 129 people in a quarantine facility in the town of Nawngkio.

The Ministry of Health and Sports reported 80,505 transmissions on November 23, while 59,888 recovered from the disease and 1,765 died.