Many people in Nyaung Lay Pin District in Bago Region had symptoms of COVID-19 and some of them have died, although very few people have been tested for the disease.
A man from a local Karen civil society organisation told NMG that in the last three months there have been many people who have fallen ill in Kyauk Kyi, Mone and Shwe Kyin townships. ''The locals said they'd been suffering from the flu. After receiving medical treatment, they recovered, but some people, especially the elderly, died," he said.
For a while, many were getting ill in the district, but the situation has stabilised, the man explained. ''Most people didn't get tested for COVID-19, however, there were a couple of people who did and tested positive.''
Most of those who suffered flu-like symptoms were extremely tired and sick for up to three weeks and some even lost their sense of smell and taste, the man said. Hardly anyone went to the hospital. If they could afford it, they just took medicine and stayed at home.
One local told NMG that many people can't buy medicine because of high inflation caused by the coup.
''The cost of medicine has tripled. But not only that, everything is expensive, including food and fuel," he told NMG.
Political instability and the pandemic have left many unemployed and they're struggling to survive.
There's also fighting between the military and Karen National Union Brigade 3, based in the townships.
