A 42-year-old mother with diabetes and high blood pressure is the first official COVID-19 fatality in Laiza, the de facto headquarters for the Kachin Independence Organisation (KIO) in Kachin State.
The woman who tested positive on July 29, as well as her child, died at 7 am on August 3, a local source told NMG. “Her health worsened a few days ago, and she needed oxygen.” The family from Woi Chyai ward were staying at the Munglai Hkyet quarantine center before the woman perished.
KIO locked down an internally displaced persons (IDP) camp in Woi Chyai ward on July 27.
“Now everyone is paying attention to this pandemic since a person died from COVID-19 in Laiza. A few months ago, locals were not afraid of it, but I think they are now,” a young woman living in Laiza told NMG.
After a woman tested positive in Jay Yang camp, KIO locked it, as well as Woi Chyai camp, the Shanan Boarding School and around Mai Sak Pa.
According to KIO's health department, there are have been 47 confirmed cases in Laiza. The COVID-19 Response and Control Committee (CRCC) conducted 16,000 tests in the KIO capital until August 3. CRCC secretary Col Lahpai Hing Wawm asked everyone to follow the health regulations that have been imposed.
