By Aung Kyaw Thant
NOWADAYS, the advancement of the science and technology sector is gaining momentum day by day. Thanks to scientists and researchers in respective arenas, the new oral drug Molnupiravir for COVID-19 which can be used in the treatment of various diseases has emerged in the United States of America recently. The pharmaceutical company Merck mentioned that the newly-emerged drug would reduce the chance the newly-infected patients would be hospitalized by 50 per cent.
Before the oral drug Molnupiravir, the global countries had been relying on the injections only. Anthony Fauci, the chief medical advisor to President Joe Biden, told reporters: “The data are impressive,” and highlighted that the trial results showed there were no deaths among patients who received the drug compared to eight deaths in the placebo group.
If the dreams come true
As the oral drug, Molnupiravir has emerged, more kinds of oral drugs are expected to come out one after another as medical professionals are focusing on research of oral drugs on tests. If the dreams come true, the global peoples will have the chance to enjoy happiness along with their lives while keeping in touch with the pandemic COVID-19.
Practically, not only Myanmar but also other global countries are still using the vaccines against COVID-19 in various forms. These vaccines are highly reliable for potency to fight against the pandemic, leaving drops of the infection rate as well as mortality rate day after day.
The government of Myanmar set an aim to ensure 50 per cent coverage of vaccination against COVID-19 in the entire nation by the end of 2021. To meet the goal, the government has been making arrangements to purchase anti-COVID-19 vaccines from neighbouring countries such as China and India, and Russia.
Vaccination to prioritized groups
So far, 14 million units of Sinopharm and Sinovac have arrived in Myanmar. Most of these vaccines have been allocated to regions and states in order to vaccinate the prioritized groups such as health staff, volunteers, older persons above 60 and religious persons.
Moreover, local authorities arrange the vaccination for the people including internally displaced persons at their camps mostly in Kachin and Rakhine States. In addition, some local people from far-flung areas of the country and border areas have been given vaccines for the first time. Relevant ministries carried out arrangements for providing vaccines to their staff and families. Likewise, private companies and business firms implement jab plans for their employees. Furthermore, inmates and prisoners from jails have also get vaccinated under the plan of prioritized groups.
In this regard, health staff at different levels and volunteers performed vaccination tasks with earnest efforts for ensuring the decline of the infection rate of the pandemic in the nation as quickly as possible. They use their strengths in injecting the vaccines into the people in all parts of the nation without any complaints. It is because they are happy involuntary measures.
Spending foreign exchange on import of medicines
Businesspersons import a large volume of medicines and medical equipment such as liquid oxygen, oxygen cylinders, oxygen concentrators, oxygen plants, masks, gloves and suits of personal protective equipment spending a large sum of foreign exchange under the permission of the relevant ministries.
Despite trying to exercise thrift, the government allows flowing out of the foreign exchange for the import of medical equipment and medicines. On the other hand, the relevant ministries are trying hard to manufacture the vaccines and medicines to battle the COVID-19. Traditional medicine practitioners are striving for producing vaccines and medicines by conducting research works. The Head of State also gave guidance to manufacture the vaccines to be used in treating the patients with the positive result of COVID-19 with the use of herbal plants.
Efforts to reopen schools for students
Medical specialists and technicians in different fields are making concerted efforts to plunging the infection rate into the most appropriate rate which must be less than five per cent on a daily basis. It is because the government arranges to reopen schools beyond the long October holidays if the infection rate is resting assured for the health of the children.
Before the third wave of the pandemic, the government managed to open basic education schools including private schools and monastic education schools for the students and parents not to lose the rights of learning. If they lose the rights of learning, the age of students and grade of learning will not be in balance. If so, students might be disappointed to attend the classes. Hence, the government made efforts for students not to lose the chance of learning.
Unfortunately, the outbreak of COVID-19 in the third wave pulled up the infection rate as well as the death rate in Myanmar. It was regrettable that thousands of people were infected and hundreds of people died during the high tempo period in July and August 2021 on a daily basis. Hence, the authorities sought the best way and mean to solve the problems by vaccinating the prioritized groups in time.
Currently, the government arranges the vaccination for children above 12 with the use of Sinovac produced by China. The authorities concerned make preparations to inject the Sinovac into the children above 12 not only at the basic education schools but in civilian residences. The plan does not discriminate against the youths in various arenas.
The victory of the entire people, health staff, volunteers
Thanks to their efforts, the infection rate of the disease is gradually down day by day. Likewise, the death rate is also declining with less than 50 persons a day. In fact, it was the victory of all the entire people in addition to health staff, volunteers and local authorities. The acts of the people who abided by restrictions of COVID-19 issued by the Ministry of Health were the effective tools to fight against the COVID-19.
Those people kept their minds in patience in the situation of stay-at-home programmes which restricted the people from travelling from one place to another not to spread the COVID-19 virus. The helpful acts of the people are one of the factors to secure victory in reducing the infection rate of the disease.
Seek ways to live with the pandemic in new normal
In fact, as the COVID-19 pandemic will not totally disappear from the world, all the global peoples including Myanmar nationals need to try hard to live together with the pandemic in the new normal situation. That is why all the people need to seek the best ways how to live together with the virus infection of the pandemic along with their life without suffering from severe impacts of the disease. It is important that the infection rate of the pandemic must decline day by day to reach less than five per cent per day.
If so, the people from the townships involved in the stay-at-home programmes have been lifted from the restrictions one after another. Schools at different levels can be reopened for grasping the learning opportunities. Factories and workplaces can be run with the full strength of staff and employees so as to operate production.
Consequently, if the production rate of factories and industries increases, the export volume of products will be larger in the international market as well as prices of commodities will be down in the domestic market. If so, larger exportation can earn income not only for the businesspersons but for the government. If the GDP of the nation resurges, the country will develop as well as forex rate of Myanmar currency will go up again. As such, the entire people will have the improvement of socio-economic status.
All in all, the health restriction for the pandemic issued by the Ministry of Health such as often washing hands, wearing masks and face shields and avoiding crowds and public places are still important for daily life. All the global peoples welcome the production of new oral drugs as well as vaccines which benefit the people anyhow. In the future, the dreams which newly-produced oral drugs and vaccines would be highly potent in thoroughly battling the pandemic would come true for the global peoples to be fully healthy and fit for their whole lives.
