19 May 2021 – The Tedim Civil Society Support team urged residents in Tedim town to take preventive measures against COVID-19 as the General Hospital announced that the 28-year-old female had died from the virus today.
According to the Tedim General Hospital, the woman passed away in the afternoon while on her way to hospital but the result of her swab test taken afterwards showed positive.
“Her body was buried straight away. It was the first death reported in Tedim from COVID-19 since the military coup,” the TCSS posted on its Facebook page as it reminded people in the town to wear masks and take self-protective measures.
A Tedim resident told the Khomumthung news that she had had a temperature over the past few days but she thought that she had been suffering from malaria.
She is survived by her hushand and two children, aged 4 and 2.
Since the military coup on 1 February this year, it was the first report of death resulting from COVID-19.
The majority of medical workers in Tedim joined the civil disobedience movements against the military coup. On 12 March, they were evicted from the staff’s quarters without prior notifications.
Meanwhile, some leaders were concerned that the announcement made today could be a distraction of attention played on the public by the military junta.
“Since the hospitals in Chin State are now being taken over and controlled by the military council, it’s difficult for us to believe the result. We are not sure if this is the actual result of swab tests taken from the patient or if this is just a made-up story to get our concentration away from the current situation,” said a medical staff who joined the CDM campaign.
“However, it is a good practice that everyone still follows COVID-19 prevention measures as much as possible. Since the coup, we all stop activities on COVID. It does not mean that it is completely gone. So, it is important that we take care of ourselves against the virus as much as we can.” – Reporting by Thawng Zel Thang.
