Kaman people in Myanmar are facing livelihood challenges during the ongoing third wave of Covid-19, according to members of the predominantly Muslim ethnic group. 

An oxygen plant built by a businessman in the Arakan State capital Sittwe is currently undergoing testing and will reportedly be able to start producing oxygen in the coming days.

Widely used medicines in Arakan State remain in short supply and are being sold on a quota basis amid the ongoing third wave of Covid-19, according to pharmaceutical companies. 

For millions of people the extended public holiday decreed by Myanmar’s military regime as a Covid-19 preventive measure has meant time off work, but for those behind bars and facing trial, the long break has had the effect of prolonging their legal limbo as court hearings have also been put on pause. 

Farmers in Arakan State are reportedly having difficulty replanting paddy fields damaged by floodwaters this year.

Social welfare associations in Arakan State that are providing help to Covid-19 patients and funeral services for fatalities of the virus are in need of hazmat aka PPE suits. 

The Arakan National Party (ANP) sent an open letter to the Arakan State government on August 10 urging the Tatmadaw not to carry out security checks on people affected by the food crisis during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

The Wet Hla camp for internally displaced people (IDPs) in Arakan State’s Mrauk-U Township is in dire need of food, the manager of the camp said. 

The ABC Foundation in the Arakan State capital Sittwe is struggling to provide enough food and healthcare for orphans as the number of donors has decreased during the ongoing third wave of Covid-19, according to foundation officials. 

Two lawsuits have been filed against Ko Aung Win Naing, chair of the Moe Pyinnyar Dana Philanthropic Association in Arakan State’s Taungup town, as he appeared in court for the first time on August 9, according to family members. 

A burglary took place at a house in Kanpai ward, Taungup Township, and gold items worth more than K40 million ($24,000) were stolen, according to the victim’s family members.

Six pregnant women have so far died with Covid-19 in Arakan State during the pandemic’s ongoing third wave, with some having passed before delivering their babies, according to a DMG tally of the death toll to date.

Some IDP camps in Arakan State are facing food shortages as they have not been provided food supplies regularly amid concern about Covid-19 infections, according to managers of the camp. 

The United League of Arakan (ULA) warned merchants in Arakan State not to overcharge for basic foodstuffs.

Despite a Covid-19 death toll that increases daily in Arakan State, some people’s adherence to virus preventive regulations remains weak, said Daw Saw San Nyein Thu, chair of the Rakhine Women’s Initiative Organisation. 

Joint teams of military, police and immigration personnel are stopping and checking vehicle traffic in some Arakan State townships in the afternoons and evenings, raising concerns among residents.

Organisers of efforts to set up a self-help oxygen plant in Manaung town, Arakan State, said they have arranged to run the facility by generator as the electricity supply is not sufficient to operate it using the power grid. 

Arakan State’s military government decided at an August 6 meeting to include internally displaced people (IDPs) above the age of 65 in an ongoing coronavirus vaccination campaign that will target 100,000 people statewide in a prioritised first tier of eligible individuals. 

Buddhist nuns at nunneries in the Arakan State capital Sittwe are facing difficulties with food and medical costs during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.