COVID-19 pandemic in Myanmar
The COVID-19 pandemic in Myanmar is part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The virus was confirmed to have reached Myanmar on 23 March 2020. On 31 March 2020, the Committee for Coronavirus Disease 19 (COVID-19), headed by First Vice President Myint Swe and made up of members from the various union ministries, was formed by President Win Myint to combat the spread of COVID-19 in the country.
| COVID-19 pandemic in Myanmar | |
|---|---|
| Disease | COVID-19 |
| Virus strain | SARS-CoV-2 |
| Location | Myanmar |
| First outbreak | Wuhan, Hubei, China |
| Index case | Tedim, Chin State |
| Arrival date | 23 March 2020 (4 years and 4 weeks) |
| Confirmed cases | 641,990 |
| Recovered | 608,709 (updated 31 October 2022) |
Deaths | 19,494 |
| Fatality rate | 3.04% |
| Vaccinations |
|
Although the government rapidly implemented containment measures and public health responses, the country had experienced one of the most severe COVID-19 outbreaks in Southeast Asia by late 2020. The UN raised concerns about Myanmar's vulnerability to the pandemic due to its weak healthcare infrastructure following poor investment over six decades of military rule, as well as ongoing internal conflict.
The pandemic greatly disrupted the country's economy and Myanmar's GDP shrank by 5% in 2020. The 2021 coup d'état and subsequent protests and civil disobedience movement, some of which were led by healthcare workers, caused severe disruptions to the country's public health response and deepened its recession. The country's COVID-19 testing system and vaccination deployment are thought to have collapsed in February 2021.