Myanmar confirmed its first death of a Covid-19 patient on Tuesday.
The 69-year-old patient from Yangon’s Mingalar Taung Nyunt township was also suffering from nasal cancer, according to the health ministry.
He died at 7.25am at Waibargyi Hospital, a health ministry spokesperson confirmed to news wire Reuters. Yangon regional parliamentarian Naing Ngan Lin also confirmed the death in a Facebook post this morning.
His family has circulated a funeral announcement.
The patient initially received treatment at an intensive care unit in Yangon General Hospital on March 25 after developing a fever, cough, and sore throat.
He travelled to Australia a month ago and stopped in Singapore for four days before returning to Yangon on March 14.
A 45-year-old Myanmar national from the same township who had direct contact with the man has also tested positive for the virus and is being quarantined at Warbargyi Hospital.
As of Tuesday, Myanmar has reported 14 Covid-19 cases.
The health ministry has advised people to stay at home, warning of the possibility of a “big outbreak” after thousands of migrant workers returned from Thailand and dispersed across the country.
