Myanmar announces first two cases of coronavirus

By Kyaw Ye Lynn

YANGON, Myanmar (AA) – Myanmar confirmed its first two cases of the novel coronavirus late Monday.

The Ministry of Health and Sports issued a press release saying two Myanmar men had tested positive for the virus and were hospitalized.

They include a 26-year-old man who had recently traveled to the U.K. and was hospitalized in Yangon on Saturday and a 36-year-old man who recently traveled to the U.S. and was hospitalized Monday in Chin state.

Health authorities in Myanmar have been on high alert since the World Health Organization declared the virus a pandemic earlier this month.

After emerging in Wuhan, China last December, the coronavirus, officially known as COVID-19, has spread to at least 168 countries and regions, according to data compiled by U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University.

The number of confirmed cases worldwide totals 378,679 and the death toll now tops 16,500, while over 100,000 people have recovered.