19 Oct
Calls to the helpline of National COVID-19 Call Center, “2019”, which is open for the general public shot up starting from mid-August when second wave of COVID-19 began in Myanmar, Deputy Director of Epidemiology Research Division Dr Myo Myo Mon said.
Calls increased double in the second wave compared to the first wave. Over 100,000 calls were received daily in average during April and May of the first wave, and more than 200,000 calls daily were being answered in the second wave.
“People are getting more interested in the COVID helpline during the second wave”, the deputy director said.
Most of the callers dialed to the centre’s automated system, while some called to health experts and doctors via the extension number “0” for the general public and “6” for quarantine centres.
About 550 callers dialed to doctors and health experts in April, and some 250 in May during the first wave, while over 300 callers dialed in the second wave.
People mostly called for the ways to prevent COVID-19 and its symptoms in the first wave and called for the matters relating to quarantine and quarantine centres, and help as they are getting COVID-like symptoms during the second wave. Most of the callers in first wave are from Yangon and Ayeyawady regions, and Rakhine State, Sagaing and Mandalay regions are included in the top-caller list besides Yangon and Ayeyawady regions in the second wave.
Forty three per cent of the callers are from rural areas. Rakhine Language was also added into the automated system.
The MOHS National COVID-19 Call Centre “2019” is open daily from 8am to 8pm answering the COVID-19 questions of the public with maximum call duration of 6 minutes per one.
The centre’s extension number 1 is about symptoms, 2 is about ways of infection, 3 is about ways of prevention, 4 is about quarantine, and 5 is about latest figures of COVID-19 cases.
Min Thit (MNA) (Translated by Kyaw Zin Tun)
