After the Myanmar military junta conducted a coup in February, ousting the elected government from their position, the country is now facing a surging COVID-19 pandemic and is struggling to cope as doctors accuse army officials of hoarding oxygen supply.

Amid the allegations, the Delta variant of the coronavirus continues to spread across the country, quickly becoming the dominant strain in the region. The military has ordered to deny private clinics access to lifesaving oxygen, medical workers alleged.

Hoarding Oxygen Supply

The affected clinics are staffed primarily by doctors who have openly opposed the military's authority since the February coup. Dr. Min Han, a doctor at a private clinic, said the military has turned providing basic medical care for COVID-19 patients into a criminal act.

Additionally, the military stopped people from purchasing oxygen supplies from producers, arguing they are committing price-gouging. The situation has forced desperate family members to oppose the military junta just to secure lifesaving supplies for their loved ones. The military has also stopped charities from donating oxygen to patients who need it, said witnesses and charity workers, the New York Times reported.

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Yangon city soldiers also fired their guns this week into a crowd waiting in line to buy oxygen tanks, witnesses alleged. Doctors in Myanmar are accusing the military of hoarding oxygen supply to distribute to military hospitals that prioritize army families.

Medical workers argue that the military has caused hundreds of untimely deaths by limiting access to oxygen. They added that the junta is adding a political issue to the ongoing health crisis in the country. Doctors said that thousands of citizens are at risk of losing their lives due to the COVID-19 infection. The military is also accused of storing the majority of the country's vaccine supply for its officials.

Desperation of Citizens

Desperate citizens are seen in photographs that showed long queues in Yangon city, one of the biggest regions in Myanmar, trying to refill their oxygen supplies. In the Insein district, one resident said she rented a cylinder to have it refilled and give back to her father, whose supply has dwindled, Reuters reported.

The 24-year-old was worried that her father would die if she was unable to procure any of the limited supply of oxygen. Another resident said some people were now forced to use oxygen cylinders from the welding industry amid the shortage.

Ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been detained by the military since February 1, expressed her worries about the worsening situation in Myanmar, her lawyers said.

One resident, Soe Win, said waiting in line for oxygen supply was taking a long time because of the number of people queuing. He noted he waited from five in the morning until 12 in the afternoon but has not yet gotten his supply.

Myanmar observed a massive surge of coronavirus infections in mid-May, leaving many residents at greater risk of the virus. The shortage of oxygen supply has also caused worry among residents, especially people such as Soe Win's grandmother, who desperately needed the supply, the Associated Press reported.

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