COVID

by Hla Min

Update : July 2025

2019

• Disease caused by Corona Virus
• Discovered in Wuhan, China in 2019
• Took a long time before it was declared to be deadly and contagious by Health Authorities around the world.

2020

Restrictions

• Quarantine
• Curfew
• Lock down
• Stay at home
• Circuit breaker
• Mask wearing
• Social distancing

Impact

• Work from home
• Online classes
• Massive unemployment
• Zoom (for Dana & last journey)
• Home delivery services
• Cancellation or downsizing of events (Olympics, Sports, SPZP)
• Say mee toe (some detrimental)
• Fast track clinical trials for vaccination
• Untimely demise of front line health care workers
• Overrun of hospitals
• Shortage of crematorium

2021 – 2025

Issues Remain

• The Origin of Covid was debated, but did not produce answers
• Multiple waves of Covid
• Mutations & variants
• Some had multiple doses of Covid vaccines, but still test positive

Relatives

• Four relatives succumbed to Covid.
• My cousin nephew Dr. Peter Khin Tun (MRCP, former Associate Dean of Oxford University) was an early victim of Covid. I chronicled his last days.

• Two cousins (Dr. Myo Tint & Daw Aye May) and an aunt (Daw Than Than Yi) also passed away.

69ers

• 18 members of the RIT Class of 1969 succumbed to Covid. Saw most of them last at the Dinner for the Golden Jubilee of 69ers Graduation.
• Some 69ers lost their family members — spouse and/or children

Covid might not go away

• Some say that we may have to take annual Covid vaccines
• A few do not want to take booster doses for Covid.