1,056 Covid-19 infections in PNG, Manning tests positive
News that matter in Papua New Guinea
1,056 Covid-19 infections in PNG, Manning tests positive
PORT MORESBY: Coronavirus (Covid-19) infections in Papua New Guinea (PNG) breached the 1,000 mark on Friday (Feb 19, 2021) with National Pandemic Response Controller Police Comm David Manning testing positive.
Fifty-nine new Covid-19 cases reported on Friday boosted PNG’s infection tally to 1,056 cases to date.
Friday’s cases were from Western (47), West Sepik (9), and in the National Capital District (3).
And, Prime Minister James Marape has warned of a second Covid-19 spike in PNG, especially in Madang and Vanimo.
PNG Cyber Monitor urges the public to treat the Covid-19 threat seriously and to take all public health precautions like wearing face masks and sanitising or washing hands regularly.
We reproduce below a compilation of Covid-19 news reports published by The National:
Manning, two family members test positive
February 23, 2021The NationalMain Stories
NATIONAL Pandemic Response Controller David Manning and two members of his family who tested positive for the Covid-19 are currently in isolation.
In a statement yesterday, Manning, who is also the police commissioner, said test results for him and his two family members were confirmed on Saturday.“Given the nature of my job as the controller and the high level of exposure, this was bound to happen sooner or later,” he said.“As per the Covid-19 protocols, we are now in isolation. The only people who will have access to us will be the medical teams from the Department of Health.”The department’s surveillance and monitoring team has begun contact tracing as well.“All the people I had contact with in the recent past will be tested as well,” he said.
Manning said he was always impressing on people to have Covid-19 tests to know their status and protect their family.
“I am glad I did so I am now taking measures to protect my family,” he said.
“Do not be afraid. The Covid-19 is like the flu but it is five times worse and lasts a bit longer. Being tested positive is not a death sentence. Most people have recovered from the Covid-19.”
Country reports 59 new cases
February 23, 2021The NationalNational
FIFTY-NINE new cases of coronavirus (Covid-19) were reported on Friday (Feb 19) and a further eight on Sunday, bringing the country’s total to 1056.
Friday’s cases were from Western (47), West Sepik (9) and in the National Capital District (3).
Of the 47 total cases reported in Western, 37 were male, nine females and one unknown.
The youngest of the 47 cases was a 11-year-old and the oldest was 53.
Forty-three of the 47 cases showed symptoms of Covid-19 while four were asymptomatic at the time of testing.
They were all detected by the Ok Tedi Mine through testing at the entry point into Tabubil.
In West Sepik, nine cases were reported of which seven were male and two females with ages ranging from 18 to 65 years.
Eight out of the nine cases did not show symptoms of the Covid-19 at the time of testing; all nine cases are from Vanimo-Green district.
In the NCD, three cases were reported. All were males, ages ranging from 47 to 61 years.
All three cases returned from a recent trip to Madang, Morobe and New Ireland.
The eight new cases reported on Sunday came from East New Britain (ENB), Madang and National Capital District.
In NCD, a further six cases were reported while ENB and Madang recorded a case each.
Three male and three females, ages ranging from five months old to 38 years tested positive.
In ENB, a 43-year-old female from Rabaul was the latest to be confirmed positive.
In Madang, a 25-year-old male was the latest to be confirmed positive.
The country’s positive Covid-19 cases currently stands at 1,056 with 10 known deaths.
A total of 47,490 people have been tested for Covid-19 with 846 people recovered while 380 samples are pending at the laboratories; 200 active cases are in isolation.
PM warns of second Covid-19 spike
February 23, 2021The NationalNational
PRIME Minister James Marape says Papua New Guinea has been hit by a second round of the Covid-19 a spike in Madang and Vanimo.
“I was briefed on the situation and I will be meeting with our governors to rekindle the provincial response so that the people remain vigilant to Covid-19,” he said on Friday, adding that “just because we have not seen many terminal cases in our country, we allow complacency to set in”.
Marape said when PNG started the Covid-19 operations 330 days ago, the global statistics was about 500,000 Covid-19 infections.
“Today, the global infection is more than 110 million,” he said.
“For our country, governors must take responsibility of their provinces.
“Awareness and tests must be done and health response must be conscious that the Covid-19 is here.
“PNG has registered only mild Covid-19 cases but anyone can still be infected.
“I have been encouraging governors and medical centres to not only take swab tests but also the rapid response tests for better control and monitoring.”
In regards to social media rumours of Marape and other members being tested positive of the Covid-19, he said has not been tested positive and encouraged the public to get tested regularly.
Public servant tests positive for Covid-19
February 23, 2021The NationalNational
A STAFF member from the Department of Treasury has tested positive for Covid-19 while six others had negative results.
Treasury secretary Dairi Vele told The National that the officer received his test result last Thursday and was put in isolation.
“He had not been at work for several weeks but he did come into contact with six of our staff and so they were tested and quarantined until they got their results on Friday,” he said.
“All six were declared negative.”
Following this, the department in a bid to limit any potential transmission of Covid-19, organised a complete clean-up of the building last Friday.
Vele said the cleaning was a part of their Covid-19 procedure.
“Even though we were just supposed to cleanse the one floor, I had the whole building steam- cleaned,” he said.
“I understand that people could panic and at the end of the day I want my staff to feel safe.”
Vele said the department had a comprehensive ‘Niupela Pasin’ plan in place for managing the Covid-19 and specific protocols in the event of suspected or confirmed Covid-19 cases.
On Friday the department cleaned all office floors and undertook a workplace assessment to ensure that the Covid-19 procedures were being followed.
“We were one of the first organisations to have a Niupela Pasin in place and it gets updated periodically.
New testing, processing laboratory for hospital
February 23, 2021The NationalNational
Builders carpenters working on the new laboratory at the Mt Hagen Hospital which will be used to conduct Covid-19 tests. – Nationalpic by ELIAS LARI
By ELIAS LARI
THE Mt Hagen Hospital in Western Highlands will have its own Covid-19 testing and processing centre, the provincial health authority says.
This follows the maintenance and rebuilding of the previous medical records office at the hospital which will be converted into a laboratory to conduct tests and produce rapid results.
The authority said the new laboratory would have a Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) machine for Covid-19 testing.
PCR is a technique used to conduct tests for rapid results.
It said it was keen to use the PCR for immediate contact tracing and surveillance within the cluster of a positive case to contain and manage the spread of the virus.
Currently, swabs are tested at the Central Pharmacy Health Laboratory in Port Moresby, Institute of Medical Research in Goroka, in laboratories in Brisbane and Singapore which takes almost three to four weeks for results to come back.
Western Highlands health authority pathology laboratory manager Dr Zure Kombati said the laboratory and the acquisition of the PCR would help combat the spread of the virus.
He said the delay in test results was impractical and meant there would be uncertainty during the period.
He said rapid results for Covid-19 tests was the best way to track and manage the spread of the virus.
Border security needs boost
February 23, 2021The NationalNational
Belden Namah
By LULU MARK
THE lack of tighter and wider controls along the land border of Papua New Guinea (PNG) and Indonesia in West Sepik and Western are major Covid-19 pandemic concerns.
Opposition Leader MP Belden Namah said there may be some controls in Wutung but the border accessibility was not only there as it stretches from West Sepik all the way to Western.
“So the entire border is open,” he said.
“Military presence was only in Vanimo or Kiunga town.
“Government has not provided resources for border patrol and to effectively man of our international border.
“(This is) the biggest common land border and the Government has seen fit not to adequately equip our defence force, police personnel and institutions of Government such as the customs and the immigration.
“There are no daily border monitoring and the people in quarantine in Western and West Sepik.
“People are moving in and out freely.
“The Government can say the border is closed (but) people on the ground are saying it is not closed.
“Not only this Government but successive governments have paid little or no attention to border security.
“This is a serious case of a health pandemic, as announced by the World Health Organisation.
“We expect the Government to pay serious attention to border provinces and ensure they are monitored or closed.
“Yes I do have some responsibility but I can only do just that much with whatever little funding I have.
“Towards the end of last year, of the K10 or K8 million that was paid to each member of parliament , my district only received K3 million.”
“What can I do with it?”
Provide report before testing vaccine: Namah
February 23, 2021The NationalNational
OPPOSITION Leader Belden Namah says the Government should not approve the coronavirus (Covid-19) vaccine until a comprehensive report has been tabled to verify that it is safe for the people.
“We do not want vaccines to be tested in our country until the Covid-19 report is out,” he said.
Namah said Prime Minister James Marape and his Government had a fiduciary duty to the country to present a report on;
· THE effects of the Covid-19 on the population;
· THE measures taken by the Government to protect the population and how those measures have worked;
· AN account of public funds were allocated, including whether there were borrowed internationally and any donations from foreign agencies for the Covid-19; and
· AN update on Papua New Guinea’s Covid-19 vaccination programme which the prime minister supported with an allocation of K10.2 million.
“Until this report is made public or presented to Parliament, for parliament to debate and endorse, Papua New Guineans must not be exposed to any vaccine test in the country,” Namah said.
“The Government should provide scientific reports and medical evidences that the Covid-19 pandemic was affecting the people.
“I want to know why Papua New Guineans have not been adversely affected.
“Is it because of our DNA (or) an inbuilt immune system?”
Namah said this was an important question because since the pandemic started, the lifestyle of the people here such as sharing of betel nut, lime and communal living renders the population at a higher risk with serious impacts but that had not happened.
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