Delta attacks Papua New Guinea

 News that matter in Papua New Guinea

 

Image for illustration only. For image info, go to https://givingcompass.org/article/the-impact-of-the-delta-covid-variant-on-unvaccinated-youth/?gclid=CjwKCAjw3MSHBhB3EiwAxcaEuztsbKziVM6biCKI1IqxK1U_Z3KtJ_fdBc9HdQznW1AEDP3h_pTtNhoCqhMQAvD_BwE (The Impact Of The Delta COVID Variant On Unvaccinated Youth)

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Delta attacks Papua New Guinea

PORT MORESBY: The highly infectious Coronavirus (Covid-19) variant, Delta, has arrived in Papua New Guinea.

Covid-19 National Pandemic Response Controller Dr Daoni Eserom said a 65-year-old ship captain from the Philippines was tested postive and immediately placed in quarantine in a hospital here.

The latest on the threat to the lives of Papua New Guineans was reported by The National:

 

Health alert

July 16, 2021The NationalMain Stories

By MIRIAM ZARRIGA
HEALTH officials yesterday confirmed the first positive Covid-19 Delta variant case detected in the country, and warned that a substantial percentage of the population is still to be vaccinated and to do so now.
Dr Daoni Eserom, the Covid-19 National Pandemic Response Deputy Controller, said a 65-year-old ship captain from the Philippines, when tested positive, was under quarantine at a hospital in Port Moresby.
He said the positive Covid-19 case with the Delta mutation was confirmed through genome sequencing.
“The positive Delta case is the captain of the cargo ship Grand Tajima (which) departed from the Banjarmasin Port, Kalimanta province in Indonesia,” he said.
“He is currently in quarantine and in a stable condition.
“As a precaution, six people who accompanied (him) to shore on the pilot boat also went into immediate quarantine.
“Five of the people in quarantine are Papua New Guineans, and one from the Philippines. All six have so far tested negative to the Covid-19. They will be retested after 14 days.”
The ship arrived with a crew of 16, six of whom have tested positive to the Covid-19. Two are admitted in the isolation ward at the Port Moresby General Hospital.
“Four others who tested positive but not showing symptoms are in quarantine on board the ship. The remaining eight crew members are in isolation on the ship.”
The Philippines Embassy in Port Moresby has been advised of the matter.
Daoni said “vaccination is only the solution” to protecting people from the “extremely serious” Covid-19 Delta strain.
He said a recent survey showed that around 60 per cent of the people in PNG were reluctant to be vaccinated.
“The Covid-19 Delta strain is extremely dangerous because of the way it spreads so quickly through the community (as currently witnessed in Australia and Fiji),” he said.
“Then hospitals become quickly overloaded. The only way to not become seriously ill or die from Covid-19 is to be vaccinated.”
He said stricter border control measures had ensured that the case was detected before the Delta strain could spread into the PNG community.
“We will continue to maintain these strict measures – so there will be no changes to border control measures at this point. Ongoing cargo shipping is essential for our economy and goods for our people and businesses,” he said.

 

Most people refusing vaccination

July 16, 2021The NationalMain Stories

A RECENT survey shows that around 62 per cent of the people of PNG do not think that they will catch the Covid-19, according to an official.
With the threat of the more “serious” Delta strain hitting the country, Deputy Controller of the National Pandemic Response Dr Daoni Esorom, has called on citizens to get vaccinated.
“I call on all Papua New Guineans not to be complacent,” he said.
“A recent survey found that 62 per cent of our people do not think they will catch the Covid-19, and that is why they have not come forward to be vaccinated.
“As we all watch the number of deaths continue to rise in Fiji, India and around the world, we should take this as a wakeup call for us all to vaccinate. The only way for our people to survive the Covid-19 is through vaccination.”
He stressed that the Delta variant was “extremely serious” as it is “many more times contagious than previous Covid-19 strains”.
It is responsible for thousands of deaths in India in the past few months and is now causing destruction and loss of life in Fiji, and this week placed Sydney in lockdown.
The National Control Centre has been tracking it.
“In response to the escalated risk, the Government has introduced stricter border control measures,” he said.
“There are people coming from overseas who have complained that we now have a 21-day quarantine period. We made the change so that we have a better chance of detecting any Covid-19 Delta mutation before (it) could spread into our community.”
He said while cargo ships were essential to the economy to bring goods for the people and businesses, “this must be properly balanced with public health and safety as the priority”.
“Keeping the Covid-19 Delta strain out of PNG is an almost impossible task,” Daoni said.
“But we will continue to do all we can to keep this dangerous strain out, and in a worst-case scenario, delay its entry and spread for as long as we can.”
He said more than 100 countries had lost the fight with the Delta strain spreading through their communities.
“This includes countries with very strict border controls such as Australia where a crisis is unfolding.”

 

Undialu urging Hela people to get vaccine

July 16, 2021The NationalMain Stories

HELA Governor Philip Undialu received the first jab of the Covid-19 vaccine yesterday and urged the people of the province to get vaccinated too.
“Covid-19 is real and is here to stay. We just need to learn to live with it. Disinformation about Covid-19 and vaccines remains a big challenge,” Undialu said.
Undialu said he had discussed with his wife Charie which vaccine to take. They agreed on the Sinopharm vaccine recently donated by China.
He urged the people of Hela to ignore misinformation and negative views on the Covid-19 vaccines, and go to Tari Hospital to get vaccinated.
“Covid-19 is real and you will regret it if you get it,” he said.
“Just like babies getting vaccinated as a defence against malaria or polio, Covid-19 vaccines will provide a defence in your body.
“Currently, we do not have any defence in our system (against the Covid-19). Get vaccinated and protect yourself, your family and everyone in the community.”
Aitape Lumi MP Patrick Pruaitch also got his first jab of the vaccine with his family, plus electoral and support staff yesterday.

Politicians told to cancel mass gatherings

July 16, 2021The NationalNational

By MIRIAM ZARRIGA
POLITICIANS have been asked to cancel any big gatherings around the country as the first case of the Covid-19 Delta mutation was detected in Port Moresby yesterday.
Deputy Covid-19 National Pandemic Response Controller Dr Esrom Daoni said public health safety measures remained in effect and should now be strictly followed. The first case of the Covid-19 Delta variant was that of a 65-year-old Filipino ship captain.
Daoni said: “There is no different message to politicians. The message is standard.
“We need to comply with the measures.
“Events for more than 100 people (have to be approved by) the National Control Centre.
“Anything beyond that will not be allowed.”
He said mass gatherings were banned.
“There is no other way to do this,” he said.
“We need to comply especially when you have a variant that can spread very fast. Vaccination is important.
“There is enough vaccine for everybody, please get yourself vaccinated to protect yourself, your family and communities.
“We need to educate people, they must adhere to the measures.”
The symptoms of the Delta variant are similar to the Covid-19 as widely made known before.
People have to observe the basic protocol: Washing of hands, socially distancing and wearing of face masks.

More than 7,000 in Morobe vaccinated, but doctors urge others to get jab too

July 16, 2021The NationalNational

By JIMMY KALEBE
MORE than 7,000 people in Morobe have received the Covid-19 vaccine, says Morobe health authority chief executive officer Dr Kipas Binga.And he hopes to see more people come forward to get the vaccine before the doses expires at the end of the month. He said that on July 9, they had recorded 7,977 people vaccinated, with 480 going for their second dose. Vaccination remains open to anyone above the age of 18.“We are now working against time to get as many people vaccinated as possible before the expiry date of the vaccine on July 29,” Dr Binga said.
He said as soon as the doses expired, they would request for new ones.
“Vaccination is a voluntary thing but the PHA (provincial health authority) is trying as much as possible to make the vaccine available to the people, especially the ones who have made up their minds to take it,” he said.The authority is calling in all left-over vaccines at the district health posts to be brought to Lae for immediate use.
The Covid-19 facility at the Sir Ignatius Indoor Stadium is empty at the moment.