Papua New Guinea hit by third wave Covid-19 and Delta
News that matter in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea hit by third wave Covid-19 and Delta
PORT MORESBY: The country’s
biggest hospital; - Port Moresby General Hospital – is forced to scale down its
service from today (Oct 6, 2021) due to a third surge in in Coronavirus
(Covid-19) cases.
The hospital recorded four
deaths in a week with an admission of 80 patients.
Hospital chief executive
officer Dr Paki Molumi warned of a third surge in Covid-19 cases which he
described as “worse than the second one”.
The National updated Papua New Guinea’s Covid-19 status with several news reports:
Third surge
worst: Doc
October 6, 2021The
NationalMain Stories
The emergency section at the Port Moresby General Hospital. – Pictures
supplied
Dr Paki Molumi
By LULU MARK
THE country’s biggest hospital, which recorded four Coronavirus
(Covid-19) deaths in one week, and more than 80 patients admitted, will scale
down services from today, an official says.
Port Moresby General Hospital chief executive officer Dr Paki Molumi warned of
a third surge in Covid-19 cases which he said was worse than the second one.
“This is the worst we have experienced,” he said.
“We will scale down non-essential services for two weeks (starting today Oct 6)
to re-organise our staff and to contain the situation.
“All hospital clinical services and related services will be scaled down. Staff
will be deployed to critical areas such as the Emergency Department, Medical
Ward 3B, Isolation Ward and the Taurama Aquatic Centre.”
He told The National yesterday that on Monday, there were 50
Covid-19 patients admitted, adding on to the 30 admitted in the previous 24
hours.
He said by 5pm yesterday, 88 Covid-19 patients were admitted at the hospital
and he expected the number to increase.
Dr Molumi said 30 hospital workers had also tested positive for the Covid-19
with mild symptoms and were placed in isolation.
He said the hospital was going through the third wave of the Covid-19 surge
which was worse than the last surge.
Measures put in place to help the hospital manage the surge include:
- PATHOLOGY services – only
urgent tests such as cross-match and blood transfusion services will be
maintained;
- ALL elective surgeries are
on hold indefinitely except for emergency surgeries;
- ALL consultation will be
closed except any special arrangement to review cases;
- TB Clinics will be open as
per schedule with strict compliance of the Covid-19 protocol;
- ONLY emergency and life
threatening conditions will be attended to at the Emergency Department;
- ONLY emergency and
in-patient radiology services will be maintained;
- OTHER essential specialty
services such as dental, physiotherapy, social works, Heduru Clinic,
oncology, antenatal and general support services to remain open but to
maintain Covid-19 protocol;
- DISPENSING of prescription
medications will be maintained with limited capacity including reducing
operating hours from Monday to Friday.
Dr Molumi said all staff were
expected to come to work as per the rosters including call-out to critical
areas within the hospital during this period.
He urged hospital workers to get vaccinated at the vaccination sites in the
hospital and other sites in the city.
The vaccination site at the hospital is for workers, patients and members of
the public set up by the National Capital District Health Authority and
National Control Centre. Dr Molumi again stressed that vaccination was
important in addressing this surge.
Marape:
Please do get vaccinated
October 6, 2021The
NationalMain Stories
“While vaccine remains optional, I am encouraging everyone to get vaccinated.
(Coronavirus) vaccines save lives,” he said.
“There is a relative increase in (the Covid-19) vaccination, but it is still a
tiny margin. We still have a long way to go before we reach the target many
countries have already reached for their people.”
He appealed to all health workers to be vaccinated because of the “high-risk”
they face in their workplace.
He sounded the warning as he ordered a major step-up in vaccination
implementation, and a better communication channel between the Health
Department and provincial health authorities.
He wants to see a stronger performance by all stakeholders to contain the
fast-spreading Coronavirus (Covid-19) and its deadlier Delta variant.
“This war against Covid-19 will not be won by departments in Waigani issuing
orders to people (in the provinces) but through a stronger working partnership
between stakeholders.
“Our authorities and health workers are on the battlefront. They know what must
be done to prevent more people from getting sick and dying, and what is needed
to increase vaccination.”
He mooted the idea of providing insurance for frontline health care workers –
doctors, nurses and those directly involved in handling the pandemic response.
Morobe to use TB
ward for Covid-19 patients
By GLORIA BAUAI
THE Morobe Health Authority will use a new tuberculosis ward as a
Coronavirus (Covid-19) ward to manage patients better, says chief executive
officer Dr Kipas Binga.
It is currently treating Covid-19 patients at the Sir Ignatius Kilage stadium
indoor complex – a five-minute drive from the Angau Memorial Hospital.
Dr Binga said the current set-up was hard to manage.
“We have made those decisions so it becomes easier for things such as oxygen
access, and food,” he said.
The new TB ward is at the hospital built as part of a redevelopment project
funded by Australia.
“Luckily, we have that facility there,” he said.
“Now with the surge and given our earlier experience, we feel it will be better
managed on the hospital campus. All hospitals around the country have theirs on
campus.”
Dr Binga said the 12 TB patients in the ward would be moved to another ward.
“We’ve got two wards and we’re trying to free one up,” he said.
The medical ward and TB ward have 26 beds.
“At least we’ve got 26 beds that are linked to oxygen and easier to manage,” he
said.
“We’re still keeping the stadium set-up in case there’s a spillover from the
surge.”
He said manpower remained an issue.
“As we go along, we see our capacity in terms of financial strength and (is
there is any) manpower in Lae we can recruit,” he said.
Dr Binga said there were enough supply for the geneXpert and antibody testing.
He also said lockdowns in certain institutions in the province were entirely up
to the management for their safety. The authority and the provincial government
had nothing to do with it.
Goroka situation
extremely serious, says doctor
National emergency medical team leader Dr Garry Nou (left) with his
members will be based at the Goroka Hospital for the next 21 days. They arrived
there on Monday.
– Picture supplied
By LULU MARK
THE Coronavirus (Covid-19) surge in Goroka, Eastern Highlands, has been
described by the national emergency medical team which arrived on Monday as
“extremely serious”.
Team leader Dr Garry Nou told The National from Goroka
yesterday that the solution was in vaccination.
“(People) must get vaccinated,” he said.
“This is so important.”
The PNG Sports Foundation confirmed yesterday five Delta variant cases at
Goroka’s National Sports Institute (NSI) which has been closed since Friday.
Dr Nou warned the people of Eastern Highlands to stop moving around
unnecessarily and to follow all the public health safety measures such as the
wearing of masks, physical distancing and regular hand-washing.
The eight-member team from Port Moresby he is in charge of in Goroka comprises
five nurses, a specialist nurse on infection prevention control, and a doctor.
“They are all very experienced in isolation care in Port Moresby. They will
provide interventional support and help in ward care.”
He thanked the World Health Organisation, Health Department, National Control
Centre and Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade for supporting
the team.
“We also thank chief executive officer Dr Paki Molumi of the Port Moresby
General Hospital, Dr Steven Yennie of the National Capital District Health
Authority and Matt Cannon of St John Ambulance for allowing their staff to be
on the team.
Dr Nou said teams of emergency medical workers from overseas were in the
country to help in the pandemic response.
Market vendors,
customers ignoring rules
Shoppers and vendors at the Lae Main Market ignoring Covid-19 public
health safety protocols such as social distancing and wearing masks.
– Nationalpic by BRADLEY MARIORI
By BRADLEY MARIORI
SHOPPERS and vendors at Lae’s main market have been condemned for
ignoring Coronavirus (Covid-19) public safety measures, despite being reminded
daily to follow them.
Lae City Council acting market coordinator Timothy Nadu told The
National yesterday that awareness on the Covid-19 public health safety
measures was conducted daily, but not many seemed to be listening.
“The only place people follow the rules is at the gates where their hands are
sanitised and have their masks on before entering,” Nadu said.
“But once they are in the market, they take off their masks, congregate in one
place and disregard the safety measures.
“People who are not adhering to the safety measures can be fined up to K10,000,
according to the Pandemic Controller (David Manning). But we haven’t enforced
this yet. We need to implement strict rules and penalties so they can listen.”
Nadu said some had been reprimanded for not following instructions in the
market but more needed to be done to ensure safety protocols were followed.
More people coming
forward to get vaccine in WHP
By ELIAS LARI
THERE is an increase in the number of people coming in to be vaccinated
in Western Highlands but is nowhere near the figure they want to see, an
official says.
Western Highlands Provincial Health Authority chief executive officer Jane
Holden said so far the number of Coronavirus (Covid-19) positive cases had
reached 600, with 10 deaths recorded.
She said while the Covid-19 vaccination rate has gone up, it needed to increase
more to reach a level health authorities wanted to see.
Holden said the other concern was that more than 30 health workers had also
tested positive for the Covid-19. She again stressed that getting vaccinated
would stop the surge in the pandemic and urged the people to come forward.
She confirmed that a emergency medical team from Port Moresby had arrived in Mt
Hagen to help local health officials manage the Covid-19 cases surge.
The provincial health authority had recorded 10 Covid-19 deaths but was aware
of another nine reported from the communities.
She suspects that there may be more deaths related to the Covid-19 and positive
cases which remain unreported.
The authority is urging more people to get vaccinated to protect themselves and
others against the virus.
Meanwhile, health workers in neighbouring Jiwaka are conducting more awareness
on the benefits of the Covid-19 vaccination.
They recorded two deaths after Sept 16 with many testing positive.
Jiwaka health authority chief executive officer Thaddeus Turi could not be
reached to comment on the updated figures.
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