24 Parliament staff down with Covid-19

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24 Parliament staff down with Covid-19

PORT MORESBY: Twenty-four of 300 Parliament staff tested positive for Coronavirus (Covid-19) after all workers underwent testing, Speaker Job Pomat said.

And Port Moresby General Hospital chief executive officer Dr Paki Molumi shared his experience after he himself was down with Covid-19 for a month.

Ijivitari MP Richard Masere also shared his experience of losing his brother to Coronavirus.

PNG Cyber Monitor reproduces below sever news reports on the current status of Covid-19 in Papua New Guinea as reported by The National:

Twenty-four Parlt staff tested positive for Covid-19

November 22, 2021The NationalNational

ALL workers in Parliament have undergone testing for the Coronavirus (Covid-19), with 24 of the 300 staff members testing positive, says Speaker Job Pomat.
He said political appointees and visitors entering the parliament premises would also be asked by the security guards to take the test, if they had not already done so.
Pomat said they started conducting the Covid-19 tests for all parliamentary staff and political appointees two weeks ago. Of the 24 who tested positive, 18 were parliamentary service staff and six political appointees.
They did not have any symptoms of the Covid-19. The 24 have been advised to stay at home. Pomat said visitors to parliament and staff of the MPs would be asked about their testing status, and result of the test, so that the situation can be properly managed.

MP shares experience of losing brother to Coronavirus

November 22, 2021The NationalMain Stories

By LULU MARK
IJIVITARI MP Richard Masere says the Coronavirus (Covid-19) vaccine is critical as it gives one a chance of survival on the sick bed.
He shared in Parliament on Friday how he lost his younger brother to Covid-19 three weeks ago, describing it as one of the most difficult and saddest experiences his family had to endure.
A month before the death of his brother, his mother passed away.
At the haus krai, Masere was encouraging the people including the pastor to get vaccinated.
He said the pastor’s response was similar to the general response of some Christians: “I am Christian, washed by the blood of Jesus – I will not die”.
“Two weeks later the pastor died,” Masere said.
“Christians, I want to encourage you to stop standing on the words and try to defend that you shouldn’t take it.
“I encourage you to consume the right food, take the right medication, take the vaccine and look after your body.
“Covid-19 is real and it can kill.
“Three weeks ago on a Friday, my younger brother got had a fever at the house.
“On Monday afternoon at about 4pm a family member called and said he was having problems with his breathing.
“I was talking to him in the morning and he sounded okay but in the afternoon he started (having difficulties breathing). He was taken to a private hospital at around 5pm.
“He couldn’t walk because he was struggling to breathe so they brought a wheelchair and pushed him to the entrance of the hospital.
“They couldn’t allow him because he was showing symptoms of Covid-19 so they had to get him tested first.
“Within half an hour he was confirmed positive with Covid-19 (and) at that particular point, the private hospital couldn’t accept him anymore. He was referred to the Port Moresby General Hospital and by Tuesday 3am they put him on oxygen. He was struggling to breathe.
“By Tuesday night they said that his condition had improved.
“On Wednesday morning at 7am I got a phone call saying that he is now finding it very hard to breathe even though he was on the oxygen.
“I rushed to the hospital and I stood by his bed between 9 and 10am. In one hour while I stood there I watched my brother die. It’s the saddest thing that can ever happen to a family.”

Molumi urges people to get vaccine after Covid ordeal

November 22, 2021The NationalNational

 Paki Molumi

By JINA AMBA
PORT Moresby General Hospital chief executive officer Dr Paki Molumi, after recovering from the Coronavirus (Covid-19), has urged everyone to get vaccinated.
Dr Molumi said since September, 200 hospital staff had contracted the Covid-19.
“I came out of Covid-19 so I know exactly how it is like to be a patient,” he said.
“200 of my staff have also been infected, frontline staff,” Dr Molumi said.
“Most of them have recovered and are back.
“We lost one of our nursing officer to Covid-19.
“Almost 95 per cent of them are back to normal.
“Most of our staff are vaccinated.
“There is 70 to 80 medical staff vaccinated and 30 percent of the nurses.
“Vaccination is still going so we hope to get 100 percent of the nurses vaccinated.
“Covid-19 is not a good experience. It really chokes you.
“So I want to appeal to anyone, if you feel that you have shortness of breath or fever, just come to the hospital so that we can get you diagnosed quickly and can give you appropriate treatment and oxygen.
“Oxygen saves lives. As long as you are put on oxygen, the doctors can keep you alive.”
Meanwhile he thanked the families of the nurses and doctors for their support during this pandemic.
He said not only the health workers were at risk but also their families.

Research: Many adults unprotected

November 22, 2021The NationalNational

UP to two-thirds of Papua New Guinea’s adult population may be still largely be unprotected from the Coronavirus (Covid-19) in 2026, based on projections of a new research published by the Lowy Institute.
Using country data and modelling, the institute assessed the state of vaccine rollouts for 14 countries across the Pacific islands region.
It showed PNG’s rollout is the region’s slowest, with the country of more than 9 million people recording some of the lowest vaccination rates in the world.
This contrasts with some smaller countries in the region, where near-universal coverage has already been achieved.
“This research reveals a region divided,” research fellow Alexandre Dayant said.
“The northern Pacific has benefitted from the efforts by the United States to roll out vaccines quickly and at scale, while parts of Melanesia have been hampered by poor health service delivery, but more worryingly – misinformation leading to outright vaccine resistance.
“The situation in PNG is particularly concerning, and the most recent
numbers don’t give a lot of cause for hope.”
The Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and PNG are under-performing on vaccination.
None of the three will have vaccinated more than 20 per cent of their adult populations by the end of this year.
PNG has currently vaccinated just 2.5 per cent – and by 2026, will have reached just 35 per cent of its adult population.
This contrasts with Fiji, which this month has achieved an adult vaccination rate of 90 per cent despite contending with an outbreak of the Delta variant of the Covid-19.
International donors have guaranteed supply to the region, with Australia providing around two-thirds of commitments and most of the supply to date.

Vax remains voluntary

November 22, 2021The NationalMain Stories

By MIRIAM ZARRIGA
NATIONAL Pandemic Response Controller David Manning says “there is no such policy of no-jab no-job” in the country.
In a response to petitions handed to Police Minister William Onglo by a group of protesters, Manning said Covid-19 vaccination remained voluntary and remained an individual’s choice.
“The Government continues to observe and uphold the rights of parties and individuals in this pandemic period,” he said.
“The National Control Center (NCC) continues to work with all stakeholders across many industries to ensure we navigate a way out of the pandemic as safely as possible.
“The key to returning to normalcy is ensuring safe working environments are established in public and private sector businesses.”
The protestors were opposing the no-jab-no-job policy.
Manning said the responsibility lay with organisations with the guidelines spelt out in the niupela pasin strategy.
Manning added that while vaccination against the Covid-19 was voluntary, compliance with the niupela pasin protocols was mandatory.
“The Government continues to provide the Covid-19 vaccinations in public and private health facilities nationwide,” he said.
“More work is required to increase awareness and education of our people.
The NCC is renewing its communication and strategies to inform all of us the Covid-19 virus, niupela pasin strategy compliance, vaccination and eligibility to take the vaccine.”
He said the NCC was created to ensure a whole-of- government approach to the Covid-19 response.
This includes setting up the medical and scientific advisory committee made up of respected, knowledgeable and experienced medical practitioners who advise the office of the controller.
“The aim of the NCC response is to protect the people from the devastating effects of this global pandemic,” he said.
“Research and science from around the world informs us that vaccinations is the most proven way to protect ourselves and our health system.”