Delta infections in Papua New Guinea at 300

News that matter in Papua New Guinea

Delta infections in Papua New Guinea at 300

PORT MORESBY: The Coronavirus (Covid-19) deadlier and more infectious Delta variant has infected 300 people in Papua New Guinea to date.

And Covid-19 positive cases are still on the rise, National Pandemic Response Deputy Controller Dr Daoni Esorom lamented.

PNG Cyber Monitor reproduced below several news reports on the pandemic status in Papua New Guinea as reported by The National:

Delta cases increase to 300 so far

November 16, 2021The NationalMain Stories

By LULU MARK
WITH the Coronavirus (Covid-19) cases around the country continuing to increase – including almost 300 cases of the Delta variant so far – people have again been reminded to get vaccinated to prevent deaths.
Deputy National Pandemic Response Controller Dr Esorom said that as of Saturday, the total Covid-19 cases recorded in PNG had reached 32,953. Of that number, 298 have been confirmed as Delta variant cases.
The total number of people who have died of the Covid-19 is 436.
“We have a very big community transmission and it is driven by the Delta variant,” he said.
The National Capital District has 112 Delta variant cases, Morobe 59, West Sepik 56, Western 32, Hela 13, Eastern Highlands 8, Madang and Central 4 each, Enga 3, Western Highland and Manus 2 each, and East New Britain, New Ireland and Chimbu with one each.
“There are a lot of the Covid-19, including Delta cases out there but we are not doing enough testing,” he said.
“Testing is important to know the situation for the health and safety of our people. We need to do more to test our people to make sure that they know their status so that they can protect themselves, their families and communities.
“If we don’t test, we will have a lot of people who will die unnecessarily. The deaths recorded are from the death certificates we received. We believe there are lot more deaths out there.”
He said some deaths had not been officially recorded.
“On average every day, I sign off at the National Control Centre between eight and 15 requests for dead bodies to be transported around the country,” he said.
“We have been doing this for the last few months now and it is not a good sight. One death is too many.”
He said most of the people who died had not been vaccinated.

Deaths underrated: Doc

November 16, 2021The NationalMain Stories

By LULU MARK
THE Coronavirus (Covid-19) deaths in the National Capital District (NCD) is underestimated, a doctor says.
Port Moresby General Hospital (PMGH) director of medical services Dr Kone Sobi said around 200 Covid-19 deaths were recorded at the hospital in the third surge and many of these people who died had underlying medical conditions
He said there were many deaths in communities where tests were not conducted on some corpses due to families not agreeing.
“We are mindful of the fact that there are also deaths that occurred outside the hospital and didn’t come to the hospital systems – so the number of deaths in the last eight weeks may be underestimated,” he said.
Dr Sobi said in the last eight weeks, the hospital system was significantly challenged – unprecedentedly.
“We have not seen so many patients on oxygen by anyone single diseases before,” he said.
“We have doctors who have been practising for 50 years and what they have seen in this surge is not something they have seen before in all of their medical careers.
“In the last two months, we have had a huge number of patients.’
“Around a thousand Covid-19 patients have come into the hospital system in the last eight weeks since the surge began around mid-September.
“We hit the peak of the surge around Oct 18-19, but, as we know right now, there are outbreaks occurring across the country so we need to take note of that.
“We need to take all the precautionary measures so that future outbreaks are not as big as what we have encountered in the third surge.”
Dr Sobi said the surges were happening six months apart so the fourth surge would be expected in March-April and people should not drop their guards but do everything to prevent it.
He said in addition to adhering to the “Niupela Pasin” such as wearing masks, washing or sanitising hands and social distancing, vaccination was the key.

 

Western Highlands health authority lifts Covid-19 restrictions

November 16, 2021The NationalNational

By ELIAS LARI
RESTRICTIONS and curfews – referred to as lockdowns by police and provincial and district officers – were lifted on Thursday after being described as ineffective and confusing.
Western Highlands health authority chief executive officer Jane Holden said the provincial Coronavirus (Covid-19) task force committee decided to lift the restrictions because they had not been enforced by authorities such as the police.
“The provincial Covid-19 task force last week agreed that lockdown measures be lifted (because they) were not enforced and as a result confusing to the community,” she said.
Though schools were closed for three weeks and police organised checkpoints on a few roads in the province, life went on as usual for many people.
There was supposed to be a curfew from 6pm to 6am, restricted movements between 7am and 3pm when businesses could operate, no church services, no markets and no gatherings.
The restrictions began on Oct 18.
Holden said they had tried to restrict the movement of people after seeing the increasing number of the Covid-19 cases.
Airline companies were asked to follow strict Covid-19 protocols when passengers arrived at the Kagamuga Airport.
Passengers had to be tested on arrival and before departure.

Helping patients in rural areas a worry: St John

November 16, 2021The NationalNational

From left: St John Ambulance officer John Numa, driver William Salamo and nurse Idana Enai demonstrating how they attend to a patient in Port Moresby yesterday. – Nationalpic by KENNEDY BANI

THE ambulance emergency calls to assist the Coronavirus (Covid-19) patients in rural areas is a worry as people are dying before help reaches them, says St John Ambulance chief executive officer Matt Cannon.
He said they were noticing an increase in cases in places such as Kupiano in Abau.
“We are seeing people dying there and that’s not what we want,” he said. “As an ambulance service, to get a patient from Kupiano to the National Capital District, we have to take two big oxygen cylinders in the ambulance.
“This is on bumpy roads and we need to keep that person alive for four hours before they can get the treatment and care they need at Port Moresby General Hospital.
“This is a very long way. It takes four hours to get to Kupiano. And some of the patients (died) by the time we arrive or as we are on our way.”
He said it was really sad.
Cannon said it was important that people must understand that vaccination was important in protecting lives.
“We are seeing these unvaccinated people getting very sick – we are seeing unvaccinated people dying.”
Meanwhile, Prime Minister James Marape yesterday pledge K1 million to the St John Ambulance to expand its services nationwide.
At the launching of an ambulance training facility in Port Moresby’s Baruni yesterday, Marape said: “Let’s expand, not just to the main centres but in the next 10 years, the St Johns Ambulance is in all major road links, air links and sea link areas.”
Cannon thanked the Government, the United Nations, Australia, New Zealand and other partners for their support.

US announces K14 million urgent assistance

November 16, 2021The NationalNational

THE United States (US) through its Agency for International Development (USAID) has announced US$4 million (about K14 million) urgent Coronavirus (Covid-19) help for Papua New Guinea as a part of an American rescue plan act.
The embassy, in a statement, said the emergency funding would support the Government as they battled the recent surge in the Covid-19 cases and its Delta variant.
Support includes the procurement of critical commodities to support oxygen delivery and clinical care, and provision of training and wraparound technical assistance to ensure prompt distribution and use of the oxygen across PNG’s health facilities.
“The Government of Papua New Guinea has had to respond to dynamic and uncertain challenges as this devastating pandemic evolves,” US ambassador to PNG, the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu, Erin McKee said.
“This additional funding is an example of the United States and the American people’s commitment to providing quick and agile support when and where our partners need it the most.”
The US Embassy said that with the additional assistance, the US government, through USAID and the US department of defence, had provided more than US$16 million (about K56 million) to address the Covid-19 in PNG.
USAID support has helped the country implement internationally-recognised infection prevention and control strategies, strengthen laboratory systems, case management and surveillance tracking, and communicate effectively about the Covid-19 prevention and care.
Additionally, the US is the largest vaccine donor in the world, recently marking the major milestone of 200 million Covid-19 vaccine doses delivered worldwide to more than 100 countries and territories.
Papua New Guinea received 302,400 Johnson and Johnson vaccines donated by the US through the Covax Facility – a global initiative to provide safe and effective vaccines – to which the US is the largest donor.
The US is committed to partnering PNG and other Pacific Island countries to end the Covid-19 pandemic, mitigate its devastating social and economic impacts and build back a world that is even better prepared for future outbreaks.

Hospital oxygen plant commissioned

November 16, 2021The NationalNational

AN oxygen generation plant at the Port Moresby General Hospital (PMGH) was commissioned yesterday.
Minister for Health and HIV/AIDS Jelta Wong, Health Department secretary Dr Osborne Liko and representative from the World Health Organisation (WHO) Anna Maalsen witnessed the commissioning.
PMGH chief executive officer Dr Paki Molumi said the oxygen plant was the initiative of the Government, in partnership with WHO to improve the hospital’s oxygen capacity.
The demand for it had increased during the pandemic.
Dr Molumi said the facility was established at a cost of US$600,000 (about K2 million).
“The hospital will be saving the K2 million used to procure oxygen every year with this facility on site,” he said.
“If the plant is looked after properly, it can last 25 years.
“Medical oxygen is a therapeutic product, therefore, its production, packaging must be undertaken with requirements of best practice governing good manufacturing practice.
“To ensure that PMGH board and management will enter into an agreement to engage a licensed contractor with qualified engineers to manage this plant.
“This is to ensure quality oxygen that is safe for patients to be generated.
“The oxygen supply from this plant will complement the BOC gas supply.”
Dr Molumi thanked the Government for ensuring that PMGH had the first oxygen plant.

Churches’ support will give NCD efforts a shot in the arm

November 16, 2021The NationalNational

THE roll-out of the Coronavirus (Covid-19) vaccination programme in the National Capital District (NCD) will be boosted with the support of churches, an official says.
At a press conference yesterday to announce the partnership of the NCD Commission and the Papua New Guinea Council of Churches (PNGCC), Governor Powes Parkop said the hospital system in the city had been stretched and stressed that vaccination should be promoted to prevent surges.
Representatives from different denominations were briefed on the Covid-19 situation in the country and NCD by the National Pandemic Deputy Controller Dr Daoni Esorom, Port Moresby General Hospital director of medical services Dr Kone Sobi, NCD health authority chief executive officer Dr Steven Yennie and St John Ambulance chief executive officer Matt Cannon.
Parkop thanked the PNGCC, including the Body of Christ churches, to step forward and partner NCDC to run the vaccination programme.
“Vaccination is voluntary and not mandatory, according to the Government,” he said.
“We are not forcing you to get the vaccine but encouraging you to get it.
“At this time, getting the vaccine is the right thing to do.”
PNGCC general secretary Rev Joseph Rogers said a theological handbook was developed to guide the churches in the Covid-19 awareness message which the churches had been using in their work with the National Control Centre and development partners such as the World Health Organisation and Unicef.
He said misinformation was a big concern in fighting the pandemic and the sources of the misinformation were doctors, nurses and technical people in the know, the internet or social media and the churches.
Rev Rogers said the churches were working together to dispel the misinformation through sharing from the Bible about what God says about loving others.
He said there had been positive responses from the church-facilitated awareness programmes, including the vaccination of 500 people from Gabagaba village.
“We share the Bible message of obedience and love,” Rev Rogers.
“If we want to choose life, be obedient.”
He said the churches were looking forward to working with NCDC in rolling out the vaccination programmes in the community.