Covid-19 vaccination

When Parliament resumed yesterday at 2pm, the Open Member for West New Britain Sasindran Muthuvel queried the Prime Minister’s response to the ‘no jab, no job’ policy being implemented by certain private companies that is instilling fear and costing the status of employment for citizens in the country.

PM Marape assured Parliament and the citizens of the country that the government’s policy regarding the COVID-19 vaccination remains non-compulsory.

It comes amid concerns raised by the Health Ministry and the public at the rate of children dying from the virus in Fiji.

So far about 10 young people have succumbed to the Delta variant, with the latest victims a six-month-old boy and an 11-year-old girl among the dead reported last weekend.

Fiji's chief medical advisor Dr Jemesa Tudravu said vaccinating children would also be a crucial factor in deciding when schools reopen

Schools have been closed since April this year.

Lae metropolitan superintendent, Chris Kunyanban, confirmed this afternoon that the MHL administrative building at Eight-Mile was also damaged during the riot.

It is believed that CEO Brian Fraser was greeted by a large group of frustrated workers when he entered the premises in the morning. The situation immediately escalated with the stoning of his vehicle and nearby buildings.

He spun the vehicle around and made for the exit, but not before getting his window smashed in the process.

He was speaking at the APEC Informal Leaders Retreat recently. Although while mentioning this and the people’s right in making the choice to vaccination.

It was clear that the PM Marape was aware of the world’s current move into accepting COVID-19 vaccination as the new way of living and travel.

PM highlighted that Papua New Guinea is among the countries that are still lagging behind in vaccinating its population.

It successfully vaccinating 14,000 people at the Rita Flynn facility since the rollout of the program in May this year.

NCDPHA was given 4,000 vaccine doses of the Australia-donated AstraZenecca vaccines during the launch on May 12^th but that was used up within a week. From the original donation which will expire on 29^th July, 200 doses are left. According to NCD Immunization Program Officer, Janet Pongon, these will probably be used within two days.

The Alotau General Hospital has 400 staff. A little over 60 staff have been vaccinated.

Dr. Perista Mamadi said many staff and the public have raised concerns on the side effects of the vaccine.

He said it is mainly due to information shared through social media, causing these concerns.

Dr. Mamadi and his team have gone into communities and schools to generate awareness surrounding the vaccine and its side effects.

Dr. Mamadi is one of the 60-plus health staff who have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

In a video call with frontline workers, Prince William offered his congratulations and described the programme as "tremendous" saying it didn't "just happen".

Staff joked they had been "thinking and dreaming" of vaccines all day and night with some describing working seven-day weeks.

The duke also praised his grandparents, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, for stepping up and getting the vaccine.

Its own vaccine Sputnik V, which was registered in August, is being used.

Developers say it is 95 percent effective and causes no major side effects, but it is still undergoing mass testing.

Thousands of people have already registered to get the first of two jabs over the weekend, but it is unclear how much Russia can manufacture.

Producers are only expected to make 2 million doses of the vaccine by the end of the year.