COVID-19 cases in Papua New Guinea have increased by 19; all from the nation’s capital.
Pandemic Controller David Manning released the new figures in a statement yesterday evening.
“To date we have identified 91 confirmed coronavirus cases in the country. Out of these, 2 have died and 34 have recovered, while 51 are active cases – 3 are severe, 3 moderate and the rest are mild,” he stated.
He said the 19 positive cases will join 22 inpatients currently being monitored at the Rita Flynn Isolation facility; before that 7 others were admitted yesterday evening.
Manning said, “From the screening of the 91 patients, we have identified common symptoms presented by 80 per cent cases. These include cough, chills, fever, headache, muscle aches, shortness of breath and abdominal pain. These goes to show that the virus can be tricky and therefore you must report quickly to your nearest clinic, if you show these symptoms.”
He said the government has identified clusters of infection in the NCD, and there is a broader community testing strategy over the next 10 days to get a clear picture.
“Part of the strategy is to increase testing in urban clinics. As of (Saturday, 1 August), the health team and the NCD Provincial Health Authority with its parnters have distributed tents and visited Morata, Six Mile, Nine Mile, Gordons, Pari, Badili and Wanigela health clinics to set up screening areas. This will greatly increase testing, identification and containment of the virus in the communities.”
Other clusters include Port Moresby General Hospital, the National Department of Health, the National Control Centre, Ensisi, 3 mile, 2mile, East Boroko, UPNG, Gerehu, Hohola and Vadavada.
“These areas have been identified as contacts of confirmed cases who have been identified and tested.”
To date authorities have tested 10,471 persons through Polymerase Chain Reaction, 9,939 samples collected.
9,939 turned out negative, while 355 are pending results.