Coronavirus

“The controller must tell the people of this country why the hotels, the clubs, the gaming houses need to continue on the lock down.”

“These are businesses which pay tax to our country which generate internal revenue.”

“That is why the controller must specify through contact tracing the mutating patterns of COVID-19,” said Namah.

He also raised the concerns over alleged misuse of funds and assets.

According to the Permanent Secretary for Health, Dr James Fong, the first two are close household contacts of previously announced cases, and they have tested positive while secure in quarantine facilities.

One is the 25-year-old wife of the case who stayed in Vunimono, Nausori and the other is his 52-year-old aunt.

Dr Fong told a press conference this evening that the third case is a former border quarantine passenger who arrived from Papua New Guinea into Nadi on Friday April 9th.

The equipment, procured by the World Health Organisation in PNG and aimed at breathing and respiratory needs, includes a portable x-ray machine, patient monitors, resuscitation sets, ventilation bags and oxygen masks.      

It is the latest in a programme of UK support to the health sector in Papua New Guinea, which also aims to build capacity and provide lasting value for future generations.  

The first case is a soldier working in a border quarantine facility and is a roommate of the first border quarantine soldier announced Covid-19 positive on Sunday, 18 April.

According to the Ministry of Health, the new case tested negative on his first test and did not pose a threat to the public as he remained in the border quarantine facility.

He has now tested positive after 7 days in quarantine.

Four of the other new cases are close contacts of the hotel worker who attended a funeral.

Speaking at a press conference in Buin, Health Secretary Clement Totavun said the decision to roll out these vaccines will be decided by the Bougainville government through the Bougainville Executive Council.

Totavun presented a policy paper on Friday.

The BEC will deliberate on the Covid-19 vaccine while the policy paper will provide technical factual information on the types of vaccines and their benefits.

Unknowns and mixed messaging has raised fear, anxiety and confusion.

Misinformation regarding COVID-19 is mostly felt in the rural communities who, due to limited access to media and valid sources of information, often rely on hearsay.

Because of this, the Christian Radio Missionary Fellowship is pushing to give regular updates each week to provide new information and developments as they unfold.

Transparency International PNG (TIPNG) has now called on the government to release all reports on funding for the COVID-19 response to restore public trust.

TIPNG has been calling for greater accountability of COVID-19 funds since the initial declaration of the State of Emergency (SOE) in 2020, and subsequent emergency declarations.  

Morobe Provincial Health Authority chief executive officer, Dr. Kipas Binga, echoed these sentiments when receiving five pallets of ventilators and accessory spare parts which were donated by Newcrest Mining Ltd and UNICEF.

This is one of many donations that Newcrest Mining and UNICEF have given to support the Morobe Provincial Health Authority throughout this global pandemic.

“We are fortunate that we have many stakeholders who support and ensure we continue to deliver health services to the highest standard and Newcrest Mining Ltd is one of such,” said Dr Binga.

One of the cases is classified as community transmission and the patient is the daughter of a hotel worker who was confirmed Covid-19 positive yesterday.

The hotel worker was based at a border quarantine facility.

Permanent Secretary for Health and Medical Services Dr James Fong confirmed the second community transmission case in a press conference this afternoon.

“Due to her extensive exposure with the public, this hotel staff, and now her daughter, has been the central focus of our contact tracing,” Dr Fong said.

He acknowledged the US, EU and all the countries contained there-in, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Republic of Korea, Republic of France, Republic of India and the Philippines.

He said PNG is most grateful to them for stepping in despite the negative impact of COVID-19 in their own countries.

Eoe stated that a battle can only be won when all those concerned work together.

“We are all in this fight together and the best and most effective way to win this fight is to collectively pull resources together for our common good and benefit of mankind.”