Dr Daoni Esorom

Dr Daoni said COVID-19 is now affecting all provinces, but it is still mostly seen in urban areas and those villages and communities accessible to these places.

He said everyone has the responsibility to ensure it is not spread to the rural areas where the majority of the health facilities are not equipped to care for people sick with COVID-19.

“We now have evidence that vaccination does reduce one’s chance of contracting the virus, and if by a small chance that you do get it, the symptoms are more like the common cold and are not deadly.

The female doctor, (name withheld) became the latest death from Daru due to COVID-19, in less than two weeks. This was revealed in a statement released by the Deputy Controller of the Pandemic, Dr. Esorom Daoni on Monday. 

The deceased female doctor was medevacked to Port Moresby when she suffered severe distress but sadly she succumbed to the disease.  It is reported that Daru Hospital has lost three people to COVID-19 in less than two weeks. 

“These are people who are still in their prime age, but that’s what COVID-19 does,” Dr. Daoni said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines breakthrough infection as "an infection of a fully vaccinated person".

Member of the Medical and Scientific Advisory Committee, Professor John Vince, clarified that the COVID-19 vaccine protects you against severe infection and death.