There has been a big reduction in the number of Papua New Guinea (PNG) people going to the sampling sites in Port Moresby for COVID-19 testing. An official report released on Monday stated that because of community transmission, population movement, and low compliance to non-pharmaceutical interventions, more cases were expected. [1]
To date, there have been a total 531 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Papua New Guinea, including 7 fatal cases.
The seventh COVID-19 victim in Papua New Guinea was a 71-year-old man who died from the coronavirus, as PNG Pandemic Controller David Manning said. [2-3]
Mr. David Manning has called on all provinces to double their efforts in collecting swab samples for COVID-19 testing. «We must be able to identify COVID-19 cases quickly, provide timely medical care to those who are sick and quarantine contacts so we reduce the risk of further transmission, » Mr. Manning said. To date, only 15 of the 22 provinces are sending reports on COVID-19 related activities on a daily basis to the National COVID-19 Control Center, thus prompting calls from Controller Manning for the remaining provinces to comply. [4]
In turn, Papua New Guinea’s Health Minister says the country is lacking COVID-19 testing kits. [5]
[1] https://www.thenational.com.pg/officials-note-drop-in-number-of-voluntary-covid-19-tests/
[2] https://kalangfm.com/news/covid-19-deaths-in-png-reaches-7-987
[3] https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/426530/png-records-seventh-covid-19-death
[4] https://www.kalangfm.com/news/manning-calls-on-provinces-to-double-efforts-in-covid-19-testing-990
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