Call to follow Covid-19 rules

By LULU MARK
PICTURES shared on social media from across the country including Port Moresby last week reveal that people are not adhering to simple Covid-19 control measures of wearing masks and keeping social distancing despite Controller David Manning expressing concern on community transmissions.
Head of obstetrics and gynecology at the Port Moresby General Hospital and School of Medicine and Health Science Prof Glen Mola warned people not be complacent because the threat of Covid-19 was still high.
“We are still at the beginning of the first wave,” he said.
“Don’t be impatient for our epidemic to get worse.
“It is coming.
“The reason for the slowness of the takeoff of the epidemic is that we have restricted movement and that is we have been quite successful in flattening the curve.”
According to the National Control Centre, 13 provinces in the country have confirmed cases as of Thursday, Sept 17: National Capital District (301); Western (189); Central (7); Morobe (5); East Sepik (3); East New Britain (2); West New Britain (2); Milne Bay (2); and one case each from Southern Highlands, Eastern Highlands, West Sepik, New Ireland and Autonomous Region of Bougainville. The country’s confirmed cases are 516 with seven deaths.
Mola said the number of cases in NCD was high because this was where the first cases were and it was these cases that spread the infection.
“But we have to keep in mind that 10 provinces have not done any testing at all as yet, so we really do not know what the situation is in these provinces and another eight provinces are doing minimal testing,” he said.
Mola said 90 per cent of the positive tests had been recorded in NCD (Central included), Western and Morobe because there were more sampling sites and a lot of people went for testing.
“This is also due to the fact that Covid-19 infected people in these three provinces first – as would be expected as they have the contact with people from outside.
“We should be testing in all urban areas, in all provinces,” Mola said.
“The infection will always start in the urban areas because when people come from Moresby they usually land in the urban areas first before they travel to their rural villages.
“The only way to get an understanding of transmission is to do more testing.”
Prof Mola said it was important to prevent the spread of Covid-19 to urban settlements.
“I fear if Covid-19 does get into a crowded urban settlement there will be a major urban epidemic.”