Marape: Please do get vaccinated

PRIME Minister James Marape has again urged the people, especially health workers, to get vaccinated, and for health authorities to establish a better communication system between the provinces and Waigani.
“While vaccine remains optional, I am encouraging everyone to get vaccinated. (Coronavirus) vaccines save lives,” he said.
“There is a relative increase in (the Covid-19) vaccination, but it is still a tiny margin. We still have a long way to go before we reach the target many countries have already reached for their people.”
He appealed to all health workers to be vaccinated because of the “high-risk” they face in their workplace.
He sounded the warning as he ordered a major step-up in vaccination implementation, and a better communication channel between the Health Department and provincial health authorities.
He wants to see a stronger performance by all stakeholders to contain the fast-spreading Coronavirus (Covid-19) and its deadlier Delta variant.
“We must dramatically increase our roll-out of the vaccines around the country. There is a lot that we have done well since the pandemic struck us in early 2020, but there is still a lot more that we need to do,” he said.
“This war against Covid-19 will not be won by departments in Waigani issuing orders to people (in the provinces) but through a stronger working partnership between stakeholders.
“Our authorities and health workers are on the battlefront. They know what must be done to prevent more people from getting sick and dying, and what is needed to increase vaccination.”
He mooted the idea of providing insurance for frontline health care workers – doctors, nurses and those directly involved in handling the pandemic response.

Morobe to use TB ward for Covid-19 patients

By GLORIA BAUAI
THE Morobe Health Authority will use a new tuberculosis ward as a Coronavirus (Covid-19) ward to manage patients better, says chief executive officer Dr Kipas Binga.
It is currently treating Covid-19 patients at the Sir Ignatius Kilage stadium indoor complex – a five-minute drive from the Angau Memorial Hospital.
Dr Binga said the current set-up was hard to manage.
“We have made those decisions so it becomes easier for things such as oxygen access, and food,” he said.
The new TB ward is at the hospital built as part of a redevelopment project funded by Australia.
“Luckily, we have that facility there,” he said.
“Now with the surge and given our earlier experience, we feel it will be better managed on the hospital campus. All hospitals around the country have theirs on campus.”
Dr Binga said the 12 TB patients in the ward would be moved to another ward.
“We’ve got two wards and we’re trying to free one up,” he said.
The medical ward and TB ward have 26 beds.
“At least we’ve got 26 beds that are linked to oxygen and easier to manage,” he said.
“We’re still keeping the stadium set-up in case there’s a spillover from the surge.”
He said manpower remained an issue.
“As we go along, we see our capacity in terms of financial strength and (is there is any) manpower in Lae we can recruit,” he said.
Dr Binga said there were enough supply for the geneXpert and antibody testing.
He also said lockdowns in certain institutions in the province were entirely up to the management for their safety. The authority and the provincial government had nothing to do with it.

Goroka situation extremely serious, says doctor

By LULU MARK
THE Coronavirus (Covid-19) surge in Goroka, Eastern Highlands, has been described by the national emergency medical team which arrived on Monday as “extremely serious”.
Team leader Dr Garry Nou told The National from Goroka yesterday that the solution was in vaccination.
“(People) must get vaccinated,” he said.
“This is so important.”
The PNG Sports Foundation confirmed yesterday five Delta variant cases at Goroka’s National Sports Institute (NSI) which has been closed since Friday.
Dr Nou warned the people of Eastern Highlands to stop moving around unnecessarily and to follow all the public health safety measures such as the wearing of masks, physical distancing and regular hand-washing.
The eight-member team from Port Moresby he is in charge of in Goroka comprises five nurses, a specialist nurse on infection prevention control, and a doctor.
“They are all very experienced in isolation care in Port Moresby. They will provide interventional support and help in ward care.”
He thanked the World Health Organisation, Health Department, National Control Centre and Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade for supporting the team.
“We also thank chief executive officer Dr Paki Molumi of the Port Moresby General Hospital, Dr Steven Yennie of the National Capital District Health Authority and Matt Cannon of St John Ambulance for allowing their staff to be on the team.
Dr Nou said teams of emergency medical workers from overseas were in the country to help in the pandemic response.

Market vendors, customers ignoring rules

By BRADLEY MARIORI
SHOPPERS and vendors at Lae’s main market have been condemned for ignoring Coronavirus (Covid-19) public safety measures, despite being reminded daily to follow them.
Lae City Council acting market coordinator Timothy Nadu told The National yesterday that awareness on the Covid-19 public health safety measures was conducted daily, but not many seemed to be listening.
“The only place people follow the rules is at the gates where their hands are sanitised and have their masks on before entering,” Nadu said.
“But once they are in the market, they take off their masks, congregate in one place and disregard the safety measures.
“People who are not adhering to the safety measures can be fined up to K10,000, according to the Pandemic Controller (David Manning). But we haven’t enforced this yet. We need to implement strict rules and penalties so they can listen.”
Nadu said some had been reprimanded for not following instructions in the market but more needed to be done to ensure safety protocols were followed.

More people coming forward to get vaccine in WHP

By ELIAS LARI
THERE is an increase in the number of people coming in to be vaccinated in Western Highlands but is nowhere near the figure they want to see, an official says.
Western Highlands Provincial Health Authority chief executive officer Jane Holden said so far the number of Coronavirus (Covid-19) positive cases had reached 600, with 10 deaths recorded.
She said while the Covid-19 vaccination rate has gone up, it needed to increase more to reach a level health authorities wanted to see.
Holden said the other concern was that more than 30 health workers had also tested positive for the Covid-19. She again stressed that getting vaccinated would stop the surge in the pandemic and urged the people to come forward.
She confirmed that a emergency medical team from Port Moresby had arrived in Mt Hagen to help local health officials manage the Covid-19 cases surge.
The provincial health authority had recorded 10 Covid-19 deaths but was aware of another nine reported from the communities.
She suspects that there may be more deaths related to the Covid-19 and positive cases which remain unreported.
The authority is urging more people to get vaccinated to protect themselves and others against the virus.
Meanwhile, health workers in neighbouring Jiwaka are conducting more awareness on the benefits of the Covid-19 vaccination.
They recorded two deaths after Sept 16 with many testing positive.
Jiwaka health authority chief executive officer Thaddeus Turi could not be reached to comment on the updated figures.