Two positive cases still undergoing 14-day isolation

THE two women in Port Moresby who tested positive for Covid-19 last month are undergoing their 14-day isolation at the Rita Flynn center, an official says.
The 10th case announced on June 24 was a soldier at the Murray Barracks in Port Moresby.
The 11th case announced on June 25 was a close contact of the soldier.
Acting Health secretary and the National Pandemic deputy controller Dr Paison Dakulala said depending on the status of their tests, they could remain isolated for an extra seven days.
He said if their tests returned negative, they would be allowed to go home.
“We are assessing them and they were definitely stable and asymptomatic which means they have no symptoms of the Covid-19 at all,” he said.
“Contact tracing is ongoing and the results from all the tests that we have been doing have been negative.”
Covid-19 tests can be done in three locations:

• the Central Public Health Laboratory;
• the Institute of Medical Research laboratory at the School of Medicine and Health Science and in Goroka; and,
• in Brisbane and Singapore.

“But it must also be made clear that we now have enough GeneXpert cartridges and wherever it (GeneXpert machine) is available, testing can be done.
“So testing can be done here in Port Moresby and throughout the country.”
Dakulala said close to 9,000 tests had been conducted and “we are continuing to increase the testing”.
He said although cases in PNG were not increasing as in other countries, “we will continue to increase our capacity”.
“We will do more and more testing,” he said.