Wong: Take Covid-19 vaccine

PEOPLE need to get the Covid-19 vaccine that is available throughout the country to keep themselves safe from the Delta variant that is affecting countries in the region, an official says.
Health and HIV/AIDS Minister Jelta Wong said it was important that people got the vaccine now.
He said it would be a disaster if the Delta strain entered PNG and affected the older population.
All one had to do, he said, was to look at India, Indonesia and Fiji where transmission of the Delta strain was high and the situation worse.
“If the Delta strain comes to us, it will be worse,” he said.
“I encourage all adult Papua New Guineans to get vaccinated.
“There is a lot of misinformation on social media which have no proof.”
According to the National Control Centre, as of Tuesday, 60,160 people were vaccinated of which 7,924 health workers, 43,602 essential workers and 8,629 were people above 18 without and with comorbidities and only 16 people experienced adverse effects.
Of the people who were vaccinated, 2,808 received their second dose by Tuesday which included National Capital District (2,134), Morobe (25), Madang (18), Eastern Highlands (102), Western Highlands (174), Southern Highlands (10), West New Britain 169), Enga (164) and Western (12).
Of the 132,000 AstraZeneca doses from the Covax facility, the ones that were sent to Western, Southern Highlands and East Sepik would expire on July 18, while the ones sent to the rest of the country would expire on July 28.