Australia will donate 8,000 doses of the Covid-19 vaccine to Papua New Guinea (PNG) and seek approval for another million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine to help the Pacific island nation contain its recent outbreak, Australian Prime Minister Scott announced. Morrison on Wednesday.
The country will also ship one million surgical masks and 100,000 lab coats, gloves and disinfectant along with 200 non-invasive ventilators and 20,000 face shields for PNG.
This is in the interest of Australia and our region, ”said Morrison.
Australia is suspending all outward travel, including charter flights, to PNG for two weeks from midnight on Wednesday, Morrison said. Freight only and some aid workers will be exempt.
He also said that workers arriving and departing between the two countries must remain where they are. “The escalating problems with the virus in Papua New Guinea pose very real risks for Australia as well,” he said.
Morrison said he has been in contact with his counterpart, PNG Prime Minister James Marape, as the growing number of cases in the country “is of great concern”.
“We have helped with some tests (Covid-19) in Papua New Guinea and out of the 500 tests that our health authorities have done in Papua New Guinea, 250 have been positive,” Queensland state premier Annastacia Palaszczuk told the press conference Monday -market.
On Sunday, PNG reported 97 new cases of coronavirus, bringing the total confirmed infections to 2,269, according to the country’s health ministry.
Five new virus-related deaths were also reported on Sunday, bringing the total number of deaths in the country to 26, the ministry added.