PNG Reports 91 New COVID-19 cases, total now stands at 1,583

 Papua New Guinea reported 91 new cases of Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) for the last 48 hours, increasing the country’s total cases to 1,583.

Papua New Guinea reported 37 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday March 5.

Those cases are reported in Morobe province, Central, Eastern Highlands and in the National Capital District.

Three cases were reported in Morobe province in which two are males and a female with ages ranging from 12 to 77 years old. All three cases showed symptoms of COVID-19 at the time of testing. Two of the three cases have come into contact with previous known cases.

Eastern Highlands reported two new cases. Both cases, 43 and 49-year-old men, were experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 at the time of testing.

A 47-year-old male from the Kairuku Hiri district in the Central Province is the latest to be reported positive. He was experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 at the time of testing.

NCD reported 31 new cases of which 15 are males, 15 females and one unknown. The youngest of them is four years old whilst the oldest is 67. Twenty cases were experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 whilst 11 cases were asymptomatic at the time of testing. Nine of the 31 reported cases have come into contact with previous known cases.

Meanwhile, an additional 54 new cases of COVID-19 were reported on Saturday March 6.

The latest cases were reported in five provinces: West Sepik with 15 new cases, Madang with eight, Morobe with three, National Capital District with 27, whilst Western Highlands reported a single case.

A total of 27 cases of which 13 are males and 14 females between the ages of 28 to 64 years have been tested positive in the NCD. Eighteen cases showed symptoms of COVID-19 whilst nine were asymptomatic at the time of testing.

West Sepik reported 15 new cases of which 10 are males and five females between the ages of 33 to 66 years old. Eight cases showed symptoms of COVID-19 whilst seven were asymptomatic at the time of testing. Four out of the 15 cases came into contact with previous known cases.

Madang reported eight new cases of which seven are males and a female between the ages of 30 to 49 years. Seven out of the eight cases have come into contact with previous known cases.

Three cases were reported in Morobe of which two are males and a female between the ages of 23 to 67 years. All three cases were showing symptoms of COVID-19 at the time of testing.

Western Highlands reported a single case. A 25-year-old from Mt Hagen town was showing symptoms of COVID-19 at the time of testing. She is reported to have come into contact with a known COVID-19 case.

Meanwhile, the surge in the number of cases has prompted the Controller of the PNG COVID-19 National Pandemic Response, David Manning, to call on the citizens to faithfully adhere to measures in the new normal.

Controller Manning reminded citizens of the need for them to:

1. Clean hands often. Wash with soap and water or use an alcohol-based sanitizer;

2. Keep a physical distance of at least 1.5 meters from others;

3. Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth;

4. Greet others with a smile, a nod or a simple hello – no handshakes or or fist bumps;

5. Cough and sneeze into bent elbow and not hands;

6. Limit social gatherings and time spent in crowded places;

7. Wear a face mask or face covering in all public places; and

8. Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.

“Remember, there is no cure against COVID-19. Our best defence is to protect ourselves and our loved ones by strictly following all the COVID-19 health protocols. By now people should know that COVID-19 is real. It is no joke or a laughing matter.

“I am alarmed at the unusually high number of deaths around the country. Whilst we have not yet confirmed the cause of death in many of these cases, the possibility that COVID-19 could be responsible in some of them cannot be ruled out.

“So please protect yourselves from COVID-19. By taking measures to protect yourselves you are also protecting others around you as well,” Mr Manning said.

The country’s COVID-19 cases as a result stands at 1,583 with 16 known deaths.

Seventeen provinces including the Autonomous Region of Bougainville (AROB) have reported cases. The distribution of the cases is as follows:

Provinces              Confirmed Cases

NCD                       658

Western Province   325

West New Britain   196

West Sepik             162

Madang                  43

AROB                     39

East New Britain     38

Morobe                   28

New Ireland            23

Western Highlands 19

Central                    15

Eastern Highlands   15

East Sepik               13

SHP                         3

Enga                        3

Milne Bay                 2

Hela                         1

TOTAL                   1,583

Globally, the total confirmed cases of COVID-19 has reached 115,289,961 including 425,675 new cases reported in the last 24 hours.

The death toll globally is 2,564,560 of which 9,561 were reported in the last 24 hours.

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