Australia to donate 8,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccine to Papua New Guinea (PNG) and seek approval for another million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine to help the Pacific island nation retain its recent outbreak, Australian Prime Minister announced on Wednesday Scott Morrison.
The country will also send one million surgical masks and 100,000 robes, gloves and disinfectant, along with 200 non-invasive fans and 20,000 facial shields to PNG.
This is in the interest of Australia and it is in the interest of our region, ”said Morrison.
Australia is suspending all outbound travel, including charter flights, to PNG for two weeks from midnight on Wednesday, Morrison said. Only freight and some humanitarian workers will be exempted.
He also said that workers flying in and out between the two countries should stay where they are. “The escalation of virus problems in Papua New Guinea poses very real risks to Australia as well,” he said.
Morrison said he had 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 witnessed some tests (Covid-19) in Papua New Guinea and out of the 500 tests that our health authorities have done for Papua New Guinea, 250 have returned positive,” said Queensland Prime Minister Annastacia Palaszczuk , in a press conference on Monday.
On Sunday, PNG reported 97 new cases of coronavirus, bringing the total number of 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.