COVID-19’s northern exposure to PNG outbreak

PM to send emergency coronavirus vaccines to PNG as soaring infection rates pose a ‘clear and present danger’ to Australia.

Mourners attend the funeral of former PNG prime minister Sir Michael Thomas Somare, sparking fears of a health crisis. Picture: Andy Hau

Scott Morrison will send emergency coronavirus vaccines to Papua New Guinea to protect frontline health workers as soaring infection rates pose a “clear and present danger’’ to Australia’s north.

PNG recorded 82 positive cases from 91 tests processed in a day, leading Queensland on Tuesday to suspend charter flights from the OK Tedi Mine in the country’s Western Province to Cairns.

Medical experts say the coronavirus is spreading rapidly in the PNG community and there are fears a memorial service for former prime minister Michael Somare could become a superspreader event as people crowded together to pay respects to the country’s first leader after independence.

Amid concerns in Canberra and Brisbane that an uncontrolled coronavirus outbreak could ¬expose Australia’s north to a new wave of infection, the Prime Minister will announce a fresh package of COVID support for PNG on Wednesday.

This will include enough vaccines to protect PNG’s entire health workforce, and logistical support to get the jabs to remote communities.

The vaccines will be drawn from Australia’s domestically produced AstraZeneca jabs, which will start to flow from manufacturer CSL next week.

Mr Morrison will also pledge an accelerated rollout of vaccines to other Pacific countries over the next few months, amid fears PNG citizens will spread the virus to neighbouring countries such as the Solomon Islands.

A three-person Australian Medical Assistance Team will be deployed to PNG within days. The two doctors and an infection-control specialist will urgently assess the situation and report back to Canberra.

The government’s national security committee of cabinet signed off on the support package on Monday night, but Mr Morrison was unable to speak to Mr Marape personally about the offer until late on Tuesday.

Health Minister Greg Hunt warned that the COVID emergency unfolding on the nation’s doorstep presented a “clear and present danger” to Australia.

Alison Brown, of Australian Doctors International, in PNG, in the village of Silom in the east of New Ireland last year.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade will work closely with PNG churches on the vaccine rollout, amid rampant rumours — backed by some MPs — that the jabs are unsafe.

PNG Institute of Medical Research director William Pomat said the coronavirus was now spreading rapidly in the community, and warned memorial services for Sir Michael were likely to become super spreader events.

“We are at crisis point now,” Professor Pomat said.

“It is now in 100 per cent of the provinces. We are seeing a lot of cases and it will only get worse.”

Burnett Institute director Brendan Crabb said Australia needed to vaccinate PNG’s frontline health workers — “now, not in two weeks” — or the consequences would be “dire”.

Professor Crabb warned that the “unfolding disaster” risked overwhelming PNG’s health system, and would threaten the effectiveness of Australia’s vaccine program.

“It’s not what we do but when,” he said. “The most important thing is speed. There will be mutations occurring which will make our own vaccine interventions less effective.”

Tim Costello, the executive director of church coalition Micah Australia, said the churches and their welfare agencies were being asked by the government to “step up”.

“It’s only the churches that have the on-the-ground presence to stop the stigma and the shaming and get the messages right,” Reverend Costello said.

“They are saying 41 per cent of women going in to give birth now in PNG are testing positive. It’s unbelievable.”

In its latest bulletin, for Monday, PNG’s COVID control centre reported 82 new cases in the previous 24 hours, bringing the total number of positive cases to 2351, including 26 deaths.

The cases were identified in 91 newly processed tests, suggesting a 90 per cent positive test rate. Testing rates are so low, with just 54,410 undertaken for a population of about 10 million, that experts believe the virus is already spreading unchecked across the country.

Labor’s foreign affairs spokeswoman Penny Wong said the Morrison government “must speed up and step up” its COVID support for PNG in response to the unfolding emergency. “Not only is it important to provide additional support to protect our Pacific neighbour’s citizens, it’s in Australia’s interests to prevent an outbreak so close to our border,” Senator Wong said.

Senior sources said the government could not announce the fresh support before necessary discussions occurred with PNG.

Mr Morrison discussed the crisis with Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk on Monday night, amid growing alarm over the rising number of positive tests of passengers arriving from PNG. Most are fly-in fly-out workers, and expats returning to Australia.

Ms Palaszczuk said half of the 38 active cases in Queensland were from people who had flown in from PNG. The OK Tedi Mine has suspended international charter flights for fly-in fly-out workers to Australia for two weeks, after five workers who returned to Cairns tested positive.