PNG aid ramp-up to stifle outbreaks here

Australia is poised to ramp up its COVID-19 support for Papua New Guinea amid fears soaring infection rates there could spark fresh outbreaks in Queensland.

A quarantined man on his balcony at Brisbane’s Hotel Grand Chancellor, where new COVID-19 cases have been detected. Picture: Liam Kidston

Australia is poised to ramp up its COVID-19 support for Papua New Guinea amid fears soaring infection rates there could spark fresh outbreaks in Queensland.

Cabinet’s national security committee was due to discuss the crisis at a meeting on Monday night, after Annastacia Palas­zczuk revealed that travellers from PNG accounted for half of the COVID-19 cases in the state’s hotel quarantine system.

State and federal authorities are also on high alert for cases in the Torres Strait, where Australia’s most northern islands are just a short boat ride from the PNG mainland.

Foreign Minister Marise Payne will reveal on Tuesday that more Australian medical assistance teams will deploy to PNG, while a commitment is expected in coming days to fast-track the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines to the country’s health workers.

Queensland Health data reveals 28 of the 57 positive cases recorded in the state since March 1 were travellers from PNG.

Most were expats and fly-in, fly-out workers who fled the country’s worsening outbreak.

The resulting influx of patients into Brisbane and Cairns hospitals has concerned Queensland health authorities worried about the impact on resources.

Some patients were transferred from Cairns to Brisbane last week to ease the pressure on the northern city’s main hospital.

The Queensland Premier revealed that in recent COVID testing support for PNG, Queensland Health identified 250 positive cases in just 500 tests. “We have major concerns now about what is happening in Papua New Guinea,” she said on Monday.

“PNG is on the doorstep of the Torres Strait and Queensland and I hope that I will be able to speak to the Prime Minister or the Prime Minister’s office in the next 24 hours just to talk about our concerns there (and) have a look at the flights coming in.”

PNG’s high commissioner to Australia, John Kali, has sought urgent help from Australia for vaccines and personal protective equipment, and his Australian counterpart in PNG, Jon Philp, is working closely with PNG ­officials on COVID assistance.

Australia has pledged $144m for COVID-19 vaccinations in PNG over three years as part of a $500m health security package, but the federal government has been under pressure to deliver more immediate support to prevent a collapse in the nation’s health system.

“There are only 500 doctors and 4000 nurses across the whole country, and many of them are already infected,” Lowy Institute Pacific program director Jonathan Pryke said. “We must get vaccines up there immediately to cover every frontline worker.”

The official number of COVID cases in PNG stood at 2173, including 21 deaths, in the latest available update.

Low testing rates are believed to disguise a massive spike in infections that has filled hospitals, infected Australian diplomats and led international businesses to evacuate expatriate staff.

Health experts in both countries fear the weekend funeral of former prime minister Sir Michael Somare was a “super spreader event” that will drive up infections further.

PNG Manufacturers Council chief Chey Scovell said the worsening outbreak was “scary”.

“We are now trying to close the gate after the horse has bolted,” he said. “That doesn’t mean we should throw our hands up and concede defeat, but waiting to get to 1000 cases before giving it attention has been irresponsible.”

Free movement between Torres Strait and PNG villages under the Torres Strait Treaty has been banned since the start of the pandemic, but there are fears the virus could spread into the state across the porous border.

The Queensland government has fast-tracked the vaccine rollout in the Torres Strait for all adult residents. Vaccinations began last week on Thursday Island and were extended on Monday to Saibai Island, 4km from the PNG mainland.