Fear PNG spread may spawn new virus mutations

The federal government fears the unchecked spread of COVID-19 in PNG could spawn new mutations of the virus that will threaten the effectiveness of Australia’s domestic vaccine rollout.

Humanitarian relief is put on an RAAF transport aircraft.

The federal government fears the unchecked spread of COVID-19 in Papua New Guinea could spawn new mutations of the virus that will threaten the effectiveness of Australia’s domestic vaccine rollout.

Scott Morrison has closed the border to PNG, pledged an emergency airlift of 8000 vaccines to the country and piled pressure on AstraZenica and European authorities to speed up the delivery of one million extra jabs paid for by Australia.

The Prime Minister said PNG’s COVID crisis “presents very real risks to Australia” but Australians also understood PNG was “part of our own family”, and needed support to deal with the crisis. “We all know the Kokoda story. They were there for us. We will be there for them,” he said.

The initial jabs, drawn from Australia’s domestic supply, will be used to vaccinate frontline health workers, starting with those in the capital, Port Moresby.

Talks are under way to use Australian Defence Force aircraft to transport vaccines to other provincial capitals.

PNG villagers on the northern side of the Torres Strait, 4km from Australia’s northernmost islands, will be vaccinated by Queensland Health to prevent the disease jumping the border.

A further 588,000 jabs from the World Health Organisation’s COVAX facility are due in PNG by June.

Promised vaccines — about 1.6 million doses — will provide protection for only about 16 per cent of PNG’s population.

PNG’s official coronavirus bulletin on Wednesday revealed 128 new positive cases in the country, and five new deaths.

With 50-90 per cent of COVID tests in PNG returning positive results, Chief Health Officer Paul Kelly said the virus was spreading rapidly throughout the country.

“We are concerned about that because an uncontrolled pandemic is how variants of concern come to light,” he said. “That would be not only a major problem for PNG but also for us and the region, if there was a PNG strain to develop, for example.”

Professor Kelly said genomic analysis of PNG tests was yet to identify a new strain there but “it is important for us to assist to get that outbreak under control”.

Mr Morrison announced all commercial and charter flights between Australia and PNG were suspended for at least the next fortnight. Only medevac and freight flights would be allowed between the two countries.

“If you’re there, you stay. If you’re here, you stay. We cannot risk more people going into those areas and then coming back to Australia,” he said.

An RAAF Hercules transported 2000 tents to PNG on Wednesday, including large shelters to be used for triaging patients at the overflowing Port Moresby General Hospital.

A team of three Australian medical specialists will fly out next week, along with by 200 ventilators and supplies of masks, gowns, goggles, gloves, hand sanitiser and face shields.

The government will deliver essential supplies to the Torres Strait Treaty villages to ensure their residents have no need to travel south.

PNG’s high commissioner to Australia, John Kali, said the country was “ever so grateful for this gesture from the Australian government and its people”.

He said the rapid spread of the disease through the country was “very scary … The fact is, we don’t know the true extent of the situation because testing has not ­really been ramped up.”

Deputy Labor leader Richard Marles backed the response to what he said was an unfolding tragedy. “Helping those in PNG is important … for the national interest in terms of our own health outcomes.”

The Australian Red Cross said the immediate assistance was welcome but long-term support was needed to strengthen the country’s healthcare capacity.

“Meeting the short-term medical needs of PNG to respond to COVID-19 is just the tip of the iceberg,” director of international programs Michael Annear said.

“There is a need for continued partnership and discussions to work out long-term solutions.”