Saturday 6 March 2021
Papua New Guinea reported 54 new cases of Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in five provinces on Saturday March 6, increasing the country’s total cases to 1,583.
Controller of the National Pandemic Response, David Manning said the new cases were recorded in West Sepik, Madang, Morobe, Western Highlands and the National Capital District.
Of the 54 cases, : 15 new cases were recorded in West Sepik, eight in Madang, three in Morobe, one for Western Highlands and 27 for National Capital District.
Mr Manning said of the 27 cases in NCD, 13 were males and 14 females between the ages of 28 and 64 years.
Eighteen cases showed symptoms of COVID-19 whilst nine were asymptomatic at the time of testing.
There were 15 cases reported in West Sepik of which 10 were males and five females between the ages of 33 and 66 years old.
Mr Manning confirmed that 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 also confirmed eight new cases of which seven are males and a female with ages ranging from 30 to 49 years.
It was reported seven of the eight cases came into contact with previous known cases.
While in Morobe there were three conformed cases recorded of which two are males and a female between the ages of 23 and 67 years.
The three cases showed symptoms of COVID-19 at the time of testing.
Western Highlands on the other hand, reported a single case in a 25 year old from Mt Hagen town, who 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 urged citizens to adhere to the following health measures:
- Clean hands often. Wash with soap and water or use an alcohol-based sanitizer;
- Keep a physical distance of at least 1.5 meters from others;
- Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth;
- Greet others with a smile, a nod or a simple hello – no handshakes or fist bumps;
- Cough and sneeze into bent elbow and not hands;
- Limit social gatherings and time spent in crowded places;
- Wear a face mask or face covering in all public places; and
- 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.