PM Marape cautions on sharp increases of COVID-19 cases

Monday 20 September 2021

Prime Minister Honourable James Marape has cautioned that there are possibilities of increases  in  Covid-19  cases across the country in traditional hot spots,  as well as in  areas where it was not dominant before.

He made the remarks   during his press conference this morning before departing for the 76th United Nations General Assembly in New York.

“The dominance of the increase in  Covid-19  cases in areas it was never present before,  indicated there is a  possible spike in the cases from  recent public gatherings.”

Medical advisors and health experts   are expected to   convene with the  National Control Centre to  analyse  the statistics.

The National Control Centre  is also expected to issue appropriate  instructions ater  it collects statistics  on Covid-19 cases from the provincial health authorities across the country.

“I am awaiting proper evidence in as far as statistics  are  concerned  on where the influx is or where the search will take place.

 “I’ am appealing to citizens in the country that Covid-19 is not a joke and we have lived with it for the past two years and people have contracted it through being in contact with those infected and are deceased or with people infected with Covid- 19.”

Prime Minister Marape stressed that  the rate of recovery is above 90 – 95 percent, however,    the margin of 5 percent will migrate to Intensive Care Unit (ICU), and that  is  fatal .

“ If it is  5 percent of ten thousand, then we are looking at 500, or if it is   5 percent of twenty thousand, we are looking at a thousand , and at the moment hospitals around the country do  not have enough space to cater for the possible outbreak.”

Mr Marape added, “the  National Control Centre  will  look at  numbers  that are coming in from outside of Port Moresby and to have a clear picture on where the surges are taking place , and if there is a need for both clinical and non-clinical strategy, then the country will be informed.”

“There is evidence of  the presence of Delta Variant already in the country. There  is emerging evidence that it might be spreading across the country,  and we are seeing deaths that are  possibly related to Delta Variant, the strand of Covid- 19 , so it is a serious case we are in.”

Prime Minister Marape said if there  was a surge in the Delta Variant, then the country would  be advised  in the coming days,  for a national response.

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