COVID-19

PNG MP Mendani dies of Covid-19

The death of Richard Mendani, who was 53, was announced over the weekend.

The Pandemic Controller David Manning said Medani's death came one year to the day that the first coronavirus infection was detected in PNG.

He said Mendani was admitted to the Pacific International Hospital Emergency Department on 24 February after suffering Covid symptoms.

He was initially diagnosed with pneumonia but as his condition worsened he was referred for further evaluation where it was confirmed he had Covid-19.

Five more people die of Covid-19 in PNG as cases continue to rise

The total number of confirmed cases now stands at 2,491, including 31 deaths.

Authorities said a lack of compliance with the "New Normal" or "Niupela Pasin" order had been a major challenge as the country continued to wrestle with the coronavirus.

The new cases come from 10 provinces, of which the National Capital District reported the 53 cases.

Additionally, there were two exported cases from PNG to a quarantine hotel in Brisbane, Australia.

Since early this year, the number of Covid-19 cases in PNG have continued to rise.

New Caledonia lockdown is extended

The French territory entered a lockdown earlier this month after new community cases of the coronavirus were confirmed.

Furthermore, covid cases have exploded in the neighbouring French territory of Wallis and Futuna, adding further risks.

Authorities in New Caledonia suggest the lockdown has controlled the latest surge of infections.

But they have issued an extension to ensure the end of community transmission.

By April, France is expected to have supplied 42,000 doses of Pfizer vaccine to New Caledonia.

     

Australia to send Papua New Guinea vaccines as cases surge

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced the doses would be sent immediately, along with other critical care equipment.

Papua New Guinea's fragile healthcare system is under huge strain.

Officially, there are 1,400 active cases in the country, but the true number is thought to be much higher.

Testing has been an issue for the island nation. As of 10 March, only 50,000 tests had been carried out in a country with a population of nine million.

YouTube deletes 30,000 vaccine misinfo videos

A YouTube spokeswoman said the videos contradicted vaccine information from the World Health Organization (WHO) or health authorities such as the NHS.

In October, it banned vaccine misinformation in a bid to clamp down on attempts to discredit the jabs.

It added that in the past year, it had removed more than 800,000 videos for coronavirus misinformation.

That figure covers more than just vaccines, but wider "medically unsubstantiated" claims about the virus.

Covid wave intensifies in Central Europe

Czech authorities on Tuesday sent the first patient abroad for treatment in Poland as facilities struggled to cope.

In Hungary, meanwhile, the number of cases in the current wave has surpassed the previous peak in December.

Schools and most shops were closed on Monday amid rising infections.

Cases are also on the rise in Poland, where the government recorded the highest number of daily cases since late November on Wednesday, with 17,260 new infections. A health ministry spokesman complained of "increased looseness" among Poles towards anti-Covid measures.

Report finds negative impact of COVID-19 on the Pacific business community remained severe across 2020

The 2020 report collates all responses gathered across the first 9 surveys conducted between May and December last year, from all major industries across 16 Pacific countries.

Wallis goes into lockdown after finding 12 more Covid-19 cases

The first infection was reported on Saturday in a school principal who had left mandatory quarantine weeks ago after returning a negative test result.

His case appears to be linked to a simultaneous community outbreak in New Caledonia which went into a lockdown at midnight after recording its first nine community cases.

The authorities in Wallis now report 19 cases in total, including the first on the island of Futuna.

Passenger air traffic has been suspended.

Bougainville's Buka goes into Covid lockdown

He said the last official figures for Papua New Guinea's autonomous region of Bougainville were 40 cases of the coronavrius - a rise from just three last Thursday.

Toroama said Bougainville's health officials had been trying to convince people to wear masks, wash their hands and maintain social distance.

There had been criticism of Bougainvilleans failing to respond to the Covid-19 surge but Toroama said Buka town would now go into a full, 14-day, lock down.

TVNZ doubles profit and repays $4.9m in wage subsidies

Revenues slipped $3m to $175m due to a drop in advertising.

But the state-owned broadcaster said it experienced “positive audience and revenue momentum” in the final quarter of last year which had continued into the new year.

Because of that, it expected to “significantly exceed” its financial forecasts for the full year to the end of June.

The company’s profit was up from just under $16m in the same period in 2019, thanks to a $33m drop in costs, almost three-quarters of which was attributable to lower spending on content because of Covid.