Expatriate in PNG tests positive with covid and admitted to private hospital

By The National in Port Moresby

An expatriate who tested positive for the covid-19 coronavirus last week has been admitted to a private hospital in the Papua New Guinea capital of Port Moresby, an official has confirmed.

Pacific International Hospital (PIH) chief executive officer Colonel Sandeep Shaligram told
The National the case had been immediately reported to the Covid-19 National Control Centre (NCC) when the man tested positive.

He said it was the only confirmed as a covid-19 case when tested at the hospital last week.

Colonel Shaligram said the hospital had reported the case to the NCC when the man was tested positive and admitted.

He also confirmed that another patient admitted was medically evacuated overseas but said the illness was not related to the Covid-19.

Shaligram said the only other case that had tested positive at the hospital was from  samples received from East New Britain last week which was also reported to the NCC.

“As soon as a test is returned positive, we report it to the NCC and they do the contact tracing,” he said.

Male expatriate aged about 50
According to sources, the patient currently admitted is a male expatriate aged around 50 who is feeling better and wanting to be medically evacuated overseas.

A woman who took the man to the hospital had tested negative.

The case of the Port Moresby man currently admitted at PIH was, however, not included in the NCC update circulated to the media last week.

It is not known what steps had been taken by the NCC to conduct contact tracing.

The only two cases in Port Moresby reported by the centre were of a 47-year-old woman and an 89-year-old man.

Attempts by The National to get comments from the Health Department and the Deputy National Pandemic Response Controller were not successful.

National cases total now 834
The national total for covid-19 cases stands at 834 as of last Thursday.

It included a 48-year-old male mining contractor at Ok Tedi Mine who was tested positive on his return to work in North Fly.

He was not showing any symptoms of the covid-19 at the time of testing but swab samples returned positive.

According to the NCC, 19 cases of covid-19 were reported last week from around the country.

Asia Pacific Report republishes The National articles with permission.