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Healthcare & PharmaceuticalsPNG passes 10,000 infections as COVID-19 spreads beyond the capital
Reuters
2 minutes read
Newly constructed apartment blocks are seen behind the stilt house village called Hanuabada, located in Port Moresby Harbour, Papua New Guinea, November 19, 2018. Picture taken November 19, 2018. REUTERS/David Gray
The number of coronavirus infections in Papua New Guinea (PNG) rose past 10,000 on Wednesday, an alarming milestone for the Pacific country as health officials worry that its fragile health system is at risk of being overwhelmed.
PNG logged 245 new cases in the 24 hours to midday on Tuesday, continuing a run of daily increases of more than 200, putting its total at 10,197, although its tally of reported deaths from the coronavirus was steady at 91.
REFILE-PNG passes 10,000 infections as COVID-19 spreads beyond the capital Reuters 8 hrs ago
(Fixes grammar in par 8)
SYDNEY, April 21 (Reuters) - The number of coronavirus infections in Papua New Guinea (PNG) rose past 10,000 on Wednesday, an alarming milestone for the Pacific country as health officials worry that its fragile health system is at risk of being overwhelmed.
PNG logged 245 new cases in the 24 hours to midday on Tuesday, continuing a run of daily increases of more than 200, putting its total at 10,197, although its tally of reported deaths from the coronavirus was steady at 91.
In a departure from previous updates that showed most new cases near the capital, Port Moresby, the COVID-19 National Pandemic Response said the new infections occurred in 17 of the country s 22 provinces, implying a broader spread.
Papua New Guinea passes 10,000 infections as COVID-19 spreads beyond the capital channelnewsasia.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from channelnewsasia.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Papua New Guinea s National Control Centre for Covid-19 reports the tally of people dying from the virus increased by 11 over the last 24 hours.
While these 11 deaths are newly reported, the centre says they occurred from 19th March to 14th April.
They take the PNG death tally from the virus to 82, with the National Capital District recording 56 of those.
The Controller of the PNG National Pandemic Response, David Manning, receives a shot of the Covid-19 vaccine produced by Astrazeneca.
Photo: PNG PM Media
Six of the latest deaths occurred in Eastern Highlands, the first Covid-19 deaths there.
Another 204 contracted the virus, taking the national total to 9,188.