PNG health workers warn coronavirus crisis will get worse before it gets better

Although Australia has delivered 8,000 COVID-19 vaccines to Papua New Guinea this week, the hard work has only just begun.

The vaccines are enough to immunise the country's frontline health workers, who are bearing the brunt of the pandemic.

Port Moresby General Hospital Emergency Doctor Mangu Kendino told ABC News in a hospital just exceeding 1,500 staff, nearly 10 percent of them have been infected with COVID-19.

Doctor Kendino says there are still many patients who are COVID-positive and aren't being accommodated and isolated at the hospital.

The PNG government this week announced domestic travel restrictions, but not a full COVID-19 lockdown.

PNG health authorities' efforts have also been hampered by a lack of testing kits and delays in getting results back.

It can take up to 10 days.

The World Health Organization recently approved the use of rapid antigen COVID-19 tests which can reduce the waiting time to about 15 minutes.

[Source: abc.net.au]