4 Min Read
(Corrects paragraph 8 to show PNG reported 82 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, not 97 new cases on Tuesday) Australian request could escalate stand-off with EU Australia says PNG is in desperate need EU blocked shipment of COVID-19 vaccines this month
CANBERRA, March 17 (Reuters) - Australia said on Wednesday it will ask the European Union to release 1 million doses of a COVID-19 vaccine to help Papua New Guinea (PNG) battle a dangerous outbreak, a request that is likely to inflame tensions over vaccine supplies.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the vaccines were contracted to Australia but were badly needed to contain a surge in coronavirus cases in the Pacific island nation, parts of which are just a short boat ride from Australian territory.
Australia said on Wednesday (17 March) it will ask the European Union to release 1 million doses of a COVID-19 vaccine to help Papua New Guinea (PNG) battle a dangerous outbreak that authorities fear could spread to other parts of the region.
The request could inflame existing tensions between Canberra and Brussels amid claims of vaccine nationalism after the EU recently blocked an Australia-bound shipment of the doses.
Australia has asked the European Commission to review a decision by Italy to block a shipment of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine, while stressing on Friday (5 March) the missing doses would not affect the rollout of Australia’s inoculation programme.
Palestinians receive first batch of UN vaccines
Updated / Wednesday, 17 Mar 2021
14:12
A refrigerated truck loaded with the first delivery of coronavirus vaccine via the Covax programme drives toward the West Bank city of Ramallah
Palestinians have received their first delivery of coronavirus vaccines via the United Nations Covax programme supporting poorer areas, an AFP journalist in the occupied West Bank reported.
Earlier, some 60,000 doses of Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines allocated to the Palestinians under the Covax scheme arrived at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, according to an Israeli security source.
The UN s Middle East envoy, Tor Wennesland, welcomed the delivery.
4 Min Read
CANBERRA (Reuters) - Australia said on Wednesday it will ask the European Union to release 1 million doses of a COVID-19 vaccine to help Papua New Guinea (PNG) battle a dangerous outbreak that authorities fear could spread to other parts of the region.
The request could inflame existing tensions between Canberra and Brussels amid claims of vaccine nationalism after the EU recently blocked an Australia-bound shipment of the doses.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Wednesday said the vaccines were contracted to Australia and were now badly needed to contain a surge in coronavirus cases in the Pacific island nation, parts of which are just a short boat ride from Australian territory.
All passenger flights from Papua New Guinea into Cairns have been suspended.
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Australia will also send one million surgical masks, 200,000 respirator masks, 100,000 gowns, 100,000 goggles, 100,000 pairs of gloves, 100,000 bottles of sanitiser, 20,000 face shields and 200 non-invasive ventilators to the country. Defence is also sending 2000 tents to help triage patients at Port Moresby Hospital.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is dispatching a medical team to carry out âcritical needs analysisâ and help open more testing centres, with 19 of the 22 provinces in PNG recording some kind of COVID-19 outbreak.
Fears about the extent of the outbreak escalated over the weekend, with Port Moresby General Hospital recording about 20 per cent of the women presenting in labour having symptoms of COVID-19.