âFrom the places that are able to be doing testing . almost half the samples are positive,â he said.
âWhen people are being admitted into hospitals in Port Moresby, half of women who are coming in due to pregnancy are positive, weâre seeing a large number of healthcare workers on the frontlines in Papua New Guinea Now coming down with COVID-19.
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âThese are all signs that there is a major epidemic in the community.â
The epidemic is concerning for PNG, but itâs also an issue for Australia and particularly the Torres Strait and north Queensland, Mr Morrison said.
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.
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