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Mass COVID Inoculation Programs Begins in Papua New Guinea

Phil Mercer

   SYDNEY - The first phase of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout has started in
   Papua New Guinea,as infection numbers continue to rise. Experts say
   Australia's nearest neighbor is also fighting a sea of misinformation
   and concerns over the safety of vaccines.

   Experts say misinformation about COVID-19 is spreading even faster in
   Papua New Guinea than the disease. Conspiracy theories and other
   falsehoods have found fertile ground online. Adding to a sense of
   mistrust are deeply held beliefs in sorcery. Aid workers have reported
   thatthefamily of a health worker in Papua New Guinea, who tested
   positive for the virus, wastortured by relatives fearful of unexplained
   illness.

   Jonathan Pryke is the director of the Pacific Islands Program at the
   Lowy Institute, a Sydney-based research organization. He says
   hoaxesspreadonsocial mediaaboutthe novel coronavirusadd to the
   confusion.

   "Facebook is where you get all of your information from, and Facebook
   is just seeding misinformation and misinformation is spreading faster
   than the virus in that country," Pryke said.

   The World Health Organizationreported11,206 COVID-19 casesand 115
   deathsTuesdayin Papua New Guinea.

   Pryke believes the true scale of pandemic inthePacific islandnationis
   far worse because of a lack of testing and patients with symptomsrefuse
   or fear retaliationfrom within their communities,preventing them
   fromseekingtreatment.Prior to the pandemic, sorcery-related
   violenceagainst victimshas been rampant in the country according to
   [1]news reports.

   "The official statistics do not look as serious as the true picture is
   and, you know, there is a lot of data points you can look at that
   display just how serious this is. We have had a sitting member of
   parliament die; we have had two judges die. It is bad. It is a health
   system that is so stretched to breaking point that it really cannot
   handle the shock. We are seeing this crisis play out in front of our
   very eyes," Pryke said.

   The pandemic has been felt differently across the Pacific. Some
   countries have, so far, escaped unscathed.According to the World Health
   Organization,Tonga has not recorded any infections since the pandemic
   began. Samoa has had just a single confirmed case, and threecases have
   been recordedin Vanuatu. Fiji has recorded more than 100 coronavirus
   infections and two people have died,WHOreported.

   A massinoculationprogram is underway in French Polynesia.So far, there
   have beenalmost 19,000casesdetectedand 141 deaths in the past 15
   months. However, itis reopening its international bordersonly to
   vaccinated travelers from the United States,who havealreadytested
   negative for COVID.

   The U.S. territory of Guamhas reportedits latest figures with7,700
   infections and 136deaths due to the pandemic.Currently,Guam has a
   14-day quarantine period inplacefor all passengers entering through air
   or sea.

References

   1. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/may/03/sorcery-related-violence-should-be-thought-of-as-profoundly-modern

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