Three more in-country test negative: PM

Three more in-country COVID-19 test results have turned out negative.

Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare announced this during his nationwide address Friday 5 June.

The Prime Minister said the three tests this week brings the number of in-country COVID-19 tests to four, following the first test last week.

Thus, he said, a total of 17 COVID-19 tests have been undertaken altogether, 13 done overseas and four done in-country.

“All results negative,” he said

Furthermore, Prime Minister Sogavare said with the GeneXpert testing facility, there are currently 500 tests ready to be carried out.

He said the cartridges to be used for testing will be shipped from the South Pacific Commission on a weekly basis.

“A total of 3400 tests are currently available with the qPCR testing equipment. About 500 swabs are also available at the NRH laboratory for swab testing,” Prime Minister Sogavare adds.

He said the Ministry of Health and Medical Service’s Surveillance Team are continuing daily monitoring of all 178 individuals in the quarantine facilities.

“They have been monitored for prompt clinical management should a person develop COVID-19 symptom like illness. Once a person is notified to be symptomatic, Standard Operating Procedures for assessment, the public health team, St. John Ambulance, Triage and Isolation will be triggered,” the Prime Minister said.

However, the Prime Minister said throughout this week, there were no cases from the quarantine sites with symptoms of the COVID-19.

He explained that those that were tested had other health conditions but since they were quarantined they had to be tested.

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister said he had allowed a flight from Papua New Guinea to land today.

Prime Minister Sogavare said the flight flew in with our COVID-19 supplies that will assist us in our fight against this pandemic.

Also on that flight were 3 of our citizens who were stranded in Papua New Guinea.

“These repatriated citizens will undergo the required quarantine period. My Government will continue to repatriate our stranded citizens under strictest of conditions,” he said.