SYDNEY, March 18 (Reuters) - Papua New Guinea has reported five new deaths and 128 new cases of COVID-19, as concern grows about low testing rates and surging cases threaten to overwhelm overstretched hospitals in the Pacific island nation.
Australia has pledged 8,000 doses of the AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) vaccine will be sent urgently to its northern neighbour to protect health workers. were airlifted from Australia by the Australian Defence Force on Wednesday to provide triage facilities for patients outside the Port Moresby General Hospital, where 100 staff are reported to have fallen ill, the ADF said.
Papua New Guinea's COVID-19 Pandemic National Response said on Thursday that total cases had risen to 2,479 by Tuesday, with the death toll reaching 31, more than doubling since the start of March.
Six out of eight new cases reported in Australia's northern state of Queensland were passengers arriving from Papua New Guinea before flights were suspended, said Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk.
PNG health services have expressed concern at the spread of the disease among frontline health workers in already overstretched hospitals.