MELBOURNE, Feb 6 (Reuters) - Papua New Guinea reported three new cases of the coronavirus on Saturday, the National Department of Health said, with infections on the rise in the southwestern Pacific nation of 8.8 million.
The new cases, all in the National Capital District, bring the country's total to 894 known infections. Health ministry data show the number has increased by some 40 cases in just over two weeks. There have been nine COVID-19 deaths.
Wednesday saw 16 new cases, 11 of which were in the West New Britain (WNB) province. The province reported its first coronavirus case in November, but infections have been spreading rapidly, standing at 194 and accounting for a fifth of the country's total.
Health officials blamed the spread on the province's poor response to lockdown, "poor work culture" and poor adherence to infection prevention and control.
"This has now placed WNB as a hotspot for COVID-19 in the New Guinea Islands region and it is likely to be transmitting cases to its neighbouring provinces as well as the rest of the country," the ministry said on its Facebook (NASDAQ:FB) page on Saturday.
Seventeen of Papua New Guinea's 22 provinces have reported positive cases, with 43,728 tests administered.
(Reporting in Melbourne by Lidia Kelly; Editing by William Mallard)