BY MAVIS N PODOKOLO
MORE tests results from the flights carrying the two new recorded cases are still pending, according to Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare.
“I have also been advised that some tests from both flights are still undergoing laboratory analysis. The Incident Controller is still waiting for some more results,” Sogavare said.
“It is my hope that we will not pick up any more positives. However, at this stage we cannot rule that possibility out,” he added.
He said that in regards to genome sequencing on the virus, the National Laboratory cannot do it.
“So it is not possible for me to inform you what variant of COVID-19 these two people have.
“However, it is likely that the infection from the passenger from Fiji is the Delta variant, and the one that came from Dubai is the Omicron variant.
“We will send the samples to Australia for identification of the COVID-19 variant that is in the country now,” Sogavare said.
Sogavare also confirmed that two new cases of COVID-19 was diagnosed at the NRH laboratory.
This has now increased the country’s COVID-19 cases diagnosed in the country to 22.
“One of these new cases is a 10-year-old boy who returned from Fiji with his family on 22nd of December.
“Because of his age, he was not vaccinated. However, the rest of his family have been fully vaccinated and have all tested negative.”
“The second case is a national that had just returned from Dubai. He was fully vaccinated with the last dose taken in July this year,” he said.
