PNG Oppositioon : No Vaccine Tests until COVID-19 Report is provided

 PNG Leader of the Opposition Belden Norman Namah has  called upon the Papua New GUinea Government to halt the use of any Covid-19 vaccines until a comprehensive report has been tabled on the pandemic and its effects upon the population.

Mr Namah said Prime Minister James Marape and his team have a fiduciary duty to present a report on:

* The effects of Covid-19 upon the population;

* The measures taken by the Government to protect the population and how those measures have worked;

* An account of public monies allocated and sources of such funding; and

* An update on PNG’s own Covid-19 vaccination program which the Prime Minister supported with an allocation of K10.2 million.

“Until this report is made public or presented to Parliament, Papua New Guineans must not be exposed to any vaccine test,” Mr Namah said.

“PNG does not need any vaccines because the Prime Minister has already announced our own ‘miracle cure’. He allocated K10.2 million towards that effort.”

Mr Namah is now calling on the Prime Minister and his team of Doctors and Niugini Bio-Med to come forward with their miracle cure and start the vaccination rollout starting with the Prime Minister and his cabinet ministers and those so- called doctors who have discovered this miracle cure.

Mr Namah said it may well be that the pandemic is killing scores of our people but that has yet to be proven. Government needs to provide scientific and or medical evidence that our people who are said to be diagnosed with Covid-19 has scientific and or medical proofs and not just some pre-existing medical condition or just some seasonal viruses

“In the absence of a full report on the effects of this virus upon our people, we cannot blindly go ahead and vaccinate our people on mere assumptions,” he said.

“It is well known that viruses mutate and are more or less effective in certain atmospheric conditions. We live in a hot, humid climate near the equator. These conditions can and may have impacted the virulence of the virus.

“It is also likely that our people’s DNA or the food and drinks we take or a combination of all these factors may impact the effectiveness of this virus. This is not proven and we have no way of knowing unless the Government carries out a study or research into this.

“Until we know for certain, we cannot just go ahead and copy everything the first world is doing.

“In all likelihood any vaccine might activate the virus in us that might have been lying latent or inactive.

“Also, there is no guarantee given by vaccine producers that a vaccination is a lifetime protection. Which one from the many vaccines currently entering human trials is good for our people? How often do we need to get vaccinated? Do we have the resources for repeat nationwide vaccinations? Are the vaccines free or do we pay for them?

“These are important questions we need to ask and answers given before any Papua New Guinean is vaccinated.

The team of experts who have been engaged in this from the start should provide us a comprehensive report on the effects of Covid-19 and the response to it by this government and what are the results of those actions.

“This is the sanest and the most responsible position to take for any good government.”

Next : PNG Reports Eight New COVID-19 cases : PNG Total at 1,56