CHINESE MINING FIRM CLAIMS USING COVID-19 VACCINE IN PAPUA NEW GUINEA

A Chinese mining company in Papua New Guinea (PNG) claims to have immunized its employees against COVID-19 in an apparent vaccination trial, a newspaper in Canberra, Australia reported on Friday, infuriating PNG officials.

The South Pacific island nation’s Health Minister Papua Jelta Wong said his department was investigating the claim by Ramu NiCo Management Ltd., The Australian reported on August 21, 2020. 

National Pandemic Response Controller David Manning banned COVID-19 vaccine testing or trials in Papua New Guinea on Thursday and later noted the National Department of Health (NDoH) had not approved any trials, Rod McGuirk reported for the Associated Press (AP) on Friday.

“Any vaccine imported into PNG must be approved by NDoH and must go through vigorous vaccine trials, protocols and procedures” and must be pre-qualified by the World Health Organization, Manning said in a statement on Friday. A document on company letterhead entitled “Vaccination Statement” said 48 Chinese employees “have been vaccinated with SARS-COV-2 vaccine” on Aug. 10. Manning has written to Chinese Ambassador Xue Bing seeking “immediate clarification of the Chinese government’s position regarding the vaccination statement.”