Australia to provide 8,000 COVID-19 vaccines to Papua New Guinea as cases spike


SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australia will immediately provide 8,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses and critical health equipments to Papua New Guinea (PNG) due to the spike in new coronavirus infections in the country, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Wednesday.

Australia will also request AstraZeneca PLC and European authorities to grant access to one million doses of the country’s contracted vaccines for PNG, Morrison said.

Australia will also suspend all charter flights for two weeks from Wednesday midnight and outbound travel to the country, the prime minister said.