Papua New Guinea's main hospital is full and staff are among a growing number of people sick with Covid-19.
The National Pandemic Response Controller's office has reported 84 new confirmed cases of the virus, most of them in the capital.
Port Moresby General Hospital Photo: POM General Hospital
The Controller's office said the isolation ward for patients with Covid-19 at Port Moresby General Hospital was full.
But the latest statement from the office hinted at a gap between the official figures and the real extent of the outbreak which has surged in various parts of the country in recent weeks.
According to the Controller, the total number of confirmed cases in PNG is now 1,819, while the official number of deaths related to to Covid-19 is 21.
However the office's statement also quoted a social media post by a Senior Gynecologist at Port Moresby General, Professor Glen Mola, said patients were dying of Covid every day, suggesting the real death toll could be far higher.
"We are trying to look after Covid-19 patients in other wards because there is no space in the Covid ward," Professor Mola said.
He said that in the maternity wing alone, 20 percent of women presenting with pregnancy problems or who are in labour were testing positive with Covid-19.
Furthermore, he said while health workers were attending to patients, they themselves were getting infected with Covid-19.
The attrition rate among health workers was particularly worrying for authorities.
The controller said that last week, 10 staff had to be isolated, and that if this trend continued it could lead to serious problems such as the closure of the hospital which would lead to chaos.
The bleak outlook for Port Moresby General reflects similar situations in some provincial hospitals where resources are under significant strain.
Two days ago, PNG's Medical and Scientific Advisory Committee granted approval for use of the AstraZeneca vaccine in the country.
The Health Department said PNG would receive 588,000 vaccine doses before the end of June, with the Prime Minister James Marape saying they would initially come via India and Australia.
The government hoped the vaccine rollout would begin by April, with frontline health workers the first in line for access to the vaccine.
PNG is not making the vaccine compulsory.