Two more cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed in the Papua New Guinea capital of Port Moresby.
EMTV reported the latest cases include a 53-year-old man with no travel history and a 39-year-old medical officer, bringing the total number of infections to 19.
Controller David Manning is alarmed at the latest cases Photo: PNG PM Media
Deputy Controller, Paison Dakulala, expressed concern the last five positive cases had been health workers.
He said there had also been symptomatic people who had not stayed home and remained socially active.
Controller and Police Commissioner David Manning said says the latest statistics were alarming.
He said there had been 200 tests over the past five days which had revealed seven cases.
Mr Manning said the capacity at the local isolation facility was 70 and the current daily infection rate meant this had the potential to be reached by the end of the month.
This week a cancer patient who died at Port Moresby General hospital was found to have Covid-19 during a post-mortem examination.
Earlier the government announced a cluster outbreak at the Central Public Health Laboratory on the hospital premises.
Port Moresby General Hospital Photo: POM General Hospital
Indonesia soldiers positive for covid on arrival in West Papua
Meanwhile dozens of Indonesian soldiers deployed to West Papua province have tested positive for Covid-19.
The 36 soldiers were among hundreds sent to Papua region from various other provinces of Indonesia on rotation.
The news agency Tempo reported the soldiers underwent tests for the coronavirus prior to their departure for West Papua's capital Manokwari, and again upon arrival, when they tested positive.
Meanwhile, the latest figures from Indonesia's Ministry of Health showed West Papua had 368 confirmed cases of the virus, while neighbouring Papua province has 2640.