Man’s COVID-19 death in Redcliffe puts focus on PNG crisis

Wednesday April 07, 2021

Before travel restrictions were put in place, Queensland was taking in almost one case of COVID-19 from Papua New Guinea every day.

Queensland Health has confirmed that a 77-year-old man had died from complications due to COVID-19 on Monday. His dual Papua New Guinea and UK citizenship, and the fact his infection was diagnosed in PNG, meant he would not be added to Queensland’s COVID-19 death toll of six.

The man – later named as Mal Kela Smith, a former regional governor and businessman from PNG – had been transported by medivac from PNG on March 28. He…

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