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headline

Honduran Company Claims Ignorance of Fake Vaccine Imports

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AP) — A Honduran company said Tuesday that it had no intention of illegally bringing several thousand COVID-19 doses into the country when Mexican customs officials found them on a private plane last week.

Grupo Karim’s said in a statement that the vaccine was not intended to be sold in Honduras, but rather to be given free to its employees and their families. The company said its employees had been hit hard by the pandemic and it was looking for a way to help them.

Customs agents and soldiers found 1,155 vials containing more than 5,700 doses inside two coolers packed with ice and sodas at the airport in Campeche. The crew and Honduran passengers were turned over to the Attorney General’s Office.

Mexican officials did not identify the doses as fake, but the Russian Direct Investment Fund said in a statement Thursday that after reviewing photographs of the packaging, they determined the vaccine to be fake.

Grupo Karim’s did not offer any details about the vaccine’s purchase or its authenticity. The company has 20,000 direct employees.

A source in the Honduran aviation industry, who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak about the case, confirmed that Grupo Karim’s had rented the plane in San Pedro Sula.

Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office continues to investigate the vaccine seizure. A federal official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation remained open, said Tuesday that the contents of the vaccine vials continued and that no one was in custody.

The post Honduran Company Claims Ignorance of Fake Vaccine Imports appeared first on The St Kitts Nevis Observer.

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Stranded campers and dog rescued by ADF after being cut off by floods

Nine stranded campers and a pet dog have been rescued after being cut off by floodwaters south-west of Sydney.

The group, which included a nine-year-old boy, were stranded for six days in the in the Wollondilly Forest.

The heavy rains turned a creek into a raging torrent, washing away the campsite and the group's food supplies.

READ MORE: Dropping water levels expose extent of flood devastation in NSW

Nine stranded campers and a pet dog have been rescued from the Wollondilly Forest. NSW FloodsThe group, which included a nine-year-old boy and a pet dog, were stranded for six days. NSW Floods

A Royal Navy Taipan helicopter crew extracted the seven friends, a father and son, and dog yesterday in a delicate operation.

The evacuees were taken to Mittagong Sports field where they were met by members of the NSW SES.

There are currently two Navy helicopters supporting aerial search and rescue operations, with four Army MRH-90 Taipan helicopters arriving from Townsville today.

A Royal Navy Taipan helicopter crew extracted the campers. NSW Floods

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Mammoth cleanup begins for flood victims as communities still cut off

Receding waters levels around New South Wales have begun to expose the full extent of flood devastation as thousands return home to collapsed homes and businesses.

Images from the air show extensive damage in the Hawkesbury region as river levels drop for the first time since Sunday.

The mammoth clean up has begun after days of torrential rain, but in many places water is still lapping homes along the Hawkesbury.

READ MORE: NSW flood victim identified as 25-year-old Ayaz Younus

Hawkesbury NSW floodsThe Hawkesbury Highway is pretty much the only way in and out of North Richmond. Hawkesbury NSW floods

At Lower Portland a caravan, trees and tyres have turned up. At Windsor residents are sifting through soggy belongings to see what can be salvaged.

A landslide near Mt Tomah has closed the Bells Line of Road has left North Richmond an island.

The supermarket is struggling to keep up, shelves are stripped as soon as they're stocked and bread and fruit are in short supply.

Urgent medical supplies are being dropped in but no mail has been delivered for days leaving the post office and many others without work, or a pay cheque.

The Hawkesbury Highway – pretty much the only way in and out of north Richmond – is still blocked off.

It will take days before the water recedes. and days more before the roads are declared safe enough to drive on.

READ MORE: More flood evacuation orders as 20,000 people stranded

Earlier, more than 3000 people were able to return to their communities after six evacuation alerts were lifted overnight.

"We appreciate it will be a very challenging time for people today and tomorrow as they go back to their homes and their properties," NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said earlier.

The premier said she is expecting the recovery effort to take "weeks".

"I want to stress to communities, no matter where you are, that if you have been allowed to return, you can be rest assured that our teams are in place to support you in the clean-up efforts," she said.

"Good weather again today will allow us to resupply a number of areas, particularly on the Hawkesbury River," NSW State Emergency Service Commissioner Carlene York said.

"There are many supplies being loaded on to helicopters and our boats to go out to those communities, and restocking some of those supermarkets, which is good news.

"We will be now sending in teams to assess the damage in the areas that have been affected."

Emergency services will also be focused on providing support to communities still in the midst of the flood crisis in the northern parts of the state around Moree and Grafton.

"Today, we're really about the resupply and looking after those people that have been evacuated overnight, making sure they're safe and looked after," Commissioner York said.

Flood clean-up is also underway in Port Macquarie, Kempsey and Taree today which were some of the areas worst hit in recent days.

Led by Resilience NSW, volunteers from the Rural Fire Service and NSW Fire and Rescue are now assisting the Australian Defence Force going "house to house and house" and delivering essential supplied to impacted communities.

The state is not expected to see any more rain for at least six days which the government hope will assist with the mammoth clean-up.

https://twitter.com/ResilienceNSW/status/1374883945112862720

Despite improvement in weather conditions people have been urged not to become complacent following two flood-related deaths yesterday.

"The rivers are still at moderate to major flooding in a number of areas. There's a lot of debris and high risk of danger around those fast-flowing rivers."

"Don't drive through the floodwaters. It is particularly dangerous out there."

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PNG's health system under pressure as COVID-19 cases rise

Surging coronavirus numbers have put Papua New Guinea's health system under pressure, as hospitals and morgues reach capacity.

9News has been told morgues are full and in some crowded hospitals, patients have been treated on the floor.

One person suffered an asthma attack and died in a car park at the weekend.

READ MORE: Papua New Guinea strain of COVID-19 found in Queensland

"We have a lot of cases in the hospital," Gerehu Hospital's Dr Gary Nou said.

"We're facing an unprecedented situation."

Patients have waited hours to be tested and case numbers have soared. Of just 749 tests conducted today, 560 tested positive.

Australia has sent 8400 vaccines to the country as cases from PNG are increasingly detected in Queensland hospitals.

9News has been told some Papua New Guineans have been reluctant to be vaccinated and misinformation has spread furiously through Facebook.

"There's people thinking it's all a hoax or a western conspiracy," Jonathan Pryke from the Lowy Institute said.

Even the PNG Opposition Leader joined in on the speculation.

READ MORE: New generation of homeowners buying thanks to the bank of mum and dad

"It might even be proven that coronavirus has been here for hundreds of years," Belden Norman Namah said.

Australia is trying to fight the misinformation.

"Rest assured everyone is seized of the urgency of the situation," Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade secretary Frances Adamson said.

Medecins Sans Frontieres Australia (Doctors Without Borders) said vaccines needed to be made available quickly for frontline healthcare staff and high-risk groups.

"The health facilities are struggling to cope with the outbreak," interim head of mission Ghulam Nabi said.

"There are significant constraints because a substantial number of healthcare staff have recently tested positive for COVID-19.

"They have to isolate and can't go to work. Various healthcare services have been restricted and the remaining staff are concerned as they expect a major disruption to healthcare services."

Accelerated response required

The Australian Council for International Development (ACFID) has urged the Australian government to accelerate its response to the escalating COVID-19 outbreak in Papua New Guinea (PNG).

ACFID has welcomed the indication in Senate estimates today that the Australian Government will move beyond the immediate 8480 vaccines allocated to PNG.

The council welcomed comments by the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Marise Payne that all options were on the table for supplying vaccines to PNG, including the use of domestically manufactured AstraZeneca vaccines.

ACFID CEO Marc Purcell said the Australian government was "absolutely right to be pressing the EU on this matter".

"But the situation is too urgent to wait," Mr Purcell said.

READ MORE: EU looks to tighten vaccine controls as Australia ramps up local production

"We are seeing cases rise in Queensland (hospitals and hotel quarantine) as travellers return from PNG and with numbers increasing in Western Province, the prospect of transmission across the Torres Strait is now a major risk.

"We are seeking for the Australian government to plan ahead and match its request to the EU by allocating 1 million domestically manufactured vaccines to PNG and rapidly support their rollout.

READ MORE: Papua New Guinea strain of COVID-19 found in Queensland

"We should not assume that the new strain of COVID-19 circulating in PNG is the last to emerge.

"Each time a new strain develops, the efficacy of existing vaccines comes into question. Crushing the virus in PNG is the best thing we can do right now, for PNG and for Australia."

In recent days, ACFID wrote to DFAT and asked the government to immediately increase the number of vaccines Australia makes available from its existing domestic supply to PNG from 8480 to 20,000.

The ACFID also requested a continued increase over the coming weeks to meet the needs of frontline workers.

"We are deeply concerned for the people of PNG," Mr Purcell said.

"Our members are reporting that their staff are falling sick with COVID-19.

"Increasing the immediate allocation of Australia's own vaccine stocks to PNG is critical to keeping hospitals, local clinics and essential services going."

headline

Jessica Rowe's car erupts into flames in Sydney

A car driven by journalist Jessica Rowe has caught on fire outside Kambala Girls School in Sydney's Rose Bay.

The car caught ablaze on New South Head Road this afternoon while Ms Rowe was picking up her daughter from school.

Both Ms Rowe and her daughter are unharmed. The pair managed to escape the vehicle before flames consumed the car.

https://twitter.com/2GB873/status/1374964405289410563

It's not known what started the fire.

Channel Nine's news anchor and husband to Ms Rowe Peter Overton told Jim Wilson on 2GB that a good Samaritan who drove one of the school buses rushed to the car when he saw smoke.

"There was a bloke who got Jessica and Allegra out of the car, he told them he saw smoke and told them to get out," Mr Overton said.

Jessica Rowe with her daughters

"Fire and Rescue and ambulance and police were there. They're all okay and they're home now. There was a real fear that the car could've exploded.

"I'll find out the bloke's details and get in touch to give him a very big thank you."

Mr Overton said he was en-route home to comfort his family. His colleague Mark Burrows will anchor the Channel Nine news at 6pm tonight.