China faces questions over ‘vaccinated’ workers sent overseas

PORT MORESBY: China faced demands on Thursday to explain why a state-backed firm claimed it had vaccinated dozens of staff against the coronavirus before sending them back to work at a mine in Papua New Guinea.

The China Metallurgical Group Corporation ( MCC) — which controls a major nickel mine in the country — warned local authorities that 48 staff who returned from China may test positive for the virus because they had received a vaccine.

In response, Papua New Guinea authorities called for “immediate clarification” from Beijing and blocked a charter flight full of Chinese workers that was due to land Thursday.

The pandemic has disrupted operations at several lucrative mines in Papua New Guinea, one of the Pacific’s poorest nations.

While moving its staff into place, MMC’s subsidiary firm Ramu NiCo told Papua New Guinea authorities that any positive coronavirus test results were “the normal reaction of the vaccination and not due to infection”, according to a Chinese and English-language statement obtained by AFP.

The 48 members of staff at its mine had “been vaccinated with SARS-COV-2 vaccine” before their return, it said.

China has previously indicated that it would test vaccines on military personnel and staff at state-backed companies, but it is not clear whether these tests were carried out on workers heading overseas.

“It takes around seven days to produce antibodies in the vaccine recipient’s body after being vaccinated,” the statement reads.

“If they need to be tested again for Covid-19, it is suggested to be conducted at least seven days after the vaccination date.”

Papua New Guinea’s pandemic tsar David Manning told AFP he wanted answers and had blocked the arrival of a flight with around 150 Chinese workers on board due in Port Moresby on Thursday.

“I have written to the Chinese government through the Chinese ambassador -- to explain how these 48 employees of this state company were vaccinated.”

There are growing concerns that Ramu NiCo staff may have circumvented arrival quarantine procedures, that the vaccinations may have been administered unlawfully in Papua New Guinea, or that they were tested on Papua New Guinea citizens.

Anyone arriving in Papua New Guinea must receive a coronavirus test before boarding their flight and undergo quarantine on arrival.

In a letter from Manning to the Chinese ambassador, also seen by AFP, he demanded “immediate clarification” and stated that Papua New Guinea “does not currently acknowledge a vaccine” for coronavirus and will not until national regulators and the World Health Organisation have given their approval.