autofocus not applying to p-dropdown while nested in a p-dialog for PrimeNG 16.9.10

[garybconsult]

I have a p-dialog that has several nested p-dropdowns and buttons. The dialog shows and hides correctly, however I'm unable to set the autofocus on any of the p-dropdowns for version 16.9

Example here:
https://stackblitz.com/edit/ytcvxy-rtznat?file=src%2Fapp%2Fdemo%2Fdropdown-basic-demo.html

I have tried the same example with older versions and with the newest version 17, but they work correctly as shown here:
https://stackblitz.com/edit/owhhxd?file=src%2Fapp%2Fdropdown-basic-demo.ts

The same code was used in both:
<p-dropdown
pAutoFocus
[autofocus]="true"
[options]="cities"
[(ngModel)]="selectedCity"
optionLabel="name"
[showClear]="true"
placeholder="Select a City"
>

however version 16 doesn't work but 17 does. Is there a workaround for now until we can get upgraded to 17? We are planning on upgrading, but it will be several months before we get there.