Last Updated on 3 years by Publishing Team
1. COVID-19 VACCINE
The health and well-being of all Fijians are paramount. The COVID-19 vaccines are critical to protecting all Fijians from the deadly global pandemic. The vaccine is a global effort to fight COVID-19. This is a huge step back to normality for Fiji and its people with hopes that our international borders will open to visitors, restoring the livelihoods for thousands of Fijians, who for eons depended on the tourism sector.
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Making sure that the vaccines are safe
The Fijian Government is working closely with World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, and the COVAX Facility to ensure that the vaccine administered in Fiji is safe and effective. The goal of the COVAX Facility is to ensure that safe, effective COVID-19 vaccines are rapidly available and affordable to all countries around the world, regardless of income level.
About the COVAX Facility
The COVAX Facility is the global procurement mechanism of COVAX. The COVAX Facility will invest in a broad portfolio of promising vaccine candidates (including those being supported by CEPI) to make sure at-risk investment in manufacturing happens now. This means the COVAX Facility, through collective purchasing power from all countries that participate, will have rapid access to doses of safe and effective vaccines as soon as they receive regulatory approval.
How were the vaccines created so fast?
COVID-19 vaccines were made rapidly and without any compromise on safety. The urge to end the dark and isolating times globally has prompted cooperation from countries for vaccine research and distribution.
All renowned vaccine companies have been sharing their data globally in a bid to speed up the research process that gave several leads.
Fiji continues to receive data from ongoing clinical trials around the world. Therefore, we will remain informed and continued to monitor the safety and effectiveness of the vaccines in the initial roll-out and into their ongoing use.
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2. AstraZeneca Vaccine
A safe and effective vaccine is being made available for the protection of all Fijians against COVID-19. It is recommended that the vaccine is first administered to the priority groups. This means that people who are at the highest risk of acquiring the virus will be first to receive the vaccine. These priority groups include;
1) Front line workers
2) Health Care Workers
3) RFMF Officers
4) Fiji Police Force Officers
5) Hotel workers- especially those in the quarantine facilities
6) Tourism Industry workers in general
7) Elderly population
8) Population with underlying medical conditions, mainly those suffering from obesity, cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, and diabetes.
9) General Population
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Vaccine safety and approval
The WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) has issued interim recommendations for use of the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine (AZD1222). The vaccine received World Health Organization (WHO) Emergency Use Listing (EUL) on 15 February.
The (European Medicines Agency) EMA has thoroughly assessed the data on the quality, safety, and efficacy of the vaccine and has recommended granting conditional marketing authorization for people aged 18 and above.
This article provides a summary of the interim recommendations; you may access the guidance document here.
The vaccine has been rolled out in various countries and results have shown that it is safe and working against the COVID-19.
News on AstraZeneca
The vaccine usage
The recommended dosage is two doses given intramuscularly (0.5ml each) with an interval of 8 to 12 weeks. Additional research is needed to understand longer-term potential protection after a single dose.
Vaccine efficacy
The AstraZeneca/Oxford COVID vaccine has demonstrated an average efficacy of of 86%.
Effectiveness of the vaccine
There are no vaccines with 100 percent effectiveness. There is no evidence yet that the vaccine will prevent transmission however, it ensures protection against COVID-19.
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COVID-19 safety protocols
Vaccine- Who are we working with?
We are constantly working with international non-government organizations, groups across health, government, businesses, academia, tourism sector partners, Fijians, and communities.