Last Updated on 3 years by Publishing Team
Media Release
COVID-19 Daily Update
Sunday, 01st August 2021
Transmission Update
We have 632 new cases of COVID-19 to report for the 24 hour period that ended at 8am today. 62 cases are from the Western Division and 570 cases are from the Central Division. A full breakdown of areas of interest will be published online tonight on the Ministry’s COVID-19 dashboard and on the Fijian Government Facebook page. You will also be able to view the approximate locations of new cases, active cases, and recovered cases on the dashboard at the following link: http://bit.ly/3vE2ZBb.
There have been 237 new recoveries reported since the last update, which means that there are now 22,100 active cases. 18,906 active cases are in the Central Division and 3,194 in the West. All cases that were recorded in the Northern and Eastern Divisions (cases that were imported from Viti Levu) have recovered and there are no active cases currently in those divisions.
There have been 30,343 cases during the outbreak that started in April 2021. We have recorded a total of 30,413 cases in Fiji since the first case was reported in March 2020, with 7,942 recoveries.
Deaths
We have 2 new COVID-19 deaths to report for the 31st July.
The first COVID-19 death to report is a 35 year old man from Newtown who died at home (31/07/2021). He was not vaccinated.
The second COVID-19 death to report is a 55 year old man from Ba. He presented to a medical facility in severe respiratory distress. A medical team retrieved him for the medical facility and brought him to the Lautoka Hospital. His condition worsened in the hospital and he died 4 days after admission. His family reported that he had generalized body pain, a cough and shortness of breath four days prior to his presentation. He received the first dose of the vaccine in mid-July. He did not receive the second dose of the vaccine. This means that he was not fully vaccinated.
There was an error in yesterday’s daily statement where 238 total deaths due to COVID-19 in Fiji were reported, when it should have been 239 deaths, with 237 during the outbreak that started in April this year. This has been corrected.
With today’s newly reported deaths, there have now been 241 deaths due to COVID-19 in Fiji, with 239 of these deaths during the outbreak that started in April this year. The 7 day rolling average of COVID-19 deaths per day is 8. We also have recorded 130 COVID-19 positive patients who died from the serious medical conditions that they had before they contracted COVID-19; these are not classified as COVID-19 deaths.
Hospitalisations
There are currently 307 COVID-19 patients admitted to hospital. 28 patients are admitted at Lautoka hospital. In Suva, 79 patients are admitted at the FEMAT field hospital, and 200 admitted at CWM hospital, St Giles, and Makoi. 59 patients are considered to be in severe condition, and 9 are in critical condition.
Screening Update
A total of 2,813 individuals were screened and 200 swabbed at our stationary screening clinics in the last 24 hours, bringing our cumulative total to 393,302 individuals screened and 71,599 swabbed to date. As of the 31stth July our mobile screening teams screened a total of 1,364 individuals and swabbed 49. This brings our cumulative total to 770,204 individuals screened and 68,061 swabbed by our mobile teams.
Testing update
A total of 273,497 samples have been tested since this outbreak started in April 2021, with 316,358 tested since testing began in March 2020. 3252 tests have been reported for July 30th. Testing number data for one lab for July 30th is pending. Based on available data the national 7-day daily test average is 3235 tests per day or 3.7 tests per 1,000 population. The national 7-day average daily test positivity is 32.3 %.
Vaccination Update
As of the 30nd July 482,175 adults in Fiji have received their first dose of the vaccine and 140,184 have received their second doses. This means that 82.2% of the target population have received at least one dose and 23.9% are now fully vaccinated nationwide.
Fijians can check the Ministry’s vaccine dashboard to find real-time data on first-dose and second-dose numbers at the national, divisional and sub-divisional levels. You can access the live dashboard at http://bit.ly/3h2JfCZ
Epidemic Outlook
The 7-day average of new cases per day is 1039 cases per day or 1174 cases per million population per day. Daily cases numbers remain high, and daily test positivity remains high, indicating ongoing widespread community transmission in the Suva-Nausori containment zone. Cases are also increasing in the West with evidence of community transmission in that division. The Northern and Eastern Divisions currently have no active cases.
Advice to the public
For people with COVID-19 symptoms in Suva-Nausori:
Community transmission within the Suva-Nausori containment zone is at a very high level. This means that anyone who develops symptoms of COVID-19 in Suva-Nausori should assume that they have COVID-19. Most people infected with COVID-19 will have mild symptoms like cough, runny nose, sore throat, fever, loss of taste or smell, body ache, or headache, and will fully recover at home with no medical intervention necessary. People who have any of these symptoms and are not within a group that is at higher risk for developing severe COVID-19 will no longer be tested for COVID-19, and should stay at home, strictly self-isolate for 14 days, and continue to monitor your symptoms for severe COVID-19. If you develop any signs of severe COVID-19, like difficulty breathing or chest pain, please go immediately to one of our dedicated health facilities:
– Colonial War Memorial Hospital (CWMH)
– FEMAT Hospital, Vodafone Arena
Individuals in Nausori with severe symptoms should go to:
– Nausori Health Centre
-Wainibokasi Hospital
Call 165 if you are unable to travel to a medical facility.
However, if you or someone you are caring for has mild symptoms but is at high risk of severe COVID – in particular individuals over 50 years, have a chronic illness such as diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, asthma, are obese, or are pregnant – we need you to visit one of our screening clinics and get tested. If you test positive, then we will ensure you are provided immediate care by our health teams.
1.) For symptomatic workers who need official leave from work, they are recommended to attend the nearest screening clinic to be checked and to obtain a medical certificate for the 14 days of home isolation.
2.) Symptomatic workers can also obtain a medical certificate for the 14 days self-isolation at home from participating General Practitioners (GPs).
For people anywhere else in Fiji:
Please call 158 or go to your nearest screening clinic for testing if you have any symptoms of COVID-19. If you do leave your home to go to a screening clinic: please wear a mask that covers your mouth and nose, keep at least 2 metres between yourself and others outside your household, wash your hands with soap and water frequently or use hand sanitiser, and download and activate the CareFiji app if you have a smartphone, and avoid using public transport. Also call 158 if you have been in contact with someone confirmed as a case of COVID-19.