Last Updated on 3 years by Publishing Team
Media Release
COVID-19 Daily Update
Tuesday, 07th September 2021
Transmission Update
We have 160 new cases of COVID-19 to report for the 24 hour period that ended at 8 am today. 88 cases are from the Western Division and 72 cases are from the Central Division.
There are 4 new COVID-19 positive cases in Naviti, Yasawa Islands. All these individuals have been isolated.
There have been 440 new recoveries to report since the last update, which means that there are now 14,115 active cases. 3,238 active cases are in the Central Division, 10,748 active cases in the Western Division, 4 active cases in the Northern Division (Macuata), and 125 active cases in the Eastern Division (all in Kadavu). We are currently reviewing and reconciling our active case database with recoveries and as a result, we expect the recovery numbers to intermittently change markedly as verifications are made.
There have been 48,083 cases during the outbreak that started in April 2021. We have recorded a total of 48,153 cases in Fiji since the first case was reported in March 2020, with 33,168 recoveries.
Deaths
There are 5 COVID-19 deaths to report today. All five deaths were reported from the Central Division. The five deaths reported today are from the period of 21st July- 06th August 2021. Kindly note these deaths are being reported today as there was a delay in the issuance of the official death certificates.
The first COVID-19 death to report is an 85-year-old woman from Suva who died at home on 22/07/2021. She was not vaccinated.
The second COVID-19 death to report is a 58-year-old man from Nadera who died at home on 30/07/2021. He was not vaccinated.
The third COVID-19 death to report is a 61-year-old woman from Makoi who died at home on 04/08/2021. She was not vaccinated.
The fourth COVID-19 death to report is a 73-year-old woman from Kinoya who died at home on 06/08/2021. She was not vaccinated.
The fifth COVID-19 death to report is a 70-year-old man from Nausori who died at home on 21/07/2021. He was not vaccinated.
There have been 7 deaths of COVID-19 positive patients. However, these deaths have been classified as non-COVID deaths by their doctors. The doctors have determined that these deaths were caused by a serious pre-existing medical condition and not COVID-19.
There have now been 525 deaths due to COVID-19 in Fiji, with 523 of these deaths during the outbreak that started in April this year. Please note that due to the time required by clinical teams to investigate, classify and report deaths, a 4-day interval is given to calculate the 7 day rolling average of deaths, based on the date of death, to help ensure the data collected is complete before the average is reported. Therefore, as of September 22h, the national 7 day rolling average of COVID-19 deaths per day is 4. The 7 day rolling average for COVID-19 deaths per day in the Central Division is 1 and in the Western Division is 3.
We also have recorded 345 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 180 COVID-19 patients admitted to the hospital. 75 patients are admitted at the Lautoka Hospital, 12 patients are admitted at the FEMAT field hospital, and 93 admitted at CWM hospital, St Giles, and Makoi. 20 patients are considered to be in severe condition, and 7 are in critical condition.
Screening Update
A total of 5,839 individuals were screened and 581 swabbed at our stationary screening clinics in the last 24 hours, bringing our cumulative total to 548,223 individuals screened and 91,760 swabbed to date. Our mobile screening teams screened a total of 2,612 individuals and swabbed 319. This brings our cumulative total to 822,254 individuals screened and 73,210 swabbed by our mobile teams.
Testing Update
A total of 341,499 samples have been tested since this outbreak started in April 2021, with 384,360 tested since testing began in March 2020. 1,282 tests have been reported for September 6th. The 7-day daily test average is 1,364 tests per day or 1.5 tests per 1,000 population. Weekly testing is at 10.7 tests per 1000 population, which remains above the WHO recommended level of 4 per 1000 population per week. The national 7-day average daily test positivity is 15.2%, which is on a downward trend but still indicating a high level of community transmission.
Vaccination Update
As of the 06th September, 568,244 adults in Fiji have received their first dose of the vaccine and 306,907 have received their second doses. This means that 96.9% of the target population have received at least one dose and 52.6% are now fully vaccinated nationwide. As previously mentioned we are currently doing a mop-up exercise of our first dose campaign, which will allow us to specifically target communities with low coverage, and relook at certain subdivisions that are generating coverage rates beyond 100%. Over the next few days, we will start to correct and update the total eligible population for our current vaccination program as updated data is received from our vaccination campaign frontline team.
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 205 cases per day or 232 cases per million population per day. As previously announced by the Permanent Secretary, daily case numbers in Suva-Nausori are currently not being used as the sole indicator to monitor the progress of the outbreak. The Ministry is closely monitoring other indicators such as test positivity, hospitalizations, and deaths to track the progress of the outbreak.
With the decrease in testing numbers, testing remains above the WHO recommended rate of 4 per 1000 population per week (or approx. 3500 tests per week). We will be transitioning to community surveillance testing as severe disease numbers and positivity rates approach the containment phase levels.
No new cases have been reported from Malolo island, and the total number of cases confirmed to date remains at 45. Of these, 25 individuals have recovered and 20 remain active – all from the village of Solevu. Additional supplies of linen, equipment, and medicines are currently being organized to be shipped to the island in the next few days.
A total of 84 new cases have been diagnosed on Naviti island from screening and testing conducted in the villages of Somosomo, Kese, Muaira, Soso, Marou, and Gunu, and the settlement of Nasoqo. This brings the total number of cases on the island to 103. Two high-risk patients have been airlifted to Lautoka Hospital for further care, with one patient now admitted in a serious condition in the Intensive Care Unit. The new cases are now in isolation on the island and are followed up by the health team daily.
No new cases have been identified in the Namara Tiri settlement in Labasa in the last 24 hours, and the 4 active cases remain under observation and daily assessment. Movement restriction remains in force for the containment zone and the whole of Labasa town.
Advice to the public
Severe COVID-19
People with severe COVID-19 are still dying at home, or are coming to a medical facility in the late stages of severe illness. As mentioned by the Permanent Secretary today: 78% of COVID-19 deaths during this outbreak occurred at home, or on the way to the hospital, or within 2 days of hospital admission – giving no or little opportunity for our clinical teams to provide potentially life-saving treatment.
Severe COVID-19 is a medical emergency, and a delay in receiving appropriate medical treatment reduces your chance of recovering from the disease. You are at higher risk of developing severe COVID-19 if you are over the age of 50 or have a non-communicable disease or chronic disease like diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, kidney disease, or if you are obese or pregnant.
If you are at high risk of severe disease and have any symptoms of COVID-19 such as a cough, runny nose, fever, sore throat, body ache, headache, loss of taste/smell – please come to your nearest screening clinic to be checked and tested by our medical teams.
We need also need all Fijians to know the severe symptoms of COVID-19, which include the following:
- Difficulty breathing
- Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
- Severe headache for a few days
- New confusion, inability to wake or stay awake
- Pale, gray, or blue-colored skin, lips, or nail beds
In Suva-Nausori we have identified health facilities specifically designated to receive people with symptoms of severe COVID-19. If you or a loved one live in Suva-Nausori and have any of these severe symptoms please go immediately to the designated health facilities listed below.
– Colonial War Memorial Hospital (CWMH)
– FEMAT Hospital, Vodafone Arena
Individuals in Nausori with severe symptoms should go to:
– Nausori Health Centre
– Wainibokasi Hospital
In the Western Division, please go to your nearest healthcare facility if you have any symptoms of COVID-19.
Call 165 if you are unable to travel to a medical facility.