Last Updated on 3 years by Publishing Team
Media Release
COVID-19 Daily Update
Thursday, 8th July 2021
Transmission Update
We have 721 new cases of COVID-19 and 6 COVID-19 deaths to report for the 24 hour period that ended at 8am today, July 8th 2021. A full breakdown of areas of interest will be published online tomorrow morning 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 cases on the dashboard at the following link: http://bit.ly/3vE2ZBb.
The first COVID-19 death is an 80-year-old woman from Vatuwaqa. A Ministry response team attended to her at home and, assessing that she was severely ill, transferred her to the FEMAT field hospital. She reportedly had been having symptoms of COVID-19 at home for approximately three weeks. Her conditions worsened at the FEMAT field hospital and she died a few hours later. She was not vaccinated.
The second COVID-19 death is an 80-year-old woman from Mead Road. She was declared dead on arrival by the attending medical officer at the CWMH Hospital Emergency Department. This means that she died at home or on her way to the hospital. Her family reported that she had been unwell for at least three days at home. She was not vaccinated.
The third COVID-19 death is a 51-year-old woman from Gaji Road. She was admitted at the CWM Hospital with COVID-19 symptoms (fever, cough and generalized body pains). Her condition worsened in hospital and she died 11 days after admission. She was not vaccinated.
The fourth COVID-19 death is a 44-year-old man from Laucala Beach Estate. He presented to the CWM Hospital emergency department in severe respiratory distress. His family reported that he had COVID-19 symptoms (fever, cough, shortness of breath, weakness and headache) for one week. His condition worsened in hospital and he died 4 days after admission. He received his 1st dose of the vaccine in mid-June. He had not received the second dose of the vaccine and was not fully vaccinated.
The fifth COVID-19 death is a 68-year-old woman from Delainivesi, Lami. Her family brought her to the CWM Hospital Emergency Department after she was noted to be unresponsive. Her family reported that she had been feeling unwell at home two days before. She died on the same day. She was not vaccinated.
The sixth COVID-19 death is a 52-year-old woman from Raiwai. She was brought by her family to the CWM Hospital Emergency Department. Her family reported that she had been unwell with cough, shortness of breath, generalized weakness and vomiting, for at least three days. Her condition worsened in hospital and she died 1 day later. She was not vaccinated.
There have now been 48 deaths due to COVID-19 in Fiji, with 46 of these deaths during the outbreak that started in April this year. We also have recorded 19 COVID-19 positive patients who died from the serious medical conditions that they had before they contracted COVID-19.
There have been 101 new recoveries reported since the last update, which means that there are now 7,138 active cases. There have been 8,591 cases during the outbreak that started in April 2021. We have recorded a total of 8,661 cases in Fiji since the first case was reported in March 2020, with 1,456 recoveries.
Screening Update
A total of 6,187 individuals were screened and 1,488 swabbed at our stationary screening clinics in the last 24 hours, bringing our cumulative total to 264,047 individuals screened and 38,727 swabbed to date. Our mobile screening teams screened a total of 2,657 individuals and swabbed 326 in the last 24 hours. This brings our cumulative total to 683,973 individuals screened and 56,888 swabbed by our mobile teams to date.
Testing update
184,613 samples have been tested since this outbreak started in April 2021, with 227,474 tested since testing began in early 2020. 3387 tests have been reported for July 6th. Testing number data for all labs for July 6th are still being received and so the testing number is expected to increase once updated. The national 7-day daily test average is 3502 tests per day or 4 tests per 1,000 population. The national 7-day average daily test positivity is 14.4% and continues on an upward trend.
Vaccination Update
As of July 7th, 335,305 adults in Fiji have received their first dose of the vaccine and 59,574 have received their second doses. This means that 57% of the target population has received at least one dose and 10.2% are now fully vaccinated nationwide.
We now have two drive-through vaccination centers within the Suva- Nausori Corridor. One center is located at Albert Park in Suva and the second center is located at the Fiji National University (Nasinu Campus). These drive-through vaccination centers are open until 5.30pm. The Ministry of Health and Medical Services is currently working on exploring possible venues across the country to establish more drive-through vaccination sites.
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 has increased to 545 cases per day or 615 cases per million population per day. Daily case numbers are expected to continue to increase, along with an increase in people with COVID-19 requiring hospitalisation, and sadly, more deaths.
Advice to the public
As a result of increasing COVID-19 cases in the Suva-Nausori containment zone, the Ministry of Health and Medical Services advises that until further notice, home-based screening and swabbing services in Suva-Nausori will no longer be provided, except in exceptional circumstances. Exceptional circumstances include if an individual has a disability, or is otherwise physically unable to leave their home and attend a clinic, and these people should call 158. Our response teams in Suva-Nausori will now be redirected to the identification and close monitoring of people with COVID-19 who are at higher risk of developing severe COVID-19.
People in Suva-Nausori should visit their nearest screening clinic for testing if they:
– Have COVID-19 symptoms (cough, runny nose, nasal congestion, sneezing, fatigue, headache, aches and pains, sore throat, fever, diarrhoea, red eyes, loss of taste or smell);
or
– Have been in close contact with someone who has COVID-19
Any disruptions to screening clinic services, for instance for decontamination, will be communicated to the public.
A person in Suva-Nausori with symptoms, or who has been in close contact with someone confirmed to have COVID-19, should take the following steps:
1) Immediately isolate yourself from others, including other members of your household if possible.
2) Where possible, visit the nearest screening clinic for a COVID-19 swab. Please wear a mask that covers your mouth and nose and keep a safe physical distance of 2 metres from others.
3) Please avoid using public transport to travel to the screening clinic. If you cannot avoid using public transport, please ensure to wear a mask that covers your mouth and nose at all times and maintain physical distance from others.
In other parts of Fiji, persons with COVID-19 symptoms, or who are contacts of cases, should call 158 to be advised by the respective medical teams in those areas.
Our FEMAT field hospital has begun the transition into a COVID-19 dedicated hospital. And we have set up an emergency number 165 for people with severe COVID-19 symptoms to contact if they cannot get to a hospital themselves.
Sadly, we continue to see people with severe COVID-19 dying at home or coming to a medical facility in the late stages of severe illness and dying within a day or two. Severe COVID-19 is a medical emergency and a delay in receiving appropriate medical treatment may result in a higher risk of death.
We need all Fijians to know the severe symptoms of COVID-19, which include:
• Difficulty breathing
• Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
• Severe headache for a few days
• New confusion, inability to wake or stay awake; and
• Pale, gray, or blue-coloured skin, lips or nail beds.
If you or a loved one have any of these symptoms please go immediately to your nearest medical facility or call 165 if unable to get to a medical facility.