Last Updated on 3 years by Publishing Team
Media Release
COVID-19 Daily Update
Sunday, 08 August 2021
Transmission Update
We have 657 new cases of COVID-19 to report for the 24 hour period that ended at 8 am today. 256 cases are from the Western Division and 401 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 586 new recoveries reported since the last update, which means that there are now 24,138 active cases. 19,005 active cases are in the Central Division and 5,133 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 36,909 cases during the outbreak that started in April 2021. We have recorded a total of 36,979 cases in Fiji since the first case was reported in March 2020, with 12,384 recoveries.
Deaths
We have 3 new COVID-19 deaths to report for the period of 06th August- 07th August. All three deaths were reported from the Central Division.
The first COVID-19 death to report is an 86 year old woman from Newtown who died at home on 06/08/2021. She was not vaccinated.
The second 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 third COVID-19 death to report is a 71-year-old man from Cunningham who died at home on 07/08/2021. He was not vaccinated.
With today’s newly reported deaths, there have now been 299 deaths due to COVID-19 in Fiji, with 297 of these deaths during the outbreak that started in April this year. The 7 day rolling average of COVID-19 deaths per day is 6. We also have recorded 158 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
In the Central Division: There are currently 240 COVID-19 patients admitted to the hospital. 69 patients are admitted at the FEMAT field hospital, and 171 were admitted at CWM hospital, St Giles, and Makoi. 50 patients are considered to be in severe condition, and 5 are in critical condition. Today’s hospitalisation data update is pending from the Western Division.
Screening Update
A total of 3086 individuals were screened and 338 swabbed at our stationary screening clinics in the last 24 hours, bringing our cumulative total to 425,068 individuals screened and 75,513 swabbed to date. As of the 07th August our mobile screening teams screened a total of 1,500 individuals and swabbed 309. This brings our cumulative total to 782,343 individuals screened and 69,051 swabbed by our mobile teams.
Testing update
A total of 294,860 samples have been tested since this outbreak started in April 2021, with 337,721 tested since testing began in March 2020. 1981 tests have been reported for August 6th. Testing number data is pending from one laboratory. Based on available data the national 7-day daily test average is 3010 tests per day or 3.4 tests per 1,000 population. The national 7-day average daily test positivity is 31.3 %.
Vaccination Update
As of the 07th August 512, 282 adults in Fiji have received their first dose of the vaccine and 178,606 have received their second doses. This means that 87.3% of the target population have received at least one dose and 30.4% 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 938 cases per day or 1060 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. We are also recording increasing numbers of people with severe disease and deaths in the West. The Northern and Eastern Divisions currently have no active cases.
Advice to the public
The following was announced in a public advisory issued earlier this week:
COVID-19 health services in the Western Division.
The Ministry of Health and Medical Services wishes to inform the public that due to the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in the Western Division, it is necessary to adjust the current health services strategy for the division in Mitigation Phase.
Residents for the whole of the Western Division from the Nadroga medical subdivision to the Ra medical subdivision are requested to note that the Ministry of Health and Medical Services will, in the coming days, be varying its public advisories and guidelines to reflect the evolving COVID-19 situation
Some of the initial changes in this Mitigation Phase are below, and they strictly apply to members of the public in the Western division only:
Screening and Testing
Individuals experiencing COVID-19 symptoms: cough, runny nose, nasal congestion, sneezing, fatigue/extreme tiredness, headache, aches and pains, sore throat, fever, diarrhea, red eyes (conjunctivitis), loss of taste or smell, a rash on the skin should visit the nearest screening clinic for testing.
Individuals who test positive will be provided immediate advice and care by the health teams at the screening facility.
Pregnant Women
Pregnant women experiencing COVID-19 symptoms: cough, runny nose, nasal congestion, sneezing, fatigue/extreme tiredness, headache, aches and pains, sore throat, fever, diarrhea, red eyes (conjunctivitis), loss of taste or smell, a rash on the skin, must immediately visit a screening clinic for testing.
Pregnant women who test positive will be provided immediate advice and care by the health teams at the screening facility.
Contact Tracing
The Western Division health teams will no longer carry out contact tracing. Health response teams in the Western Division will now be redirected to the identification and close monitoring of people with COVID-19 symptoms who are at higher risk of developing severe COVID-19.
Members of the public who return positive COVID-19 test results will be provided advice and resources to aid their self-isolation at home. COVID-19 positive cases are encouraged to take responsibility and share information and advice with their known primary contacts.
Primary contact testing and clearance
Clearance testing will no longer be required for primary contacts. Primary contacts are required to self-isolate at home for 14-days from the day the known COVID-19 case they had close contact with, tested positive, or 14 days from the day of the last contact with a known COVID-19 case.
Workers requiring official leave from work can attend the nearest screening clinic or Health Care Facility to be checked and obtain a medical certificate for 14 days of self-isolation at home.
Additional Information
Families and caregivers of the vulnerable including the elderly, are urged to monitor the health of their loved ones. If they develop COVID-19 symptoms, please take them to the nearest screening clinic. If an individual has a disability, or is otherwise physically unable to leave their home and attend a screening clinic, in these exceptional circumstances, individuals can call 158 and request a home swabbing service.
The public is advised to please take responsibility to stop community transmission by continuing to practice the following: wear a mask, wash your hands regularly with soap and water or use a hand sanitiser, practice safe physical distancing of 2m apart, cover your cough and sneeze, wipe frequently touched surfaces and objects with disinfectant. Get vaccinated and encourage your family members to vaccinate too. Stay in your bubble and avoid close contact with people who do not live with you.
Businesses are also asked to take responsibility for the decontamination of their premises. Please continue to ensure that the workplace is well ventilated. Encourage your staff to wipe down frequently touched surfaces with disinfectants at least three times a day. Businesses are encouraged to arrange rosters for their employees to ensure safe physical distancing at work. If any employee starts showing symptoms, please ensure they visit a screening clinic and self-isolate at home.
Main Clinical Health facilities
- All major health facilities will continue to remain fully functional in all subdivisions in the West, providing emergency services, admissions, and inpatient care for COVID and non-COVID diseases.
- General outpatient services continue in the health centres.
- SOPD services at Lautoka Hospital are currently suspended. Prescription refills for SOPD clients are available from the Girmit Centre.
- ANC clinics in Lautoka are available at the Girmit Centre, junction of Kings Road and Tavakubu Rd. Appointments for ANC clinics are made with the doctor at your nearest health centre.
Request for food assistance
Individuals who return positive test results for COVID-19 and are immediately asked to self-isolate will have food ration requests facilitated by the sub-divisional health teams in your area.
Curfew hours
Curfew hours remain from 6 pm – 4 am.