Category Public Advisory

We have two new cases of COVID-19 to confirm today. These are both cases of local transmission.

The first is the husband of case number 159 from the Vunimono cluster. He has been in isolation since 12th May 2021. The second case is a healthcare worker from the Colo-i-Suva isolation ward who registered a positive COVID-19 test result during a routine swabbing. He has since been entered into isolation. Both patients are asymptomatic, which means they are not displaying COVID-like symptoms. Contact tracing is ongoing for both cases.

There are currently 51 active cases of COVID-19 in the country. Four are border quarantine cases, 35 are local cases, and 12 are currently classified as cases of community transmission. Two patients have been entered into intensive care after their condition deteriorated. They are receiving the best possible care from their attending physicians.

Fiji has now had 174 cases in total since our first case was detected on March 19th 2020, with 119 recoveries, and four deaths.

The lockdown for Suva and Nausori is scheduled to expire at 0400 hours on Wednesday, the 19th of May. The Ministry is collecting data through screening, contact tracing, and testing to inform its recommendation on the next steps for the containment strategy for the Suva and Nausori Lockdown Zone, as well as the containment areas in Nadi, Lautoka, Lami and Rakiraki.

“The strict lockdown currently enforced in the Suva-Nausori corridor is the most stringent containment measure in our toolkit, and my teams are making the best possible use of this window of opportunity to firm our grip on this outbreak. With everyone in Suva and Nausori at home under a 24-hour curfew, our contact tracing, screening, and testing is progressing rapidly. The primary and secondary contacts we need to find are being found quickly before they can pose a wider risk of transmission,” said the Permanent Secretary for Health and Medical Services, Dr James Fong.

“Our game plan will continue to evolve alongside the facts we gather from our testing and tracing, taken together with the best available medical and scientific information. What it is clear at this stage is that our war against the virus will not be won in four days. For the foreseeable future, we still need people to remain at home as much as possible. For our containment to be effective from a socioeconomic and epidemiological standpoint, we are developing new COVID-safe measures to allow access to food, other essential items and services, as well as sustainable livelihoods. We will announce these protocols tomorrow afternoon as part of the next phase of COVID containment for Suva, Nausori, and the rest of Viti Levu.”

COVID-19 vaccination drive concludes in Vanua Levu for this batch

17 May 2021. The Ministry of Health and Medical Services wishes to inform the public that the COVID-19 vaccination drive for the target population has concluded in Taveuni, Savusavu and Macuata in Vanua Levu. The public will be advised as more vaccines are rolled-out around the country.

Given the COVID-19 status quo and the need to take extreme caution against the rapidly spreading COVID-19 disease, a strategic vaccination roll-out plan is being formulated for Viti Levu. The Ministry of Health will make necessary announcements once it is safe to do so. For now, the public is urged to follow all national COVID-19 safe protocols that are in place to control the outbreak.

For those who have not registered for the COVID-19 vaccines are encouraged to register online at vra.digitalfiji.gov.fj. Ensure that the registration reference number is safely kept. At this stage, the Ministry of Health’s priority is to vaccinate the high risk population which include the frontline workers, persons with disability, people over 60 years of age and people with comorbidity issues as they are easily susceptible to the disease. The Ministry of Health reassures all vaccine eligible individuals that they will be vaccinated in due course of time. Fiji will continue to receive the COVID-19 vaccines in batches similar to the other countries.

For those who have been vaccinated, expect mild side-effects similar to any other vaccine. In a very rare circumstance, should a person experience any unusual side effects, they can visit the nearest health centre or hospital. The health staff are trained to treat the side effects.

Ends.

We have confirmed four new cases of COVID-19.

These new cases all stem from the cluster in Nadali, Nausori, which is believed to have started with a close contact case of the first Makoi cluster. The four individuals are all household contacts of case number 167 confirmed yesterday. These patients were all entered into isolation yesterday and registered positive test results overnight. The Ministry’s contact tracing has expanded to investigate the travel histories and potential contacts of these four individuals.

We are prepared for rising numbers of new cases over the next two days as a high volume of swab results from primary and secondary contacts of existing cases are processed with Fiji CDC coming back online.

There are currently 49 active cases of COVID-19 in the country. 4 are border quarantine cases 33 are local cases, and 12 are currently classified as cases of community transmission. There have been 3 recoveries over the past 24 hours. Fiji has now had 172 cases in total since our first case was detected on March 19th 2020, with 119 recoveries, and 4 deaths.

The Fiji Police Force has reported widespread compliance with the lockdown measures in Suva and Nausori. We appreciate the public’s cooperation as we efficiently utilise the lockdown period to trace, test and, if necessary, isolate and treat COVID-positive patients. It is vital that Fijians living in Suva and Nausori continue to remain at home for the duration of the lockdown period. If you see gatherings, or other violations of our health measures, please call 158 or 917 to report them. If you are feeling any flu-like symptoms, such as fever, dry cough, fatigue, loss of appetite, loss of smell, and body ache, please call 158. Our teams will respond quickly to assist you.

The Fiji Centre for Disease Control has been fully decontaminated and will resume processing COVID-19 tests from tonight. All remaining staff have continued to test negative for COVID-19. None of the laboratory staff have tested positive to date, which further indicates that the virus was brought in from the community.

After being given the choice to either enter a quarantine facility or continue work at the CDC, the vast majority of staff have chosen to remain in the CDC and continue running tests. They will continue to be tested regularly during their sequestration period so that any positive case can be identified and isolated early.

Through testing at other facilities throughout Fiji, we have confirmed two new cases of COVID-19. Both of these cases are tied to existing clusters. The first is a close contact from the most recent Makoi cluster. The second is a close contact from the cluster in Nadali, Nausori. The Makoi case has been in an isolation facility since May 10th. The Nadali case has been entered into isolation. Contact tracing for both individuals is underway.

The lockdown of Suva and Nausori commenced from 11pm last night. Until its scheduled end on Wednesday, the 19th of May, at 4am, Fijians living in Suva and Nausori must remain at home. Travel for medical emergencies is permitted. Only essential service providers with explicit authorisation from the government may operate.

The Ministry’s contact tracing teams are using the lockdown period as a window of opportunity to trace and test primary and secondary contacts of existing cases within Suva and Nausori. The nature and the number of the cases that we confirm through the lockdown period will inform our next steps.

For the rest of Viti Levu, the 6pm to 4am curfew comes into effect from tonight. We urge the public to stay home and stay safe. If you need to leave your home for an essential reason, wear a mask, maintain a physical distance of at least two metres from others, and make sure you have careFIJI installed and turned on.

In the event of any major developments, the Permanent Secretary of Health and Medical Services will hold a media conference. Otherwise we will issue updates through the Fijian Government Facebook page.

Thank you to everyone within the lockdown zone for staying home this weekend. Your time at home is being used efficiently by our teams to identify and isolate positive COVID-19 patients. We appreciate your support and cooperation.

Media Release

COVID-19 Update

Friday May 14th 2021

As announced by the Permanent Secretary for Health and Medical Services today, we have 1 new cases to report. While testing is still on pause at Fiji CDC testing it has continued at Tamavua Twomey Hospital, CWM Hospital, Labasa Hospital and Lautoka Hospital.  Based on that testing we currently have one new case of COVID-19 to report. This new case is a household member of the Lakena cases reported earlier, and he was already in isolation at Navua Hospital when he registered a positive result. Given his first test upon entering quarantine was negative, we do not view him as a high-risk case for wider transmission.

We have had 5 patients recover. This means there are now 48 active cases. 6 are border quarantine cases, 29 are of local transmission, and 13 remain under investigation.

Cases under investigation are considered as community transmission until proven otherwise.

Fiji has had 166 cases in total, with 114 recoveries and 4 deaths, since our first case was reported on March 19^th 2020.

Due to the temporary shutdown of Fiji CDC the most recent testing data is not available.

-ENDS-