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Media Release

COVID-19 Daily Update

Friday 24^th September 2021 

Transmission Update

We have 93 new cases of COVID-19 to report for the 24 hour period that ended at 8 am today. 

There have been 64 new recoveries to report since the last update, which means that there are now 12,999 active cases. There have been 50,470 cases during the outbreak that started in April 2021. We have recorded a total of 50,540 cases in Fiji since the first case was reported in March 2020, with 36,524 recoveries.

We are currently reviewing and reconciling our active case database with deaths and recoveries and as a result, we expect the death and recovery numbers to intermittently change as verifications are made.

Deaths

We have one new COVID-19 death to report today. This COVID-19 death was reported from the Central Division. 

The first COVID-19 death to report is a 73-year-old woman from Suva who died at home on 22/09/2021. She was not vaccinated. 

There have been 8 more 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 584 deaths due to COVID-19 in Fiji, with 582 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 days 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 19th, the national 7 days rolling average of COVID-19 deaths per day is 0.3. The 7 days rolling average for COVID-19 deaths per day in the Central Division is 0 and 0.3 in the Western Division.

We have also recorded 433 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 111 COVID-19 patients admitted to the hospital. 46 patients are admitted at the Lautoka Hospital and 65 are admitted at CWM hospital, St Giles, and Makoi. 8 patients are considered to be in severe condition, and 4 are in critical condition. 

 Screening Update

A total of 5,209 individuals were screened and 334 swabbed at our stationary screening clinics in the last 24 hours, bringing our cumulative total to 655,778 individuals screened and 99,467 swabbed to date. Our mobile screening teams screened a total of 1,985 individuals and swabbed 67. This brings our cumulative total to 844,426 individuals screened and 76,481 swabbed by our mobile teams. 

Testing Update

A total of 362,644 samples have been tested since this outbreak started in April 2021, with 405,505 tested since testing began in March 2020. 1287 tests have been reported for September 23rd. The 7-day daily test average is 1,206 tests per day or 1.4 tests per 1,000 population. Weekly testing is at 9.7 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 9.9%, which is on a downward trend, but it still is indicating a high level of community transmission.

Vaccination Update

As of the 23^rd September 2021: 590,386 adults in Fiji have received their first dose of the vaccine and 419,065 have received their second doses. Based on our updated total population of 618,173 people aged 18 years and over (adults), the revised vaccination coverage rates are 95.5% for adults who have received at least one dose, and 67.8% are now fully vaccinated nationwide.

As for children, 14,680 children in Fiji have received their first dose of the vaccine as of the 23^rd of September. We will be tracking our vaccine coverage rates once we have firmed up our 15 to 17-year-old denominator.

For persons who are currently ill or have valid reasons for delaying their vaccination, we request you to apply for possible temporary exemptions through covidexemptionreq@gmail.com. 

Epidemic Outlook

The 7-day average of new cases per day is 117 cases per day or 133 cases per million population per day. As previously announced by the Permanent Secretary, the daily case numbers in the Suva-Nausori corridor 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, hospitalisations, and deaths to track the progress of the outbreak. 

With the decrease in testing numbers, our testing remains above the WHO recommended rate of 4 tests 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.

Six new cases were recorded on Kadavu Island in the last 24 hours bringing the total number of cases on the island to 556. Of these, a total of 535 cases have recovered and the remaining 18 active cases are under daily monitoring by the health team. Five patients are currently admitted at Vunisea hospital, of which 3 are COVID positive and currently in stable condition, and 2 are negative for COVID-19. Vaccination conducted by 5 teams from the Vunisea health team and 2 teams from the Kaval health team commenced today. Vaccination for children will commence on Monday 27 September 2021. Movement restrictions remain in force supervised by the Police team and the Vanua. 

No new cases have been reported in the village of Yaro in Malolo Island in the last 24 hours.  Of the 72 cases on the island, 57 cases have recovered and the 15 remaining active cases are monitored daily by the health team. One high-risk case is admitted at Lautoka Hospital. Movement restrictions remain in force for all villages on Malolo Island.

Naviti Island did not record any new cases in the last 24 hours. 86 cases remain active and under surveillance by the health team. Movement restrictions are in place for all villages.

No new cases were recorded on Waya Island in the last 24 hours. Five active cases are under home isolation in their villages with a daily assessment conducted by the Yalobi nursing station health team. The island is still under strict movement restrictions.

Twenty-five new cases were reported in the Nacula Medical Area in the villages of Nacula and Naisisili in the last 24 hours bringing the total to 138 cases for the medical area. The 138 active cases remain in home isolation in their respective villages and are monitored daily by the health team from the Nacula health center. The health team visited Naisisili village and conducted monitoring for the contact cases and screening for the rest of the village. Strict movement restriction remains in place for the whole island.

Forty-two new cases were recorded on Beqa Island in the last 24 hours bringing the total number of cases to 242. Of these 238 are active cases who are under home isolation and daily monitoring from the health team. Vaccination for the villagers will commence once the 14 days lockdown for the island is completed. Movement restriction remains in force for the whole island.

Ovalau Island in the Lomaiviti group is the new area of interest after 2 positive cases who were under quarantine in the Levuka quarantine facility and tested on 20 September 2021 were reported as positive on 23 September 2021. Another four quarantine cases that also tested positive are confirmed as historical cases. Contact tracing is underway for the new cases who remain in the isolation facility and monitored by the Levuka health team. Internal repatriation to Ovalau has been put on hold for now.

Public Updates and Advice:

Vaccination of Eligible Children

Vaccination of children aged 15 to 17 years with the Moderna vaccine will cease over the weekend to allow the Ministry to take stock of the progress of the campaign. We will advise on the resumption date of the vaccination campaign, and the vaccination sites for children will be advertised on the Ministry of Health and Medical Services Facebook page as well as the Government Facebook page. Parental or guardian consent remains mandatory before vaccination, and no vaccine will be administered to any child without the consent of the parent or guardian.

Vaccination for children aged 12 to 17 years is safe. Similar to adults, children can also experience the side effects of COVID-19 vaccination such as pain, swelling at the jab site, fever, and body aches. These symptoms should subside over a few days. Severe side effects are rare and the risk of getting a severe infection and succumbing to COVID-19 is still higher than the risk of adverse events from vaccination. Therefore, parents and guardians are encouraged to agree for their children to be vaccinated to protect them from COVID-19.

Vaccination for adults aged 18 years and over will continue and the vaccination sites can be obtained from the Ministry of Health and Medical Services Facebook page as well as the Government Facebook page. For the Rewa subdivision, the drive-through vaccination site at Hexagon plaza will cease from tomorrow Saturday 25 September 2021. The vaccination site at the Vunimono Hall will relocate to the Parish Hall behind Nausori Market from Monday 27 September 2021 from 9 am to 3 pm.

Media Release

COVID-19 Daily Update

Thursday, 23^rd September 2021 

Transmission Update

We have 177 new cases of COVID-19 to report for the 24 hour period that ended at 8 am today.

There have been 170 new recoveries to report since the last update, which means that there are now 12,979active cases. There have been 50,377 cases during the outbreak that started in April 2021. We have recorded a total of 50,447 cases in Fiji since the first case was reported in March 2020, with 36,460 recoveries.

We have two new border quarantine cases to announce today. A first case is a 20-year-old man from Nadi and a second case is a 22-year-old man from Lautoka. They both arrived in Fiji on the 19^th September 2021 at the Lautoka Seaport in a vessel that visited several other seaports. Although both individuals reported to have not disembarked the vessel at any of these ports due to COVID-19 restrictions, however, crew change over at one port is the possible source of infection transmission. The Fiji Border Health Protection Unit is currently investigating this. They have been retrieved as per protocol and transferred to our managed isolation facilities. Both individuals were noted to be symptomatic for COVID-19 but are currently stable. As per protocol, the disinfection process of rooms and linen has been completed by the onsite health quarantine officer and all frontline workers who were in contact with these two individuals have been included on the routine weekly swabbing schedule and the front-liner surveillance schedule.

We are currently reviewing and reconciling our active case database with deaths and recoveries and as a result, we expect the death and recovery numbers to intermittently change as verifications are made.

Deaths

We have four COVID-19 deaths to report for the period of 21st July- 18th August 2021. All four COVID-19 deaths reported today are from the Central Division. Kindly note these deaths are being reported today due to the delay in the issuance of the official death certificates.

The first COVID-19 death to report is a 72-year-old man from Suva who died at home on 18/08/2021. He was not vaccinated.

The second COVID-19 death to report is a 68-year-old woman from Suva who died at home on 07/08/2021. She was not vaccinated.

The third COVID-19 death to report is an 84-year-old man from Suva who died at home on 21/07/2021. He was not vaccinated.

The fourth COVID-19 death to report is an 82-year-old woman from Suva who died at home on 22/07/2021. She was not vaccinated.

There have been 6 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 583 deaths due to COVID-19 in Fiji, with 581 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 days 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 18th, the national 7 days rolling average of COVID-19 deaths per day is 0.6. The 7 days rolling average for COVID-19 deaths per day in the Central Division is 0.3 and 0.3 in the Western Division.

We have also recorded 425 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 110 COVID-19 patients admitted to the hospital. 41 patients are admitted at the Lautoka Hospital and 69 are admitted at CWM hospital, St Giles, and Makoi. 7 patients are considered to be in severe condition, and 2 are in critical condition.

 Screening Update

A total of 9,191 individuals were screened and 715 swabbed at our stationary screening clinics in the last 24 hours, bringing our cumulative total to 650,569 individuals screened and 99,133 swabbed to date. Our mobile screening teams screened a total of 740 individuals and swabbed 400. This brings our cumulative total to 842,441 individuals screened and 76,414 swabbed by our mobile teams.

Testing Update

A total of 361,357 samples have been tested since this outbreak started in April 2021, with 404,218 tested since testing began in March 2020. 1426 tests have been reported for September 22nd. The 7-day daily test average is 1,245 tests per day or 1.4 tests per 1,000 population. Weekly testing is at 9.7 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 10%, which is on a downward trend, but it still is indicating a high level of community transmission.

Vaccination Update

As of the 22^nd September 2021: 589,830 adults in Fiji have received their first dose of the vaccine and 412,897 have received their second doses. Based on our updated total population of 618,173 people aged 18 years and over (adults), the revised vaccination coverage rates are 95.4% for adults who have received at least one dose, and 66.8% are now fully vaccinated nationwide.

As for children, 11,409 children in Fiji have received their first dose of the vaccine as of the 22nd of September. We will be tracking our vaccine coverage rates once we have firmed up our 15 to 17-year-old denominator.

For persons who are currently ill or have valid reasons for delaying their vaccination, we request you to apply for possible temporary exemptions through covidexemptionreq@gmail.com.

Epidemic Outlook

The 7-day average of new cases per day is 123 cases per day or 139 cases per million population per day. As previously announced by the Permanent Secretary, the daily case numbers in the Suva-Nausori corridor 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, hospitalisations, and deaths to track the progress of the outbreak.

With the decrease in testing numbers, our testing remains above the WHO recommended rate of 4 tests 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 were recorded on Kadavu Island in the last 24 hours. 12 cases have recovered in the last 24 hours and the remaining 25 active cases are under daily monitoring by the health team. Six patients are currently admitted at the Vunisea hospital, of which 4 are COVID positive and currently in stable condition, and 2 are negative for COVID-19. Education, awareness sessions, surveillance, and vaccination continue for the villages and communities. Movement restrictions remain in force supervised by the Police team and the Vanua.

Two new cases have been reported in the village of Yaro in Malolo Island in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of cases on the island to 72. Of these, a total of 57 cases have recovered and the 15 remaining active cases are monitored daily by the health team. One high-risk case has been transferred for admission at Lautoka Hospital. The screening was conducted at Yaro village and 14 NP swabs were taken for testing. 23 adults and 30 children were vaccinated in the last 24 hours. Movement restrictions remain in force for all villages on Malolo Island.

No new cases were recorded on Naviti Island in the last 24 hours. 86 cases remain active and under surveillance by the health team. Movement restrictions are in place for all villages.

One new case was recorded in Nalawaki village on Waya Island in the last 24 hours. 25 cases have recovered and the 5 active cases are under home isolation in their villages with a daily assessment conducted by the Yalobi nursing station health team. The community engagement and health team visited Wayalevu village and conducted 40 NP swabbing and vaccination for 39 adults and 10 children. The clinical team also reviewed 32 NCD cases and 6 Paediatric cases in the village. The island is still under strict movement restrictions.

No new cases were reported in the Nacula Medical Area in the last 24 hours. The 113 active cases remain in home isolation in their respective villages and are monitored daily by the health team from Nacula health center. Strict movement restriction remains in place for the whole island.

No new cases were recorded on Beqa Island in the last 24 hours. Risk assessment for the 199 active cases revealed that 64 cases were in the moderate risk category and 24 cases in the high-risk category. 318 primary contacts are also under home isolation and daily monitoring from the health team. Vaccination for the villagers will commence once the 14 days lockdown for the island is completed. 150 food packs have been distributed for the villages of Raviravi, Dakuni, Nawaisomo, and Lalati. The rations need for other villages will be addressed in the coming days. Meanwhile, movement restriction remains in force for the whole island.

Public Updates and Advice:

Vaccination of Eligible Children

Vaccination of eligible children aged 15 to 17 years with the Moderna vaccine continues throughout the country at designated vaccination sites for children, and parents are encouraged to register their children before vaccination. The vaccination sites for children can be obtained from the Ministry of Health and Medical Services Facebook page as well as the Government Facebook page. Parental or guardian consent is mandatory before vaccination. No vaccine will be administered to any child without the consent of the parent or guardian.

Vaccination for children aged 12 to 17 years is safe. Similar to adults, children can also experience the side effects of COVID-19 vaccination such as pain, swelling at the jab site, fever, and body aches. These symptoms should subside over a few days. Severe side effects are rare and the risk of getting a severe infection and succumbing to COVID-19 is still higher than the risk of adverse events from vaccination. Therefore, parents and guardians are encouraged to agree for their children to be vaccinated to protect them from COVID-19.

Border Health Protection

The 2 new border quarantine cases highlight once again our efforts to anticipate and be ready for quarantine operations as we relook at international travel. The Border Health Protection Unit (BHPU) has been established to oversee and facilitate the health protection activities and programs conducted at our border and ports of entry to ensure our protection against trans-border infectious disease spread. The unit will work together with the relevant military, police, and border control units providing the leadership and support needed to strengthen our quarantine operations. Our quarantine protocols are currently undergoing review to define green list countries and/or areas and revise the pre-departure and in-country quarantine and testing protocols for fully vaccinated travelers. In keeping with the science, it is anticipated that pre-departure, quarantine, and in-country testing conditions for fully vaccinated persons from “green” listed countries will be less stringent than then-current conditions.

The BHPU Facility has been established in the CAAF compound in Namaka, Nadi, and this facility will be responsible for coordinating and overseeing quarantine operations.  Their function will be supplemented by a container laboratory that has arrived and is situated close to the border health protection facility.  As a result of an ongoing collaborative effort between WHO, DFAT, ADB, Fiji Airways, and the Government, the laboratory will have the capacity to process around 500 tests per day. In addition, the Unit will also facilitate the following programs and actions at the border:

1. Establish a Slot Management System with the support of Fiji Airways to manage our quarantine capacity at designated quarantine facilities;
2. Enforce the restriction on inbound international travelers to only fully vaccinated individuals (except in some emergencies);
3. Enforce the requirement for all quarantine personnel engaged in quarantine operations to be fully vaccinated;
4. Engage advanced technologies and CCTV support that support and facilitate improved border health surveillance and oversight.
5. Establish and inculcate a no-blame work culture and environment that allow quarantine officers to freely report on breaches of COVID safe protocols or symptoms of disease identified in any individual at the border.

Media Release

COVID-19 Daily Update

Wednesday, 22^nd September 2021 

Transmission Update

We have 72 new cases of COVID-19 to report for the 24 hour period that ended at 8 am today.

There have been 32 new recoveries to report since the last update, which means that there are now 12,982 active cases. There have been 50,200 cases during the outbreak that started in April 2021. We have recorded a total of 50,270 cases in Fiji since the first case was reported in March 2020, with 36,290 recoveries.

We are currently reviewing and reconciling our active case database with deaths and recoveries and as a result, we expect the death and recovery numbers to intermittently change as verifications are made.

Deaths

We have no new COVID-19 deaths to report today.

There have been 3 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.

We have an additional 3 COVID-19 deaths to report for the period of 15th July 2021- 16^th July 2021. All three deaths were reported from the Central Division. An analysis of the 3 deaths has highlighted that individuals were aged between 59 to 66 years, 67% (n=2) were males, all of the individuals died at home or on their way to the hospital and all three individuals were unvaccinated. This means that there were no deaths of individuals who were fully vaccinated.

There have now been 579 deaths due to COVID-19 in Fiji, with 577 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 days 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 17th, the national 7 days rolling average of COVID-19 deaths per day is 0.7. The 7 days rolling average for COVID-19 deaths per day in the Central Division is 0.3 and 0.4 in the Western Division.

We have also recorded 419 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 108 COVID-19 patients admitted to the hospital. 40 patients are admitted at the Lautoka Hospital and 68 are admitted at CWM hospital, St Giles, and Makoi. 9 patients are considered to be in severe condition, and 2 are in critical condition.

 Screening Update

A total of 6,917 individuals were screened and 465 swabbed at our stationary screening clinics in the last 24 hours, bringing our cumulative total to 641,378 individuals screened and 98,418 swabbed to date. Our mobile screening teams screened a total of 2373 individuals and swabbed 57. This brings our cumulative total to 841,701 individuals screened and 76,014 swabbed by our mobile teams.

Testing Update

A total of 359,931 samples have been tested since this outbreak started in April 2021, with 402,792 tested since testing began in March 2020. 1282 tests have been reported for September 21st. The 7-day daily test average is 1,248 tests per day or 1.4 tests per 1,000 population. Weekly testing is at 8 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 10.2%, which is on a downward trend, but it still is indicating a high level of community transmission.

Vaccination Update

New target population set for COVID-19 vaccination

Following the mop-up vaccination program for the first dose, and the review of the target population, the Ministry of Health and Medical Services has updated its total target population of adults aged 18 and over for the nationwide COVID-19 vaccination campaign. The new target population of adults aged 18 years and over is 618,173.

In the review which is routinely undertaken in mass vaccination programs, the Ministry used the health zones generated profiling data for its target population to ensure that medical area targets are relevant to medical teams looking after the area. To mitigate the risks associated with areas of high population mobility such as in urban areas and highly populated peri-urban areas, the review incorporated the following:

1. For larger urban and peri-urban areas where profiling is a challenge due to ongoing population mobility and increased internal migration, and considered unreliable, the WHO approved census-based estimate of the adult population (63% of the total population) has been taken for these medical areas.
2. In areas with lower population density, the actual profile data have been used and they reflect the true presence of individuals and arms to be jabbed for vaccination.
3. Allowances have also been made to include individuals who have work visas, student visas, and temporary visa permits and have gotten vaccinated in Fiji. This data was provided by the Immigration department.

When calculating the national vaccination coverage as a percentage, the total adults vaccinated is divided by the total adult population.  Therefore, the increase in the total number for the adult population (the denominator of the calculation) at the national level has reduced the percentage of vaccination coverage nationally by 4%. At the subnational level, while in some places there was an increase in the denominator especially in Rewa, Naitasiri, Nadroga, and Ba, other areas like Nasinu and the maritime islands have seen a decrease.

The review of our vaccination denominator will remain ongoing as we reconcile profiling data with census-based estimates, however, no major impact is anticipated on our national adult population vaccination age-eligible coverage rates.

Please note that this revision of the total targeted adult population does not affect the figures for the total number of adults who have gotten vaccinated in Fiji, which is the numerator for the calculation of percentage vaccination coverage. The change has just been to the denominator, which is the total population of adults in Fiji. Therefore, as of yesterday, a total of 589,301 adults in Fiji have received their first dose of the vaccine and 405,839 have received their second doses. Based on our updated total population of 618,173 people aged 18 and over (adults), the revised vaccination coverage rates are 95.3% for one dose and 65.7% for the two-dose coverage.

For persons who are currently ill or have valid reasons for delaying their vaccination, we request you to apply for possible temporary exemptions through covidexemptionreq@gmail.com.

The vaccination program for children

Our 15 to 17-year vaccination program has been ongoing with much of the teething issues mitigated today. Our denominator for this phase of vaccination is 45,691 and it is subject to adjustments as target population verification is an ongoing exercise. A total of 7,102 children were vaccinated over the last 2 days. A task force has been established to look at ensuring adequate and appropriate oversight over the implementation and maintenance of all measures needed to make the school environment as safe as possible.

As emphasized in other announcements, the vaccination coverage rate in children will not determine the school starting dates. The children vaccination rate also does not impact our current social relaxation and/or economic recovery program.

Epidemic Outlook

The 7-day average of new cases per day is 126 cases per day or 142 cases per million population per day. As previously announced by the Permanent Secretary, the daily case numbers in the Suva-Nausori corridor 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, hospitalisations, and deaths to track the progress of the outbreak.

With the decrease in testing numbers, our testing remains above the WHO recommended rate of 4 tests 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 were recorded on Kadavu Island in the last 24 hours. 17 cases have recovered in the last 24 hours and the remaining 37 active cases are under daily monitoring by the health team. Nine patients are currently admitted at Vunisea hospital, of which 5 are COVID positive and currently in stable condition, and 4 are negative for COVID-19. Education, awareness sessions, surveillance, and vaccination continue for the villages and communities. Movement restrictions remain in force supervised by the Police team and the Vanua.

Four new cases have been reported in the village of Yaro in Malolo Island in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of cases on the island to 70. Of these, a total of 51 cases have recovered and the 19 remaining active cases are monitored daily by the health team. Four high-risk cases are stable and remain in home isolation. Movement restrictions remain in force for all villages on Malolo Island.

Naviti Island did not report any new cases in the last 24 hours. Of the total of 179 cases on the island, 93 individuals have recovered while 86 cases remain active and under surveillance by the health team. Movement restrictions are in place for all villages.

Four new cases were recorded on Waya Island in the last 24 hours – 2 cases at Nalawaki village and 2 at Namara village. 25 cases have recovered and the 4 new active cases are under home isolation in their villages with a daily assessment conducted by the Yalobi nursing station health team. The community engagement and health team visited Yalobi village and conducted 50 NP swabbing and vaccination for 10 individuals. The clinical team also reviewed 17 NCD cases in the village. The island is still under strict movement restrictions.

Sixteen new cases were reported in the Nacula Medical Area in the last 24 hours in the village of Nacula. This brings the total number of cases on the island to 113. All active cases remain in home isolation in their respective villages and are monitored daily by the health team from the Nacula health center. Strict movement restriction remains in place for the whole island.

Twenty new cases were recorded on Beqa Island in the villages of Dakuibeqa, Dakuni, and Lalati in the last 24 hours. Risk assessment for the 199 active cases revealed that 64 cases were in the moderate risk category and 24 cases in the high-risk category. Vaccination for the villagers will commence once the 14 days lockdown for the island is completed. Meanwhile, movement restriction remains in force for the whole island.

Public Updates and Advice:

Vaccination of Eligible Children

Vaccination of eligible children aged 15 to 17 years with the Moderna vaccine continues throughout the country at designated vaccination sites for children, and parents are encouraged to register their children before vaccination. The vaccination sites for children can be obtained from the Ministry of Health and Medical Services Facebook page as well as the Government Facebook page. Parental or guardian consent is mandatory before vaccination. No vaccine will be administered to any child without the consent of the parent or guardian.

Vaccination for children aged 12 to 17 years is safe. Similar to adults, children can also experience the side effects of COVID-19 vaccination such as pain, swelling at the jab site, fever, and body aches. These symptoms should subside over a few days. Severe side effects are rare and the risk of getting a severe infection and succumbing to COVID-19 is still higher than the risk of adverse events from vaccination. Therefore, parents and guardians are encouraged to agree for their children to be vaccinated to protect them from COVID-19.

Media Release

COVID-19 Daily Update

Tuesday, 21st September 2021 

Transmission Update

We have 118 new cases of COVID-19 to report for the 24 hour period that ended at 8 am today.

There have been 113 new recoveries to report since the last update, which means that there are now 12,948 active cases. There have been 50,128 cases during the outbreak that started in April 2021. We have recorded a total of 50,198 cases in Fiji since the first case was reported in March 2020, with 36,258 recoveries.

We are currently reviewing and reconciling our active case database with deaths and recoveries and as a result, we expect the death and recovery numbers to intermittently change as verifications are made.

Deaths

We have one new COVID-19 death to report today. The COVID-19 death has been reported from the Western Division.

The first COVID-19 death to report is a 59-year-old man from Nadi. He presented to the Nadi Hospital in severe respiratory distress. His family reported that he had a history of a cough and shortness of breath five days before his presentation. He was transferred to the Lautoka Hospital. Sadly, he died 28 days after admission (19/09/2021). He was not vaccinated.

There have been 4 more 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 576 deaths due to COVID-19 in Fiji, with 574 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 days 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 16th, the national 7 days rolling average of COVID-19 deaths per day is 1.0. The 7 days rolling average for COVID-19 deaths per day in the Central Division is 0.4 and 0.6 in the Western Division.

We have also recorded 416 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 114 COVID-19 patients admitted to the hospital. 34 patients are admitted at the Lautoka Hospital and 80 are admitted at CWM hospital, St Giles, and Makoi. 2 patients are considered to be in severe condition, and 2 are in critical condition.

 Screening Update

A total of 9,896 individuals were screened and 685 swabbed at our stationary screening clinics in the last 24 hours, bringing our cumulative total to 634,461 individuals screened and 97,953 swabbed to date. Our mobile screening teams screened a total of 1050 individuals and swabbed 443. This brings our cumulative total to 839,328 individuals screened and 75,957 swabbed by our mobile teams.

Testing Update

A total of 358,649 samples have been tested since this outbreak started in April 2021, with 401,510 tested since testing began in March 2020. 1343 tests have been reported for September 20th. The 7-day daily test average is 1,274 tests per day or 1.4 tests per 1,000 population. Weekly testing is at 8 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 10.8%, which is on a downward trend, but it still is indicating a high level of community transmission.

Vaccination Update

The Ministry of Health and Medical Services has completed its review of the adult target population for vaccination and we have updated the target population coverage accordingly. The mop-up vaccination program will continue and this may result in further adjustments to the target population.

Therefore, to date, a total of 588,599 adults in Fiji have received their first dose of the vaccine and 398,077 have received their second doses. Based on our updated denominator for vaccine-eligible adults, the revised coverage rates are 95.2% for one dose and 64.4% for the two-dose coverage.

Our 15 to 17-year vaccination program began yesterday with some teething issues which we will continue to iron out over the next few days. Our denominator for this phase of vaccination is 45,691 and it is subject to adjustments as target population verification is an ongoing exercise. As emphasized in other announcements, the vaccination coverage rate in children will not determine the school starting dates. A task force has been established to look at ensuring adequate and appropriate oversight over the implementation and maintenance of all measures needed to make the school environment as safe as possible.

For persons who are currently ill or have valid reasons for delaying their vaccination, we request you to apply for possible temporary exemptions through covidexemptionreq@gmail.com.

Epidemic Outlook

The 7-day average of new cases per day is 136 cases per day or 154 cases per million population per day. As previously announced by the Permanent Secretary, the daily case numbers in the Suva-Nausori corridor 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, hospitalisations, 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.

Four new cases were recorded on Kadavu Island in the last 24 hours bringing the total number of cases to 530. Of these, 54 remain active and under daily monitoring by the health team. Eleven patients are currently admitted at Vunisea hospital, of which 6 are COVID positive and currently in stable condition, and 5 are negative for COVID-19. Education and awareness sessions continue for the villages and communities. Beginning today, 5 vaccination teams from Vunisea hospital and 2 vaccination teams from Kavala health center are visiting villages and settlements conducting vaccination for the occupants. Movement restrictions remain in force supervised by the Police team and the Vanua.

No new cases have been reported for Malolo Island in the last 24 hours. Two cases have recovered and the 16 remaining active cases are monitored daily by the health team. Four high-risk cases are stable and remain in home isolation. Mop-up vaccination for 51 individuals was conducted at Yanuya Island, while the health team conducted surveillance and testing in Cubi and Yaro villages. Movement restrictions remain in force for all villages on Malolo Island.

One new case was diagnosed in Malevu village on Naviti Island in the last 24 hours. Of the total of 179 cases on the island, 90 individuals have recovered while 89 cases remain active and under surveillance by the health team. Movement restrictions are in place for all villages.

No new cases were recorded on Waya Island in the last 24 hours. The 25 active cases are under home isolation in their villages with a daily assessment conducted by the Yalobi nursing station health team. The island is still under strict movement restrictions.

No new cases were reported in the Nacula Medical Area in the last 24 hours. The active cases remain in home isolation in their respective villages and are monitored daily by the health team from Nacula health center. The community engagement and health team visited the villages of Yamata, Naboro, and Koromakawa and conducted 38 NP swabbing and 58 vaccination for dose 1 and dose 2. Strict movement restriction remains in place for the whole island.

No new cases were recorded on Beqa Island in the last 24 hours. The 179 active cases are monitored daily by the health team. The team also visited the villages of Dakuibeqa, Dakuni, Lalati, Nawaisomo, Raviravi, Soliyaga, and Naceva. Movement restriction remains in force for the whole island.

Public Updates and Advice:

Vaccination of Eligible Children

Vaccination of eligible children aged 15 to 17 years with the Moderna vaccine continues throughout the country at designated vaccination sites for children, and parents are encouraged to register their children before vaccination. The vaccination sites for children can be obtained from the Ministry of Health and Medical Services Facebook page as well as the Government Facebook page. Parental or guardian consent is mandatory before vaccination. No vaccine will be administered to any child without the consent of the parent or guardian.

Vaccination for children aged 12 to 17 years is safe. Similar to adults, children can also experience the side effects of COVID-19 vaccination such as pain, swelling at the jab site, fever, and body aches. These symptoms should subside over a few days. Severe side effects are rare and the risk of getting a severe infection and succumbing to COVID-19 is still higher than the risk of adverse events from vaccination. Therefore, parents and guardians are encouraged to agree for their children to be vaccinated to protect them from COVID-19.

Media Release

COVID-19 Daily Update

Monday, 20th September 2021 

Transmission Update

We have 121 new cases of COVID-19 to report for the 24 hour period that ended at 8 am today. 103 cases are from the Western Division and 18 cases are from the Central Division.

There have been 134 new recoveries to report since the last update, which means that there are now 12,948 active cases. There have been 50,010 cases during the outbreak that started in April 2021. We have recorded a total of 50,080 cases in Fiji since the first case was reported in March 2020, with 36,145 recoveries.

We are currently reviewing and reconciling our active case database with deaths and recoveries and as a result, we expect the death and recovery numbers to intermittently change as verifications are made.

Deaths

We have no new deaths to report today. However, as mentioned above and following further review of our active case database, we have an additional 9 COVID-19 deaths to report for the period of 12th July 2021- 09th August 2021. All deaths were reported from the Central Division. An analysis of the 9 deaths have highlighted that individuals were aged between 49 to 83 years, 44% (n=4) were males, 67% (n=6) of the individuals died at home or on their way to the hospital and 67 % (n=6 ) of these deaths were unvaccinated, the remaining 33% (n=3) received only one dose of the vaccine. This means that there were no deaths of individuals who were fully vaccinated.

There have been 11 more 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 575 deaths due to COVID-19 in Fiji, with 573 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 days 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 15th, the national 7 days rolling average of COVID-19 deaths per day is 1.1. The 7 days rolling average for COVID-19 deaths per day in the Central Division is 0.4 and 0.7 in the Western Division.

We have also recorded 412 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 111 COVID-19 patients admitted to the hospital. 31 patients are admitted at the Lautoka Hospital and 80 are admitted at CWM hospital, St Giles, and Makoi. 3 patients are considered to be in severe condition, and 3 are in critical condition.

 Screening Update

A total of 813 individuals were screened and 148 swabbed at our stationary screening clinics in the last 24 hours, bringing our cumulative total to 624,565 individuals screened and 97,268 swabbed to date. Our mobile screening teams screened a total of 175 individuals and swabbed 114. This brings our cumulative total to 838,278 individuals screened and 75,514 swabbed by our mobile teams.

Testing Update

A total of 357,306 samples have been tested since this outbreak started in April 2021, with 400,167 tested since testing began in March 2020. 857 tests have been reported for September 19th. Lab testing data from one lab is pending. Therefore, lab testing data is expected to increase. The 7-day daily test average is 1,296 tests per day or 1.5 tests per 1,000 population. Weekly testing is at 8 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 10.8%, which is on a downward trend, but it still is indicating a high level of community transmission.

Vaccination Update

As of the 19th of September 2021: 587,948 adults in Fiji have received their first dose of the vaccine and 387,320 have received their second doses. This means that 98% of the target population have received at least one dose and 66% are now fully vaccinated nationwide.

For persons who are currently ill or have valid reasons for delaying their vaccination, we request you to apply for possible temporary exemptions through covidexemptionreq@gmail.com.

Epidemic Outlook

The 7-day average of new cases per day is 138 cases per day or 156 cases per million population per day. As previously announced by the Permanent Secretary, the daily case numbers in the Suva-Nausori corridor 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, hospitalisations, 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.

Four new cases were recorded on Kadavu Island in the last 24 hours bringing the total number of cases to 530. Of these, 54 remain active and under daily monitoring by the health team. Eleven patients are currently admitted at Vunisea hospital, of which 6 are COVID positive and currently in stable condition, and 5 are negative for COVID-19. Education and awareness sessions continue for the villages and communities. Beginning today, 5 vaccination teams from Vunisea hospital and 2 vaccination teams from Kavala health center are visiting villages and settlements conducting vaccination for the occupants. Movement restrictions remain in force supervised by the Police team and the Vanua.

No new cases have been reported for Malolo Island in the last 24 hours, and the 18 remaining active cases are monitored daily by the health team. Four high-risk cases are stable and remain in home isolation. Movement restrictions remain in force for all villages on Malolo Island.

Five new cases have been reported on Naviti Island in the last 24 hours. Of the total of 178 cases on the island, 90 individuals have recovered while 88 cases remain active and under surveillance by the health team. Movement restrictions are in place for all villages.

No new cases were recorded on Waya Island in the last 24 hours. 25 cases remain active and under home isolation in their villages with a daily assessment conducted by the Yalobi nursing station health team. The island is still under strict movement restrictions.

Fifty-one new cases were diagnosed in the villages of Nacula, Bukama, Dalomo, Teci, and Yasawa-i-Rara villages on Nacula Island and Yasawa Island under the Nacula Medical Area in the last 24 hours. This brings the total number of cases in the medical area to 80, and they are now under isolation in their respective villages and monitored daily by the health team from Nacula health center. Strict movement restriction remains in place for the whole island.

Eighteen new cases were recorded in Dakuibeqa village on Beqa Island in the last 24 hours. This brings the total number of cases to 180, of which 179 are active cases and are on daily monitoring by the health team. Today is day 9 of the movement restriction that remains in force for the whole island.

Public Updates and Advice:

Vaccination of Eligible Children

Vaccination of eligible children aged 15 to 17 years with the Moderna vaccine has started today Monday, 20th September 2021, and parents are encouraged to register their children before vaccination. The vaccination sites for children can be obtained from the Ministry of Health and Medical Services Facebook page as well as the Government Facebook page. Parental or guardian consent is mandatory before vaccination. No vaccine will be administered to any child without the consent of the parent or guardian.

Vaccination for children aged 12 to 17 years is safe. Similar to adults, children can also experience the side effects of COVID-19 vaccination such as pain, swelling at the jab site, fever, and body aches. These symptoms should subside over a few days. Severe side effects are rare and the risk of getting a severe infection and succumbing to COVID-19 is still higher than the risk of adverse events from vaccination. Therefore, parents and guardians are encouraged to agree for their children to be vaccinated to protect them from COVID-19.