All posts by superadmin

18 July 2021

Moderna COVID-19 Vaccines Prioritized for Pregnant Women in High-Risk Areas

Beginning Wednesday, 21 July 2021, the Ministry of Health and Medical Services will administer the Moderna COVID-19 vaccines to pregnant women across Viti Levu.

Due to the increasing widespread transmission of COVID-19 disease across Viti Levu, pregnant women are at a higher risk of contracting the virus which may cause severe illness.

As a result, these women are prioritized for receiving the Moderna vaccines that provide earlier protection against the disease due to its shorter interval period of 28 days between the first and the second dose.

Pregnant women who are employed as civil servants and are waiting to receive their COVID-19 vaccines, may continue to go to work as they will be temporarily exempted until August 1st 2021.

For vaccination, pregnant women must provide their antenatal care clinic card as an evidence of pregnancy and booking done with the Ministry of Health and Medical Services.

The Ministry of Health recommends that pregnant women living outside Viti Levu must continue to receive the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines.

Additionally, Fiji has recorded high number of deaths of individuals aged 60 years and above, particularly those with comorbidity issues as a result of severe illness from COVID-19. These deaths were mainly recorded within the Suva-Nausori corridor where the transmission is widespread.

Therefore, to provide earlier protection to the remaining unvaccinated vulnerable group within the Suva-Nausori corridor, the Moderna vaccines will be administered to individuals above 60 years of age residing in Suva-Nausori corridor, particularly those with comorbidities such as chronic lung disease, significant cardiac disease, severe obesity, diabetes, liver disease and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection.

Further information in relation to the roll out of the Moderna vaccine will be provided by the Ministry of Health soon.

Ends.

18th July 2021

Media Release

The second dose interval period brought forward to the 8th week

Individuals who receive the first dose of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine can now receive their second dose after an interval of 8 weeks instead of 12 weeks.

The decision has been made by the Ministry of Health and Medical Services following the latest research which shows that administering the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccines at the minimum interval of 8 weeks provides the same level of protection as compared to the 12th week.

The decision to administer the second dose of AstraZeneca vaccines at 8 weeks is intended for providing earlier protection to reduce severe illness, hospitalization, and death by the concerning Delta Variant in the country.

Initially, the second dose of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines could be administered at an interval of 8-12 weeks.

Administering the second dose at the 8th week will not affect the effectiveness of the vaccine and will provide the same level of immunity against the delta variant. Additionally, it will provide earlier protection against severe illness, hospitalization, and death from COVID-19.

Individuals who have received their first dose and were scheduled to take their second dose at an interval of 12 weeks will receive a reminder via text message in the 8th week.

The Ministry of Health reiterates that the second dose will be only provided at an interval of 8 weeks and not BEFORE. Individuals who are due for their second dose of the COVID-19 vaccines can go to their nearest vaccination site.

Media Release

COVID-19 Daily Update

Saturday, 17^h July 2021

Transmission Update

We have 1,180 new cases of COVID-19 to report for the 24 hour period that ended at 8am today. 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 the new cases on the dashboard tomorrow at the following link: http://bit.ly/3vE2ZBb.

We also have 5 new COVID-19 deaths to report for the period of 13th July to 16th July.

The first COVID-19 death to report is a 47 year old woman from Raiwaqa. She presented to a medical facility with severe COVID-19 symptoms including shortness of breath. Her condition worsened at the health facility and she died on the same day 14/7/2021. She was not vaccinated.

The second COVID-19 death to report is a 61 year old man from Caubati. He presented to a health facility in severe respiratory distress. His condition worsened at the health facility and he died on the same day 15/7/2021. His family reported that he had been unwell with symptoms that included generalized body pains. He was not vaccinated.

The third COVID-19 death to report is a 67 year old woman from Naiyala Village. She presented to a health facility in severe respiratory distress. Her condition worsened at the health facility and she died on the same day (15/7/2021). Her family reported that she had been unwell with COVID-19 symptoms four days prior. She was not vaccinated.

The fourth COVID-19 death to report is a 61 year old woman from Valelevu. She presented to a medical facility in severe respiratory distress. Her condition worsened in the health facility and she died on the same day 16/7/2021. She received her 1^st dose of the vaccine in early-June. She did not receive her 2^nd dose of the vaccine. This means that she was not fully vaccinated.

The fifth COVID-19 death to report is a 66 year old woman from Lami who died at home (13/07/2021). Her family reported that she was feeling unwell with generalized muscular weakness and was noted to have a reduced appetite. She was not vaccinated.

There have now been 85 deaths due to COVID-19 in Fiji, with 83 of these deaths during the outbreak that started in April this year. We also have recorded 34 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.

There have been 159 new recoveries reported since the last update, which means that there are now 12,975 active cases. There have been 16,401 cases during the outbreak that started in April 2021. We have recorded a total of 16,471 cases in Fiji since the first case was reported in March 2020, with 3,377 recoveries.

There are seven more deaths currently under investigation. These will be discussed once investigations (including test results) and classifications are complete.

Screening Update

A total of 6,347 individuals were screened and 1,954 swabbed at our stationary screening clinics in the last 24 hours, bringing our cumulative total to 318,919 individuals screened and 54,340 swabbed to date. Our mobile screening teams screened a total of 4,430 individuals and swabbed 611 in the last 24 hours. This brings our cumulative total to 716,758 individuals screened and 61,466 swabbed by our mobile teams to date.

Testing update

A total of 220,959 samples have been tested since this outbreak started in April 2021, with 263,820 tested since testing began in March 2020. 3409 tests have been reported for July 15th. Testing number data for one laboratory is still pending for July 15th.  Based on available testing numbers, the national 7-day daily test average is 3876 tests per day or 4.4 tests per 1,000 population. The national 7-day average daily test positivity is 21.7% and continues on an upward trend.

Vaccination Update

As of the 16th July 391,363 adults in Fiji have received their first dose of the vaccine and 77,610 have received their second doses. This means that 66.7% of the target population have received at least one dose and 13.2 % 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 921 cases per day or 1040 cases per million population per day.  Average daily case numbers are increasing, together with cases of severe disease and deaths.

Advice to the public

In the Suva-Nausori Containment Zone, people with severe COVID-19 are still dying at home, or they are coming to a medical facility in the late stages of severe illness. Severe COVID-19 is a medical emergency, and a delay in receiving appropriate medical treatment reduces your chance of recovering from the disease.

We 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-coloured skin, lips or nail beds

In the Suva-Nausori Containment zone we have identified health facilities specifically designated to receive people with symptoms of severe COVID-19. If you or a loved one live in the Suva-Nausori Containment Zone 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

Call 165 if you are unable to travel to a medical facility. 

Media Release

COVID-19 Daily Update

Friday, 16^h July 2021

Transmission Update

We have 1,405 new cases of COVID-19 to report for the 24 hour period that ended at 8am today. 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 the new cases on the dashboard tomorrow at the following link: http://bit.ly/3vE2ZBb.

We also have 6 new COVID-19 deaths to report for the period of 12th July to 15th July.

The first COVID-19 death to report is a 58 year old man from Tacirua. He presented to a medical facility with severe COVID-19 symptoms including shortness of breath. His condition worsened at the health facility and he died on the same day 14/7/2021. He was not vaccinated.

The second COVID-19 death to report is an 82 year old man from Waila. He presented to a health facility in severe respiratory distress. He was retrieved by a medical team to the CWM Hospital. His condition worsened in the hospital and he died two days after admission on 12/7/2021. His family reported that he had been unwell with symptoms that included fever, and cough. He was not vaccinated.

The third COVID-19 death to report is a 34 year old man from Koronivia. He presented to a health facility in severe respiratory distress. His condition worsened at the health facility and he died on the same day (12/7/2021). He was not vaccinated.

The fourth COVID-19 death to report is a 68 year old man from Valelevu. He presented to the CWM Hospital with COVID-19 symptoms. His condition worsened in the hospital and he died on the same day 14/7/2021. He was not vaccinated.

The fifth COVID-19 death to report is a 76 year old woman from Narere. She presented to a healthcare facility with severe COVID-19 symptoms including shortness of breath.  She was retrieved by a medical team to CWM hospital. Her condition worsened in the hospital and she died on the same day (12/7/2021). She was not vaccinated.

The sixth COVID-19 death to report is a 92 year old man from Ba. He was retrieved by a medical team from an isolation facility and transferred to Lautoka Hospital. His condition worsened in hospital and he died four days after admission (15/7/2021). He was not vaccinated.

There have been three more deaths of COVID-19 positive patients. However, their deaths have been classified as non-COVID deaths by their doctors. Doctors have determined that these deaths were caused by serious pre-existing medical conditions and not COVID-19.

There have now been 80 deaths due to COVID-19 in Fiji, with 78 of these deaths during the outbreak that started in April this year. We also have recorded 34 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.

There have been 470 new recoveries reported since the last update, which means that there are now 11,959 active cases. There have been 15,221 cases during the outbreak that started in April 2021. We have recorded a total of 15,291 cases in Fiji since the first case was reported in March 2020, with 3,218 recoveries.

There are six more deaths currently under investigation. These will be discussed once investigations (including test results) and classifications are complete.

Screening Update

A total of 10,356 individuals were screened and 1,893 swabbed at our stationary screening clinics in the last 24 hours, bringing our cumulative total to 312,572 individuals screened and 52,386 swabbed to date. Our mobile screening teams screened a total of 4,197 individuals and swabbed 435 in the last 24 hours. This brings our cumulative total to 712,328 individuals screened and 60,855 swabbed by our mobile teams to date.

Testing update

A total of 216,869 samples have been tested since this outbreak started in April 2021, with 259,734 tested since testing began in March 2020. 3678 tests have been reported for July 14th. Testing number data for one lab is pending for July 13-14th. Based on available testing numbers, the national 7-day daily test average is 3943 tests per day or 4.5 tests per 1,000 population. These numbers are expected to increase once all lab testing number data is received. The national 7-day average daily test positivity is 19.2%  and continues on an upward trend.

Vaccination Update

As of the 15th July 384,480 adults in Fiji have received their first dose of the vaccine and 75,448 have received their second doses. This means that 66% of the target population have received at least one dose and 12.9 % 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 824 cases per day or 932 cases per million population per day.  Average daily case numbers are increasing, together with cases of severe disease and deaths.

Advice to the public

In the Suva-Nausori Containment Zone, people with severe COVID-19 are still dying at home, or they are coming to a medical facility in the late stages of severe illness. Severe COVID-19 is a medical emergency, and a delay in receiving appropriate medical treatment reduces your chance of recovering from the disease.

We 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-coloured skin, lips or nail beds

In the Suva-Nausori Containment zone we have identified health facilities specifically designated to receive people with symptoms of severe COVID-19. If you or a loved one live in the Suva-Nausori Containment Zone 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

Call 165 if you are unable to travel to a medical facility. 

Media Release

COVID-19 Daily Update

Thursday, 15^h July 2021

Transmission Update

We have 1,220 new cases of COVID-19 to report for the 24 hour period that ended at 8 am today. 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 the new cases on the dashboard tomorrow at the following link: http://bit.ly/3vE2ZBb.

We also have 5 new COVID-19 deaths to report for the period of 10th July to 13th July.

The first COVID-19 death to report is a 61-year-old woman from Kinoya who died at home on 10/7/2021. Her family reported that she was feeling unwell with generalized body pain, weakness, and a sore throat for 10 days. She was not vaccinated.

The second COVID-19 death to report is a 62-year-old man from Tacirua. He presented to the CWM Hospital emergency department in severe respiratory distress. He died in hospital on the same day (13/7/2021). His family reported that he was unwell with fever, cough, and generalized weakness for three days prior. He was not vaccinated.

The third COVID-19 death to report is a 66-year-old woman from Nabua who died at home on 13/7/2021. Her family reported that she was feeling unwell with a cough and shortness of breath for 3 days. She was not vaccinated.

The fourth COVID-19 death to report is a 60-year-old woman from Verata who died at home on 13/7/2021. She was not vaccinated.

The fifth COVID-19 death to report is a 78-year-old woman from Nauluvatu Village. She was retrieved from home by a medical team and transferred to a healthcare facility. She was noted to be in severe respiratory distress. She died in the healthcare facility on the same day (13/7/2021). She was not vaccinated.

There have been two more deaths of COVID-19 positive patients. However, their deaths have been classified as non-COVID deaths by their doctors. Doctors have determined that these deaths were caused by serious pre-existing medical conditions and not COVID-19.

There have now been 74 deaths due to COVID-19 in Fiji, with 72 of these deaths during the outbreak that started in April this year. We also have recorded 31 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.

There have been 213 new recoveries reported since the last update, which means that there are now 11,033 active cases. There have been 13,816 cases during the outbreak that started in April 2021. We have recorded a total of 13,886 cases in Fiji since the first case was reported in March 2020, with 2,748 recoveries.

There are eight other deaths currently under investigation. These will be discussed once investigations (including test results) and classifications are complete.

Screening Update

A total of 6,430 individuals were screened and 2,068 swabbed at our stationary screening clinics in the last 24 hours, bringing our cumulative total to 302,216 individuals screened and 50,493 swabbed to date. Our mobile screening teams screened a total of 3,803 individuals and swabbed 540 in the last 24 hours. This brings our cumulative total to 708,131 individuals screened and 60,420 swabbed by our mobile teams to date.

Testing update

A total of 211,823 samples have been tested since this outbreak started in April 2021, with 254,684 tested since testing began in March 2020. 3480 tests have been reported for July 13th. Testing number data for all labs until July 13th has now been received, except for one lab which is yet to update data after the 9th of July. Based on available testing numbers, the national 7-day daily test average is 3772 tests per day or 4.3 tests per 1,000 population. These numbers are expected to increase once all lab testing number data is received. The national 7-day average daily test positivity is 18% and continues on an upward trend.

Vaccination Update

As of the 14th of July, 377,090 adults in Fiji have received their first dose of the vaccine and 73,127 have received their second doses. This means that 64% of the target population have received at least one dose and 12.5 % 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 746 cases per day or 844 cases per million population per day.  Average daily case numbers are increasing, together with cases of severe disease and deaths.

Advice to the public

Sadly, people with severe COVID-19 are still dying at home or they are coming to a medical facility in the late stages of severe illness. Severe COVID-19 is a medical emergency, and a delay in receiving appropriate medical treatment reduces your chance of recovering from the disease.

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-colored skin, lips, or nail beds.

If you or a loved one have any of these symptoms please go immediately to your nearest hospital or medical facility or call 165 if you are unable to travel to a medical facility.