Press Release

COVID-19 Situation Update

Wednesday, 15th December

Epidemic Outlook:

The Ministry of Health continues to monitor the outbreak using indicators such as daily case numbers, hospitalizations, test positivity, and deaths.

Occupancy rates in health facilities, the occupancy rate of ICU beds, death rates, and vaccination coverage are indicators to monitor our health response capacity and we see a decreasing trend across indicators from our health facilities with increasing vaccination coverage for adults and 15-17-year-olds in Fiji. With the commencement of vaccination for 12-14-year-olds, we expect their coverage to contribute to reducing the risk of severe disease, hospitalization, and death.

With international travel open, we anticipate our testing numbers to increase from international repatriates and travelers including Fijians visiting families and friends. With increasing COVID-19 cases in the European region and the emergence of the new variant Omicron, we anticipate continued surveillance and testing at our borders, communities, and maritime islands to monitor and detect cases for early intervention.

Public Advisory:

In a widely publicized statement today the WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom has clearly stated sentiments that the Ministry of Health and Medical Services has been promoting for a long time

“Seventy-seven countries have now reported cases of Omicron, and the reality is that Omicron is probably in most countries, even if it hasn’t been detected yet. Omicron is spreading at a rate we have not seen with any previous variant”

“We’re concerned that people are dismissing Omicron as mild. Surely, we have learned by now that we underestimate this virus at our peril. Even if Omicron does cause less severe disease, the sheer number of cases could once again overwhelm unprepared health systems”

“I need to be very clear: vaccines alone will not get any country out of this crisis. Countries can – and must – prevent the spread of Omicron with measures that work today. It’s not vaccines instead of masks. It’s not vaccines instead of distancing. It’s not vaccines instead ventilation or hand hygiene. Do it all. Do it consistently. Do it well”

He also highlighted evolving evidence that suggests a small decline in the effectiveness of vaccines against severe COVID19 disease and death, and a decline in preventing mild disease or infection.

The message from MOHMS today is, therefore, the same:

1. If a variant is transmissible enough, stringent border and community measures will only delay the inevitable entry and spread of current and future variants of the COVID-19 virus, especially as the Omicron variant is also spreading into some of our travel partner countries. To protect ourselves, our loved ones, and our country, we must all get vaccinated when it is our turn. And even with our high vaccination levels, we must maintain COVID safe habits: mask wisely by carrying a well-fitted mask when you leave your home and wear the mask properly in public indoor spaces, public service vehicles, and outdoor crowded spaces; open windows to improve ventilation; avoid poorly ventilated or crowded spaces; 2-meter physical distancing and ensure you are wearing a mask if you cannot maintain distance; cough or sneeze into a bent elbow or tissue, wash your hands frequently with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
2. The discovery of OMICRON is a sharp reminder to ourselves that the key to avoiding future restrictions and lockdowns is for us all to remain cautious about how we engage in the greater freedom we will enjoy. Whilst the easing of restrictions is needed to facilitate livelihoods, we must ensure that together with vaccination, we continue to observe our COVID safe measures and avoid contained spaces and crowds.

As Permanent Secretary for Health and Medical Services, I remain extremely concerned at the lack of adherence to COVID safe measures in gatherings throughout the country, especially the adherence to masking in indoor public spaces. After the Delta outbreak this year, it is understandable that many will feel the urge to relax and celebrate now that case numbers are low, especially during the festive season. And many of us have let our guards slip.  We are all human. But this must stop as vaccination AND COVID Safe measures are the only way to safely navigate our way through the pandemic while facilitating socioeconomic recovery and well-being.

COVID-19 Situation Update

Monday 13th December

Epidemic Outlook:

The Ministry of Health continues to monitor the outbreak using indicators such as daily case numbers, hospitalizations, test positivity, and deaths.

Occupancy rates in health facilities, the occupancy rate of ICU beds, death rates, and vaccination coverage are indicators to monitor our health response capacity and we see a decreasing trend across indicators from our health facilities with increasing vaccination coverage for adults and 15-17-year-olds in Fiji. With the commencement of vaccination for 12-14-year-olds, we expect their coverage to contribute to reducing the risk of severe disease, hospitalization, and death.

With international travel open, we anticipate our testing numbers to increase from international repatriates and travelers including Fijians visiting families and friends. With increasing COVID-19 cases in the European region and the emergence of the new variant Omicron, we anticipate continued surveillance and testing at our borders, communities, and maritime islands to monitor and detect cases for early intervention.

Public Advisory:

The Ministry of Health and Medical Services is aware of misinformation being peddled widely on social media. The evidence on the Omicron variant’s impact on the transmissibility of the virus, severity of disease, and effect of prior immunity (from vaccination or infection) is not yet conclusive. While preliminary evidence indicates that it does not make people sicker than the Delta and other strains it is important to point out that widespread transmission is still dangerous for Fiji. Even if severe disease occurs in a small percentage, a large-scale transmission will result in large numbers of sick individuals in Fiji which will stress any health system.

The Ministry has also rolled out the comprehensive surveillance program in all its subdivisions as we welcome the opening of international and local borders and travel restrictions into our community are gradually uplifted. A part of this surveillance program includes the ongoing testing conducted for patients, relatives, and staff at our main hospitals and the current restriction of visitations into hospitals. Members of the public are encouraged to assist our health teams in abiding by these visitation restrictions and to agree to be screened and tested when allowed into the hospitals.

The Ministry reiterates its advice on our maintaining adherence to the COVID safe measures of masking, physical distancing, washing hands regularly, covering our mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing, and getting fully vaccinated against COVID-19. These measures remain the key to stopping any disease outbreak in our communities.

With the ongoing vaccination campaign for COVID-19 and identification of 2 cases of Measles in the Serua-Namosi Health Subdivision, the Ministry is also focused on stepping up the national immunization program for vaccine-preventable disease. A national plan has now been put together to roll out early in January for the vaccination of all children in the eligible age groups against diseases that are prevented with childhood immunization. In the meantime, all parents are encouraged to review their children’s vaccination cards, in particular those below the age of 5 years, to ensure that their vaccination is up to date. Please contact your nearest health facility if your child has missed out on any scheduled vaccination.

COVID-19 Situation Update

Friday 10th December

Epidemic Outlook:

The Ministry of Health continues to monitor the outbreak using indicators such as daily case numbers, hospitalizations, test positivity, and deaths.

Occupancy rates in health facilities, the occupancy rate of ICU beds, death rates, and vaccination coverage are indicators to monitor our health response capacity and we see a decreasing trend across indicators from our health facilities with increasing vaccination coverage for adults and 15-17-year-olds in Fiji. With the commencement of vaccination for 12-14-year-olds, we expect their coverage to contribute to reducing the risk of severe disease, hospitalization, and death.

With international travel open, we anticipate our testing numbers to increase from international repatriates and travelers including Fijians visiting families and friends. With increasing COVID-19 cases in the European region and the emergence of the new variant Omicron, our border health measures, and surveillance will need to be strengthened and maintained. We anticipate continued surveillance and testing in our communities and maritime islands to monitor and detect cases for early intervention.

Public Advisory:

We are aware of misinformation being peddled widely on Social Media, and we reiterated that the evidence on Omicron variant’s impact on the transmissibility of the virus, severity of disease, and effect of prior immunity (from vaccination or infection) is still in the very early stages, so conclusions cannot be made yet. However, preliminary evidence indicates that it does not make people sicker than the Delta and other strains. If anything, the direction is towards less severity.  We again emphasize that this data is very early and more will be known in the coming days and weeks.

Furthermore, this variant may be more transmissible than the Delta variant and it may cause reinfection in people who have been previously infected with another variant. The Omicron variant has been seen to infect people who are fully vaccinated – although, so far, the fully vaccinated cases have been generally mild or with no symptoms.

The Ministry of Health and Medical Service is working with COVID safe spotters from other government agencies to escalate the fining of individuals and corporate bodies exhibiting non-compliance to COVID safe measures. These spot fines must be seen as a means to promote COVID safe measures; as such, it is NOT the intention that every single transgression will be picked up and fined. Any large resurgence in cases, whether caused by the Delta variant or Omicron variant, is likely to undermine our social and economic recovery program. We now need to maintain our COVID guard and ensure we protect ourselves at all times.

Another reason for the extensive community-wide adoption and practice of COVID safe measures is that we need to create a safe environment for our children to return to school. We have started vaccinating our children aged 12 years and upwards and will continue our school vaccination program for all vaccine-preventable diseases when school starts. Improving vaccination in older children and all adults in the school environment provides extra protection to children less than 12 years. And further protection is achieved by facilitating COVID safe measures in the school, and with better compliance to COVID safe measures in the community especially with regards to social gatherings. We acknowledge our children who have stepped forward to get vaccinated, and again encourage parents to agree to the vaccination of their children who are in the age group 12 years old and over.

COVID-19 Situation Update

Wednesday, 08th December

Epidemic Outlook:

The Ministry of Health continues to monitor the outbreak using indicators such as daily case numbers, hospitalizations, test positivity, and deaths.

Occupancy rates in health facilities, the occupancy rate of ICU beds, death rates, and vaccination coverage are indicators to monitor our health response capacity and we see a decreasing trend across indicators from our health facilities with increasing vaccination coverage for adults and 15-17-year-olds in Fiji. With the commencement of vaccination for 12-14-year-olds, we expect their coverage to contribute to reducing the risk of severe disease, hospitalization, and death.

With international travel open, we anticipate our testing numbers to increase from international repatriates and travelers including Fijians visiting families and friends. With increasing COVID-19 cases in the European region and the emergence of the new variant Omicron, our border health measures, and surveillance will need to be strengthened and maintained. We anticipate continued surveillance and testing in our communities and maritime islands to monitor and detect cases for early intervention.

Public Advisory:

We are aware of misinformation being peddled widely on social media. It needs to be reiterated that the evidence on Omicron variant’s impact on the transmissibility of the virus, severity of disease, and effect of prior immunity (from vaccination or infection) is still in the very early stages so conclusions cannot be made yet. However, preliminary evidence indicates that it does not make people sicker than the Delta and other strains. If anything, the direction is towards less severity.  We again emphasize that this data is very early and more will be known once more people, including the most vulnerable, get infected.

Furthermore, this variant may be more transmissible than the Delta variant; it may cause reinfection in people who have been previously infected with another variant; and it has been seen to infect people who are fully vaccinated – although, so far, the fully vaccinated cases have been generally mild or with no symptoms.

The Permanent Secretary for Health and Medical Services remains extremely concerned at the lack of adherence to COVID safe measures in gatherings throughout the country, especially the adherence to masking in indoor public spaces. After the Delta outbreak this year, it is understandable that many will feel the urge to relax and celebrate now that case numbers are low, especially during the festive season. And many of us have let our guards slip.  We are all human. But this must stop now if we hope to reduce the impact of the impending third wave of COVID-19 expected early in 2022.

I hope that we will all take this advice to heart and do what is right, but I have also requested all spotters from Health, Commerce, and Security Ministries to escalate the fining of individuals and corporate bodies where there is evidence of non-compliance with COVID safe measures. These spot fines must be seen as a means to promote COVID safe measures; as such, it is NOT the intention that every single transgression will be picked up and fined. All of us who live in Fiji need to understand that any large resurgence in cases is likely to undermine our social and economic recovery program, irrespective of whether it’s from the Delta variant or the entry of the Omicron variant. We now need to maintain our COVID guard and ensure we protect ourselves at all times.

Another reason for the need for community-wide COVID safe measures is that we need to create a safe environment for our children to return to school. The plan is to vaccinate as many as possible from 12 years onwards. Once school starts, we will continue our school vaccination program for all vaccine-preventable diseases. We hope to access pediatric doses of the Pfizer vaccine in the early part of the new year, however, improving vaccination in the older children and all adults in the school environment provides extra protection to children less than 12 years. Further protection is harnessed by facilitating COVID safe measures in the school and even more if there is better compliance to COVID safe measures in the community especially with regards to social gatherings.

Our mantra for “Onwards Fiji” (Toso Viti) is; protect yourself at all times to protect Fiji.

COVID-19 Situation Update

Monday 06th December

Epidemic Outlook:

The Ministry of Health continues to monitor the outbreak using indicators such as daily case numbers, hospitalizations, test positivity, and deaths.

Occupancy rates in health facilities, the occupancy rate of ICU beds, death rates, and vaccination coverage are indicators to monitor our health response capacity and we see a decreasing trend across indicators from our health facilities with increasing vaccination coverage for adults and 15-17-year-olds in Fiji. With the commencement of vaccination for 12-14-year-olds, we expect their coverage to contribute to reducing the risk of severe disease, hospitalization, and death.

With international travel open, we anticipate our testing numbers to increase from international repatriates and travelers including Fijians visiting families and friends. With increasing COVID-19 cases in the European region and the emergence of the new variant Omicron, there is cause for concern. Our border health measures and surveillance will need to be strengthened and maintained. We anticipate continued surveillance and testing in our communities and maritime islands to monitor and detect cases for early intervention.

Public Advisory:

The Ministry of Health and Medical Services announced last week that travelers who had arrived from an African state and were undergoing quarantine in a border quarantine facility had tested positive for COVID-19. Their samples had been sent to the reference laboratory in Australia for urgent genomic sequencing. The results for the two travelers have been received and are confirmed positive for the Omicron variant.

The two travelers are Fijian citizens who had traveled back into Fiji from Nigeria, arriving on Fiji Airways flight FJ1392 from Hong Kong on November 25th – the day the discovery of the Omicron variant was announced internationally. Both travelers tested negative for COVID-19 before departure from Fiji and before they left Nigeria. They entered a government-designated border quarantine facility immediately upon arrival into Fiji, tested positive while in quarantine, currently have no symptoms, and were fully vaccinated. With the exception of four passengers, all those on the flight were from non-travel partner countries, and therefore entered a border quarantine facility upon arrival to undergo the full quarantine protocol of 10 days. That has since been extended to 14 days. The four passengers on the flight who were from a travel partner country have tested negative. The Fiji Airways crew and accompanying passengers from FJ 1392 have tested negative at least twice.

The indications are that we have averted community transmission at this time, and the measures we had put in place to prevent, or at least delay, community transmission through the importation of cases from red zone countries have worked well so far. Our red zone designated countries are countries that we consider at high risk of proliferating variants. These are countries with low vaccination rates, poor testing data, and an ongoing outbreak.  As we previously highlighted, the protocols in place for the red zone countries were to isolate for 5 days and test negative twice before we approve their re-entry. In Fiji, they undergo 14 days of strict quarantine and testing in a government-designated border quarantine facility.

The evidence on Omicron variant’s impact on the transmissibility of the virus, severity of disease, and effect of prior immunity (from vaccination or infection) is still in the very early stages so conclusions cannot be made yet. However, the preliminary evidence is that this variant may be more transmissible than the Delta variant; it may cause reinfection in people who have been previously infected with another variant; and it has been seen to infect people who are fully vaccinated – although, so far, the fully vaccinated cases have been generally mild or with no symptoms.

Therefore, it must be re-emphasized that, if a variant is transmissible enough, stringent border and community measures will only delay the inevitable entry and spread of current and future variants of the COVID-19 virus, especially as the Omicron variant is also spreading into some of our travel partner countries. To protect ourselves, our loved ones, and our country, we must all get vaccinated when it is our turn. And even with our high vaccination levels, we must maintain COVID safe habits: mask wisely by carrying a well-fitted mask when you leave your home and wear the mask properly in public indoor spaces, public service vehicles, and outdoor crowded spaces; open windows to improve ventilation; avoid poorly ventilated or crowded spaces; 2-meter physical distancing and ensure you are wearing a mask if you cannot maintain distance; cough or sneeze into a bent elbow or tissue, wash your hands frequently with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

Finding the Omicron variant in travelers in border quarantine is not unexpected, given how quickly it has spread worldwide, but it is a sharp reminder to ourselves that the key to avoiding future restrictions and lockdowns is for us all to remain cautious about how we engage in the greater freedom we will enjoy. Whilst the easing of restrictions is needed to facilitate livelihoods, we must ensure that together with vaccination, we continue to observe our COVID safe measures and avoid contained spaces and crowds.

The Permanent Secretary for Health and Medical Services is also extremely concerned at the lack of adherence to COVID safe measures in gatherings throughout the country, especially the adherence to masking in indoor public spaces. After the Delta outbreak this year it is understandable that many will feel the urge to relax and celebrate now that case numbers are low, especially during the festive season. And many of us have let our guards slip.  We are all human. But this must stop now if we hope to reduce the impact of the impending third wave of COVID-19 expected early in 2022.

I hope that we will all take this advice to heart and do what is right, but I have also requested all spotters from Health, Commerce, and Security Ministries to escalate the fining of individuals and corporate bodies where there is evidence of non-compliance with COVID safe measures. These spot fines must be seen as a means to promote COVID safe measures; as such, it is NOT the intention that every single transgression will be picked up and fined. All of us who live in Fiji need to understand that any large resurgence in cases is likely to undermine our social and economic recovery program, irrespective of whether it’s from the Delta variant or the entry of the Omicron variant. We now need to maintain our COVID guard and ensure we protect ourselves at all times. Our mantra for “Onwards Fiji” (Toso Viti) is to protect yourself to protect Fiji.