Press Release

Statement by the Permanent Secretary for Health & Medical Services

 Rollout of the Moderna vaccine for children aged 15-17 years

Thursday 16^th September 2021

Bula Vinaka.

As of today, 580504 Fijians, or 97.7 % of adults in Fiji have received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 372434 or 63.5% have stepped up for their second dose and are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.  I would like to thank everyone who has come forward and received their first and second dose and encourage those who are still to receive their second dose to come forward when it is due. There simply is no substitute for the full protection of vaccines.

Our target population to date has been eligible Fijians above the age of 18. Virtually, all adults in Fiji. Today, I want to discuss the next phase of our vaccine rollout, which will include young people aged 15 to 17 years.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a tough fight for us all, and it has been especially hard on our children who have been away from school since April of this year. The pandemic has disrupted their education, their learning and development, and the necessary life and social skills they gain by interacting with other children at school. The safest and most sustainable way to get our young people back into the classroom and keep them there is vaccines.

The Ministry of Health and Medical Services and the Ministry of Education, Heritage, and the Arts share a long history of collaboration in vaccinating children against serious diseases, like measles. Now, our task is to protect young Fijians from COVID-19. Together, our ministries will begin the rollout of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 15 and 17 years old across Fiji. We have decided to vaccinate children aged 15 and 17 years old first, as these children are mostly in secondary school and some of them are nearing the end of their secondary education. Under the advice of the Ministry of Education, we have been told that the Year 12s and Year 13s also need to sit external exams to progress onto higher education. Details of how this will progress will be announced later by the Ministry of Education.

Vaccination for those in the 12- to 14-year-old age group will be announced at a later date.

Details of the rollout plan

Through the Ministry of Education, the Moderna vaccine will be rolled out by school clusters within the four divisions. Schools that are close by to each other will group to form a cluster, where their student rolls of 15 and 17-year-olds can get vaccinated.

The dates, clusters, and venues for these schools will be announced this weekend for the rollout to begin on Monday, 20^th September.

Children will need to receive two doses of the Moderna vaccine which is administered at a dosing interval of 28 days. As parents and guardians, you will be asked to sign a consent form for children receiving this vaccine. You will also be able to register your child online before he or she receives the first dose of the Moderna vaccine. The online registration of children through the Vaccine Registry portal will be available from Saturday before the onsite vaccination campaign beginning this coming Monday.

We will not make it mandatory for children to be vaccinated, though it is the best choice any young person can make for their health and the health of others. Details and dates for when school can safely resume will be announced by the Permanent Secretary for Education in her statement.

Moderna and Pfizer are safe vaccines for children

Children within the 15 – 17-year-old age group will receive the Moderna vaccine, while younger children from 12-14 years will be given the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. The roll-out for the Pfizer vaccine will be announced later but the approach will be similar to the Moderna vaccine roll-out for 15-17-year-olds. Like Moderna, the Pfizer vaccine has been approved as safe and effective for children 12 years and older. Clinical trials done among thousands of children showed an overwhelming outcome of safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines (Moderna and Pfizer) so far approved for children.  The vaccines protect children against severe illness, hospitalization, and even death from COVID-19.

I would like to assure all parents and guardians in Fiji that these vaccines are safe and have completed all necessary clinical trials for safety and efficacy for children aged 15 and 17. Absolutely no shortcuts were taken in granting approval of these vaccines for children and it continues to be monitored for safety.

As is normal for vaccines, some children may face mild side effects from the vaccines, however, this does not last long. Common side effects may include:

• Pain
• Redness
• Swelling

On the arm that the vaccine was administered and in some cases:

• Headache
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Fatigue
• Chills
• Fever

If your child experiences some of these side effects after receiving their vaccination, that is a sign that your child’s immune system is learning to fight the virus. You can treat this at home by giving your child the normal dose of paracetamol, and keeping your child hydrated, and having them take a lot of rest. If your child does not have any side effects this does not mean that the vaccine is not working; it is just that each individual’s body reacts differently to vaccines. This is perfectly normal.

The Moderna vaccine is currently being administered to children of the same age in the United Kingdom, the United States, across the European Union, and in Australia and has a 95 percent effectiveness in preventing symptomatic infection and protecting our children from severe illness, hospitalisation, and death due to COVID-19 whilst Pfizer, which has a 92% protection is being administered to children in New Zealand. We have seen how relentless the COVID-19 virus can be, with the deaths of five children, the youngest being 2 months old in Fiji and that is why we have been exploring all avenues at our disposal to find vaccines that are safe and effective for our children.

Like any other vaccine, there is a small chance that children who have been partially or fully vaccinated can still get infected with COVID-19. Though it is exceedingly rare, fully vaccinated people can still get severe COVID-19. And, in even less likely instances, even die. 95% is not 100%. No vaccine offers 100% protection. But 95% is much better than zero. By far, these vaccines and the protection they offer are the best defense we have to keep our children safe against COVID-19.

The Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education are also using all avenues available to us to ensure the safety of your children at school through, the vaccination program; enforcement of Covid Safe measures; instituting environmental control measures; and establishing Tests and Trace surveillance protocols in schools. A team of technical persons from the Education and Medical sectors will be working together to identify and implement measures based on lessons learned from other countries to ensure the safety of children as they return to school. The overall intention is to utilize the opening of year 12 and 13 classes to refine the strategies we have in place in a way that is relevant to our local context.

These measures will include:

• All adults working in the school system must be vaccinated. That includes teachers, management, and all staff –– including gardeners and security personnel. Anyone who comes into contact with children or who steps on school grounds must be vaccinated. There is no moral or medical justification for putting students at risk, and individuals who refuse the vaccine have no justification to be anywhere near children in school.
• When schools do open, masks must be worn.
• Non-classroom gatherings will not be permitted. And schools have been directed to improve ventilation and air quality by keeping windows, doors, and vents open where possible and employing mechanical ventilation using fans and ducts. We are also considering the use of portable air cleaners
• Breaks will be staggered to prevent gatherings
• Routine symptom and temperature screening of students and staff at school and testing of all who screen positive. Asymptomatic testing protocols for select groups will be implemented and absentee registry protocols maintained.

I am asking parents and guardians, to please take the time to discuss the Moderna and Pfizer vaccine with those of your children that are to receive the vaccine. Encourage them and assure them that the vaccine is safe, that it is the best protection for them against the severe effects of the COVID-19 virus. Explain how the vaccine will be rolled out and help them to understand why they are being vaccinated first, amongst other school-aged children in Fiji.

We encourage parents and households to also get vaccinated. I urge parents to talk to their households, family, and friends about the need to also get vaccinated, as this adds another layer of protection for children, particularly, as they will increase their interaction with different people as they return to school. We need to be aware, that as more people interacting with children are vaccinated, we increase the protection of our children from COVID.

The Ministry of Health will be working closely with the Ministry of Education, Heritage, and Arts to ensure that all parents/guardians and children are well informed of the Moderna and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine before getting vaccinated and the processes involved in vaccination.

Over the next few days, and coming weeks, the Health Ministry will facilitate and host discussions online and through mainstream media inviting parents and guardians, CSO’s and faith-based leaders, and the public at large to discuss and receive further information about the COVID-19 vaccination program for 15 – 17-year-olds and children’s vaccination in general. Dates and times for these webinars and information sessions will be shared on the Ministry’s social media channels, Fijian Government channels, and through the media.

We are still in the process of finalizing the rollout plans for vaccinating children from 12 years to 14 years old, and this will be announced in due course, once we firm up plans.

Further details of the vaccination program for eligible children will be announced through the Fijian Government and the Ministry of Health and Medical Services Facebook pages and Ministry of Health and Medical Services website and the media.

Whilst we have a prospect of hope to vaccinate our children and to provide them with an extra layer of protection against COVID-19, I cannot reinforce enough, that we must all continue to practice other COVID-19 safety measures if we want to see a drop in COVID-19 cases in our community. This means wearing a mask properly, covering our coughs and sneezes, washing our hands regularly with soap and water or a hand sanitizer, keeping a 2m physical distance from others outside our household, and avoiding crowds. Without these measures, and low levels of vaccination coverage, we can expect to see COVID-19 continue to spread in our communities and affect those who are most vulnerable.

We also face a big threat with an ongoing battle against misinformation, and we counter this by providing you honest and verifiable facts and information about what is happening on the ground with our COVID-19 response. It is a continuous battle, and we can beat this misinformation together by getting our information from credible sources, for us that would be the Fijian Government and the Ministry of Health and Medical Services Facebook pages, and the Ministry of Health and Medical Services website. We will ensure that we provide you with the information that you need to make an informed decision to vaccinate your children when the vaccine program rolls out.

We look forward to your continuous support towards our vaccination programs and we know that you will help us to protect the most vulnerable in our society and we can start by ensuring that our children receive the Moderna and later the Pfizer vaccine.

Thank you.

Media Release

COVID-19 Daily Update

Thursday, 16^th September 2021 

Transmission Update

We have 197 new cases of COVID-19 to report for the 24 hour period that ended at 8 am today. 93 cases are from the Western Division, 98 cases are from the Central Division and 6 cases are from the Eastern Division.

There have been 81 new recoveries to report since the last update, which means that there are now 12,978 active cases. 1,343 active cases are in the Central Division, 11,314 active cases in the Western Division, 1 active case in the Northern Division (Macuata), and 320 active cases in the Eastern Division (all in Kadavu).

There have been 49,517 cases during the outbreak that started in April 2021. We have recorded a total of 49,587 cases in Fiji since the first case was reported in March 2020, with 35,686 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

There are four COVID-19 deaths to report for the period of 08th July – 16th July 2021. All four deaths were reported from the Central Division. Kindly note these deaths are being reported today due to the delay in receiving the official death certificates. As mentioned above, we are currently in the process of 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 being made.

The first COVID-19 death to report is a 90-year-old man from Nausori who died at home on 08/07/2021. He was not vaccinated.

The second COVID-19 death to report is a 52-year-old woman from Suva who died at home on 12/07/2021. She was not vaccinated.

The third COVID-19 death to report is a 60-year-old man from Vatuwaqa who died at home on 13/07/2021. He was not vaccinated.

The fourth COVID-19 death to report is an 85-year-old woman from Nausori who died at home on 16/07/2021. She was not vaccinated.

There have been 5 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 serious pre-existing medical conditions and not COVID-19.

There have now been 544 deaths due to COVID-19 in Fiji, with 542 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 day 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 11th, the national 7 days rolling average of COVID-19 deaths per day is 1.3. The 7 day rolling average for COVID-19 deaths per day in the Central Division is 1 and in the Western Division is 0.3.

We also have recorded 379 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 124 COVID-19 patients admitted to the hospital. 37 patients are admitted at the Lautoka Hospital, 4 patients are admitted at the FEMAT field hospital, and 83 are admitted at CWM hospital, St Giles, and Makoi. 5 patients are considered to be in severe condition, and 4 are in critical condition.

Screening Update

A total of 6,638 individuals were screened and 601 swabbed at our stationary screening clinics in the last 24 hours, bringing our cumulative total to 602,406 individuals screened and 96,160 swabbed to date. Our mobile screening teams screened a total of 2,211 individuals and swabbed 646. This brings our cumulative total to 834,799 individuals screened and 74,998 swabbed by our mobile teams.

Testing Update

A total of 352,643 samples have been tested since this outbreak started in April 2021, with 395,504 tested since testing began in March 2020. 1,451 tests have been reported for September 15th. The 7-day daily test average is 1,246 tests per day or 1.4 tests per 1,000 population. Weekly testing is at 10.3 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 12.4%, which is on a downward trend but still indicating a high level of community transmission.

Vaccination Update 

To date, 580,504 adults in Fiji have received their first dose of the vaccine and 372,434 have received their second doses. This means that 97.7% of the target population have received at least one dose and 63.5% 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 145 cases per day or 164 cases per million population per day. As previously announced by the Permanent Secretary, daily case numbers in Suva-Nausori 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.

Seven new cases were recorded in Kadavu in the last 24 hours bringing the total number of cases to 490. Ten patients are currently admitted at Vunisea hospital, of which 5 are COVID positive and currently in stable condition, and 5 are negative for COVID-19. Mobile outreach teams continue with their visits to villages and settlements carrying out the follow-up of primary contacts, monitoring of positive patients and clearance, roll out of COVID-19 vaccination, MCH clinic, and immunization of babies, GOPD consultation, and SOPD clinic with medicine replenishment. Kavala health team is continuing with 2nd dose vaccinations as well as 1st dose jabs as part of the mop-up campaign. Movement restrictions remain in force supervised by the Police team and the Vanua.

Two new cases have been reported for Malolo Island in the last 24 hours, bringing the total to 63. Of these, 33 individuals have recovered and 30 remain active cases. Daily assessment continues for the active cases and their contacts. Six high-risk cases are stable and remain in home isolation. Movement restrictions remain in force for all villages on the island.

Three new cases have been reported on Naviti Island in the last 24 hours. Of the total of 138 cases on the island, 75 individuals have recovered while 63 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 remains under strict movement restrictions.

Two new cases were diagnosed on Enadala settlement in Nacula Island in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of cases on the island to 27. The positive cases are under isolation in their respective villages and monitored daily by the health team from Nacula health center. The other 4 villages and one settlement on the island have not recorded any positive case to date. Strict movement restriction remains in place for the whole island.

Beqa Island has recorded 56 new cases in the last 24 hours in the villages of Lalati, Soliyaga, Dakuni, Naceva, Dakuibeqa, Waisomo, and Raviravi. This brings the total number of cases to 118, of which 117 are active cases and are on daily monitoring by the health team. 168 swab tests were done in the last 24 hours, and education and awareness on COVID safe measures and vaccination continue for the villagers on the island. Movement restriction remains in force for the whole island.

Public Updates and Advice:

The Ministry of Health and Medical Services in conjunction with the Ministry of Education, Heritage and Arts, will begin the vaccination of eligible children aged 15 to 17 years with the Moderna vaccine from Monday 20th September 2021. Online registration is encouraged before vaccination, and the stringent process in place will ensure that parental or guardian consent is secured before vaccination. No vaccine will be given without the consent of parents or guardians.

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 at the jab site, swelling, 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

Wednesday, 15 September 2021 

Transmission Update

We have 146 new cases of COVID-19 to report for the 24 hour period that ended at 8 am today. 69 cases are from the Western Division, 68 cases are from the Central Division and 9 cases are from the Eastern Division.

There have been 217 new recoveries to report since the last update, which means that there are now 12,870 active cases. 1,328 active cases are in the Central Division, 11,226 active cases in the Western Division, 2 active cases in the Northern Division (Macuata), and 314 active cases in the Eastern Division (all in Kadavu). We are currently reviewing and reconciling our active case database with recoveries and as a result, we expect the recovery numbers to intermittently change markedly as verifications are made.

There have been 49,320 cases during the outbreak that started in April 2021. We have recorded a total of 49,390 cases in Fiji since the first case was reported in March 2020, with 35,605 recoveries.

Deaths

There is one COVID-19 death to report today. This death has been reported from the Central Division.

The first COVID-19 death to report today is a 93-year-old man from Suva who died at home on 16/07/2021. He was not vaccinated. Kindly note this death is being reported today due to the delay in the issuance of the death certificate.

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 serious pre-existing medical conditions and not COVID-19.

There have now been 540 deaths due to COVID-19 in Fiji, with 538 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 day 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 10th, the national 7 day rolling average of COVID-19 deaths per day is 2. The 7 day rolling average for COVID-19 deaths per day in the Central Division is 1 and in the Western Division is 1.

We also have recorded 374 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 119 COVID-19 patients admitted to the hospital. 33 patients are admitted at the Lautoka Hospital, 6 patients are admitted at the FEMAT field hospital, and 80 admitted at CWM hospital, St Giles, and Makoi. 5 patients are considered to be in severe condition, and 4 are in critical condition.

Screening Update

A total of 9,403 individuals were screened and 569 swabbed at our stationary screening clinics in the last 24 hours, bringing our cumulative total to 595,768 individuals screened and 95,559 swabbed to date. Our mobile screening teams screened a total of 1,489 individuals and swabbed 88. This brings our cumulative total to 832,588 individuals screened and 74,352 swabbed by our mobile teams.

Testing Update

A total of 351,192 samples have been tested since this outbreak started in April 2021, with 394,053 tested since testing began in March 2020. 1461 tests have been reported for September 14th. The 7-day daily test average is 1,203 tests per day or 1.4 tests per 1,000 population. Weekly testing is at 10.3 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 12.6%, which is on a downward trend but still indicating a high level of community transmission.

Vaccination Update 

As of the 14th of September 577,005 adults in Fiji have received their first dose of the vaccine and 363,420 have received their second doses. This means that 97.5% of the target population have received at least one dose and 61.9% are now fully vaccinated nationwide. Over the last two weeks, the team has been validating its data to ensure that the level of protection across Viti Levu is equitably distributed.  We are currently validating areas of concern and we will be outlining further measures to reduce the risk that travelers will place on these areas of concern. We will also be reviewing other restrictions currently in place and a  formal announcement will be made tomorrow on the lifting of borders and other measures. Until this announcement is made all current measures remain in force.

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 142 cases per day or 161 cases per million population per day. As previously announced by the Permanent Secretary, daily case numbers in Suva-Nausori 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.

Kadavu now has a total of 483 cases after 9 new cases were recorded in the last 24 hours. Nine patients are currently admitted at Vunisea hospital, of which 4 are COVID positive and currently in stable condition, and 5 are negative for COVID-19. Mobile outreach teams continue with their visits to villages and settlements carrying out the follow-up of primary contacts, monitoring of positive patients and clearance, roll out of COVID-19 vaccination, MCH clinic, and immunization of babies, GOPD consultation, and SOPD clinic with medicine replenishment. Kavala health team is continuing with 2nd dose vaccinations as well as 1st dose jabs as part of the mop-up campaign. A clinical outreach team from Vunisea conducted specialist obstetrics, paediatric, internal medicine, and ultrasound scan clinics at Kavala health center today. Movement restrictions and targeted village lockdowns for Tawava village and the villages in Yawe tikina remain in force.

Five new cases have been reported for Malolo Island in the last 24 hours, bringing the total to 61. Of these, 33 individuals have recovered and 28 remain active cases. Daily assessment continues for the active cases and their contacts, with 569 villagers screened in the last 24 hours. The health team also visited Yanuya Island and conducted screening for the villagers. Movement restrictions remain in force for all villages on the island.

Five new cases have been reported on Naviti Island in the last 24 hours. 75 individuals have recovered in the last 24 hours and 60 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 remains under strict movement restrictions.

Two new cases were diagnosed on Nacula Island in the last 24 hours bringing the total number of cases on the island to 25; 21 cases in Nacula village and 4 cases in Naisisili village. The positive cases are under isolation in their respective villages and monitored daily by the health team from Nacula health center. The other 4 villages and 2 settlements on the Island have recorded no positive cases to date. Strict movement restriction remains in place for the whole island.

Beqa Island has recorded a total of 62 cases with 61 cases remaining active. Eleven cases have been identified in the village of Lalati, and all active cases are followed up daily through visitation and phone calls by the health team. Education and awareness on COVID safe measures and vaccination, and revisiting new positive cases have been done for the villages of Dakuni, Dakuibeqa, Rukua, and Raviravi. The island remains on movement restriction.

Public Updates and Advice:

The Ministry of  Health and Medical Services is now ready to begin the vaccination of children under 18 years. Working with the Ministry of Education, Heritage, and Arts, we will begin with children in the age group of 15 to 17 years. A stringent process is in place to ensure that parental or guardian consent is secured and online registration is encouraged before vaccination. No vaccine will be given without the consent of parents or guardians. The Ministry has set aside the required number of vials Moderna vaccine to ensure that the target population between 15 to 17-year-olds can receive both doses of the vaccine. The eligible children’s 1st dose vaccination is planned for rollout from Monday 20th September 2021 and the 2nd dose from Monday 18th October 2021.

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 at the jab site, swelling, 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, 14^th September 2021 

Transmission Update

We have 131 new cases of COVID-19 to report for the 24 hour period that ended at 8 am today. 63 cases are from the Western Division, 66 cases are from the Central Division and 2 cases are from the Eastern Division.

There have been 104 new recoveries to report since the last update, which means that there are now 12,951 active cases. 1,480 active cases are in the Central Division, 11,164 active cases in the Western Division, 2 active cases in the Northern Division (Macuata), and 305 active cases in the Eastern Division (all in Kadavu). We are currently reviewing and reconciling our active case database with recoveries and as a result, we expect the recovery numbers to intermittently change markedly as verifications are made.

There have been 49,174 cases during the outbreak that started in April 2021. We have recorded a total of 49,244 cases in Fiji since the first case was reported in March 2020, with 35,388 recoveries.

Deaths

There is one new COVID-19 death to report today. The one death reported was for the Central Division.

The first COVID-19 death to report is a 63-year-old man from Navua. He presented to the Navua Hospital in severe respiratory distress. Sadly, he died on the same day (12/09/2021). He received the 1st dose of the vaccine in mid-August. He did not receive the second dose of the vaccine. This means that he was not fully vaccinated.

There have now been 539 deaths due to COVID-19 in Fiji, with 537 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 day 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 9th, the national 7 day rolling average of COVID-19 deaths per day is 2. The 7 day rolling average for COVID-19 deaths per day in the Central Division is 1 and in the Western Division is 1.

We also have recorded 366 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. 35 patients are admitted at the Lautoka Hospital, 5 patients are admitted at the FEMAT field hospital, and 70 admitted at CWM hospital, St Giles, and Makoi. 8 patients are considered to be in severe condition, and 3 are in critical condition.

Screening Update

A total of 9,503 individuals were screened and 609 swabbed at our stationary screening clinics in the last 24 hours, bringing our cumulative total to 586,365 individuals screened and 94,990 swabbed to date. Our mobile screening teams screened a total of 1,491 individuals and swabbed 344. This brings our cumulative total to 831,099 individuals screened and 74,264 swabbed by our mobile teams.

Testing Update

A total of 349,731 samples have been tested since this outbreak started in April 2021, with 392,592 tested since testing began in March 2020. 1494 tests have been reported for September 13th. The 7-day daily test average is 1,096 tests per day or 1.2 tests per 1,000 population. Weekly testing is at 10.3 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 16%, which is on a downward trend but still indicating a high level of community transmission.

Vaccination Update 

As of the 13th of September 573,247 adults in Fiji have received their first dose of the vaccine and 350,007 have received their second doses. This means that 97.3% of the target population have received at least one dose and 59.6% 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 156 cases per day or 176 cases per million population per day. As previously announced by the Permanent Secretary, daily case numbers in Suva-Nausori 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.

One new case was recorded in Kadavu in the last 24 hours bringing the total number of cases on the island to 474. Twelve patients are currently admitted at Vunisea hospital; 5 are COVID positive and currently in stable condition, and 7 are negative for COVID-19. Mobile outreach teams continue with their visits to villages and settlements carrying out the follow-up of primary contacts, monitoring of positive patients and clearance, roll out of COVID-19 vaccination, MCH clinic, and immunization of babies, GOPD consultation, and SOPD clinic with medicine replenishment. Kavala health team is continuing with 2^nd dose vaccinations as well as 1^st dose jabs as part of the mop-up campaign. Movement restrictions and targeted village lockdowns for Tawava village and the villages in Yawe tikina remain in force.

No new cases have been reported for Malolo Island in the last 24 hours. Of the total 56 cases diagnosed to date, 30 individuals have recovered and 26 remain active cases. Daily assessment continues for the active cases and their contacts, and surveillance of the villages. Movement restrictions remain in force for all villages on the island.

No new cases have been reported on Naviti Island in the last 24 hours. Of the total 146 cases so far, 142 remain active cases and are under surveillance by the health team. Movement restrictions are in place for all villages.

A total of 26 cases have now been confirmed on Waya Island with positive cases spread over the 6 villages on the island. 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 remains under strict movement restrictions.

Nacula Island has a total of 23 confirmed cases, shared between the two villages of Nacula and Naisisili. The positive cases are under isolation in their respective villages and monitored daily by the health team from Nacula health center. The other 4 villages and 2 settlements on the Island have recorded no positive cases to date. Strict movement restriction remains in place for the whole island.

Beqa island recorded 10 new cases in the last 24 hours bringing the total number of cases on the island to 58. Fifty-seven cases are active and followed up daily through visitation and phone calls by the health team. The health response team is split into 2 teams to undertake screening of the population, monitoring of cases, education and awareness on COVID safe measures and vaccination, and revisiting new positive cases. The island remains on movement restriction.

Public Updates and Advice:

As the second dose coverage increases, it is expected that internal borders within Viti Levu will be lifted soon. Unfortunately, villages and settlements in our rural areas continue to record low vaccination coverage. As such the public needs to remain cautious about how they engage in the greater freedom of movement that they will be enjoying. Whilst we understand that increased public movement is needed to facilitate livelihood and to get more families together we will be outlining further measures to reduce the risk that travelers will place on these villages and communities. Please vaccinate, adhere to COVID safe measures and avoid contained spaces and crowds.

Media Release

COVID-19 Daily Update

Monday, 13^th September 2021 

Transmission Update

We have 127 new cases of COVID-19 to report for the 24 hour period that ended at 8 am today. 83 cases are from the Western Division, 36 cases are from the Central Division and 8 cases are from the Eastern Division.

There have been 12 new recoveries to report since the last update, which means that there are now 12,925 active cases. 1,503 active cases are in the Central Division, 11,117 active cases in the Western Division, 2 active cases in the Northern Division (Macuata), and 303 active cases in the Eastern Division (all in Kadavu). We are currently reviewing and reconciling our active case database with recoveries and as a result, we expect the recovery numbers to intermittently change markedly as verifications are made.

There have been 49,043 cases during the outbreak that started in April 2021. We have recorded a total of 49,113 cases in Fiji since the first case was reported in March 2020, with 35,284 recoveries.

Deaths

There are 3 new COVID-19 deaths to report for the period of 10^th – 12^th September 2021. Two deaths were reported for the Central Division and one death was reported from the Western Division.

The first COVID-19 death to report is a 60-year-old woman from Waya Island. She presented to the Yalobi Nursing Station in severe respiratory distress. Her family reported that she had a fever, sore throat, and a cough one week prior to her presentation. She was retrieved by a medical team and transferred to the Lautoka Hospital. Sadly, she died 5 days after admission on 12/09/2021. She was not vaccinated.

The second COVID-19 death to report is an 81-year-old woman from Tailevu who died at home on 10/09/2021. She was not vaccinated.

The third COVID-19 death to report is an 80-year-old man from Navua who died at home on 12/09/2021. He was not vaccinated.

There has been 1 more death of a COVID-19 positive patient. However, this death has been classified as a non-COVID death by their doctors. The doctors have determined that this death was caused by a serious pre-existing medical condition and not COVID-19.

There have now been 538 deaths due to COVID-19 in Fiji, with 536 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 day rolling average of deaths, based on the date of death, in order to help ensure the data collected is complete before the average is reported. Therefore, as of September 8th, the national 7 days rolling average of COVID-19 deaths per day is 2. The 7 day rolling average for COVID-19 deaths per day in the Central Division is 1 and in the Western Division is 1.

We also have recorded 366 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 117 COVID-19 patients admitted to the hospital. 44 patients are admitted at the Lautoka Hospital, 8 patients are admitted at the FEMAT field hospital, and 65 admitted at CWM hospital, St Giles, and Makoi. 12 patients are considered to be in severe condition, and 3 are in critical condition.

Screening Update

A total of 748 individuals were screened and 77 swabbed at our stationary screening clinics in the last 24 hours, bringing our cumulative total to 568,107 individuals screened and 93,849 swabbed to date. Our mobile screening teams screened a total of 581 individuals and swabbed 130. This brings our cumulative total to 829,608 individuals screened and 73,920 swabbed by our mobile teams.

Testing Update

A total of 348,237 samples have been tested since this outbreak started in April 2021, with 391,098 tested since testing began in March 2020. 712 tests have been reported for September 12th. Lab testing data is pending from one lab. Therefore, lab testing data is expected to increase. The 7-day daily test average is 1,069 tests per day or 1.2 tests per 1,000 population. Weekly testing is at 10.3 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 16.5%, which is on a downward trend but still indicating a high level of community transmission.

Vaccination Update 

As of the 12th of September, 569,958 adults in Fiji have received their first dose of the vaccine and 342,191 have received their second doses. This means that 97.2% of the target population have received at least one dose and 58.3% 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 160 cases per day or 181 cases per million population per day. As previously announced by the Permanent Secretary, daily case numbers in Suva-Nausori 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.

Kadavu recorded 8 new cases in the last 24 hours bringing the total number of cases on the island to 473. Nine cases are admitted at Vunisea hospital; 4 are COVID positive and currently in stable condition, and 5 are negative for COVID-19. Mobile outreach teams continue their visits to villages and settlements carrying out follow-up of primary Contacts, Monitoring of Positive patients and clearance, Roll out of COVID-19 Vaccination, MCH clinic and immunization of babies, GOPD consultation, SOPD clinic, and drug replenishment. Movement restrictions and targeted village lockdowns for Tawava village and the villages in Yawe tikina remain in force.

No new cases have been reported for Malolo island in the last 24 hours. Daily assessment continues for the active cases and their contacts, and surveillance of the villages. Movement restrictions remain in force for all villages on the island.

The villages of Gunu and Nasoqo on Naviti island have recorded 39 cases in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of cases to 146. Three positive cases have recovered leaving a total of 142 active cases under surveillance by the health team.

Testing on Waya island revealed 22 new cases in the last 24 hours, and these patients are now under home isolation in their villages. The island is also under strict movement restrictions.

Nacula village and Naisisili village on Nacula island have recorded 21 cases in the last 24 hours. The positive cases are now under isolation in their respective villages and monitored daily by the health team from Nacula health centre. Strict movement restriction is now in place for the whole island.

Public Updates and Advice:

The Ministry of Health and Medical Services (MOHMS) is sending a team of 20 healthcare and allied healthcare workers to Yanuca and Beqa Island tomorrow morning (14/09/2021)  for 3 days. The team is planned to conduct mass swabbing of the 10 villages, conduct assessments of individuals considered high risk and/or vulnerable, and conduct awareness of COVID-19 in these communities.

We are truly thankful to the village elders and leaders who have helped in our quest to contain and/or mitigate the outbreak in the affected maritime islands. However, we repeat our call to the maritime islanders; please do not engage in unauthorized travel to and from Viti Levu. All our current protocols to regulate domestic movements have been working in removing the risk of viral leakage into your communities. As such we appeal for adherence to the protocols we have in place.

For those islands yet to be affected, we repeat our call to all village leaders and elders to support our current efforts to protect our maritime islands by immediately reporting any suspicious movements into your community and having in place quarantine/isolation measures to deal with all travelers into their respective community. We also appeal for community support for Vaccination; escalating vaccination efforts before the virus gets to your islands protects you better than having to escalate vaccination in the middle of an epidemic. Vaccination is a prevention measure.