Press Release

Statement by the Permanent Secretary for Health & Medical Services

COVID-19 Situation Update

Wednesday, 11th August 2021

Bula Vinaka.

CASE UPDATE

As always, I will start by providing you with the latest updates on our COVID-19 situation and then get to how this has informed our decisions.

Over the past 24 hour period, we have 568 new cases of COVID-19. Of this, 262 cases are from the Western Division and 306 cases are from the Central Division.

I want to start by saying this is a significant drop in daily reported cases is not celebratory news. This should not be misinterpreted as a true reduction of COVID-19 cases in these two divisions. Over the last few weeks, we have had to shift and re-strategize our COVID-19 testing strategy to address the significant pressure on our laboratories and health services. This includes being more targeted with our testing so we can provide a rapid turnaround of results for those most at risk of severe COVID-19. We can anticipate that these shifts have an impact on our daily reported case numbers and this is why it is critical that we use various data to inform our understanding of the current situation in these divisions.

Currently, our surveillance teams are rapidly analyzing various data sources to help us build a clearer picture of the current transmission in these two divisions. However, we do know that the risk of exposure to the virus in both Central and Western divisions remains extremely high with significant community transmission of the virus.

On a more positive note, since our last update, there have been 664 new recoveries, which means that there are now 24,299 active cases. This adds to a total of 38,344 cases detected during the outbreak that started in April 2021.

We also have an additional thirteen COVID-19 deaths to report, bringing our total to 340 since March of 2020.

Three of these people whose deaths were caused by COVID-19  had received the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine before they died. However, we know from the timeline of when their symptoms first developed that two of these individuals were infected with the virus before they got the second dose of the vaccine. We must understand that there is a difference between cure and prevention. The vaccine is not a cure for COVID-19, which means it will not help if you get vaccinated when you are already infected and sick with the virus. The vaccine helps to prevent you from getting COVID-19 and dying from it. Two doses of the vaccine help to lower your risk of getting infected with the virus and greatly reduces your risk of severe disease and death.

The third patient got sick with COVID-19 and died within two weeks of the second dose. As we have made clear in numerous past statements, you must have two doses of the vaccine and wait at least two weeks after the second dose to be considered fully vaccinated. This is because your immune system needs at least two weeks to react to the vaccine and form a protective response. So, to be considered fully vaccinated, you need to receive both doses and wait two weeks after the second dose for the full protection to take effect.

No one in Fiji has died from COVID-19 after they have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Dr. Aalisha will walk us through the timelines associated with these three deaths.

THE DELTA VARIANT 

The situation we are fighting here in Fiji is reflective of the situation many countries are currently responding to. Globally the Delta variant has resulted in a global surge in COVID-19 cases and is now the dominant strain of the virus. From June to July 2021, the WHO reported that COVID-19 infections increased globally by 80%.

Over the past few weeks, we have also seen a spike in dangerous misinformation and individuals posing as experts providing incorrect facts about COVID-19. We are concerned that people who are inclined to resist the vaccine will cling to that misinformation or even misconstrue facts that are reported correctly, threatening the efforts of our teams trying to provide the best protection possible for our communities. So I want to start by explaining the facts about the current situation and this Delta variant.

The WHO has described the Delta variant as the most transmissible variant to date, with the virus capable of more easily infecting a person, as well as causing that person to be more infectious.

It is more transmissible than the common cold or influenza. It is more transmissible than smallpox, MERS, SARS, or Ebola –– it is just as, if not more, transmissible than chickenpox. It may be one of the most infectious respiratory viruses humanity has ever encountered.

This increased infectiousness is also reflected in what we see in countries that have seen rapid and frightening surges in COVID-19 cases, like in the UK, USA, and India.

Here in Fiji, the science and evidence also show us that we are on the right track with responding to this new strain. The latest global data tells us the vaccine does reduce the risk of symptomatic disease from the virus. And while some people may still be infected with the virus when fully vaccinated, COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective at reducing a person’s risk of becoming seriously ill, needing hospitalization or dying from COVID-19. After one dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine, a person is provided 71% protection from being severely ill or hospitalized; and this goes up to 92% protection after their second dose.

So while we know that some people may still be infected even if they are fully vaccinated, these vaccines provide life-saving protection from severe COVID-19 and death. A fully vaccinated person may still get infected with the virus, however, they will likely experience only mild or no symptoms because of the protection provided by these vaccines.

For instance, in the UK where they have a high vaccination coverage rate, they are now seeing surges of cases due to Delta variant, however, their daily hospitalizations and deaths have been less than previous COVID-19 outbreaks.

For the US, we can see a similar picture where they are reporting significant spikes of COVID-19 cases and deaths in areas with high unvaccinated communities. Their hospitals and intensive care units are full of unvaccinated.

These experiences from other countries and also the latest guidance from global experts provide us a picture of what we can anticipate for the future here in Fiji. If we reach our goal of at least 80% vaccination of our target population, while we may still see individuals infected with the virus, we will not see nearly as many people becoming seriously ill, needing hospitalization or dying from COVID-19. Our ultimate goal remains for us to protect our friends, family, and colleagues from becoming seriously ill or dying from this virus. And vaccines are the best way to do that.

Recent global studies have also shown that these vaccines reduce the risk of the virus spreading to other household members. In short, these vaccines will protect those who take them but also, to some extent, those that the vaccinated person comes into contact with. So we should all be vaccinated, not only for our health, but for the health of those around us, our families, friends, co-workers, and customers. The clear message that is reverberating from renowned health institutions such as US CDC, and others, and the experience of many nations around the world that are facing the same challenge as we are, is that widespread immunity through vaccines is the only sustainable way out of this pandemic.

Given the increased transmissibility of new variants of concern, however, we know that vaccination alone is not an answer – we must continue to apply all of the public health measures in our toolbox that we know are effective also against these variants – like wearing masks, washing hands frequently and maintaining physical distance from others outside our immediate household. We are still a long way from having at least 80% of the population fully vaccinated, so these are prudent measures despite our improving vaccine coverage.

For those in our community who have yet to be vaccinated, I want to again remind you to listen to the facts and not be misguided by the misinformation and rumors spreading within our community. The decisions you make not only affect you but those in your family, the broader community, and as a country.

That being said, I want to remind everyone, vaccinated or not, we all need to stay alert to our own health and immediately self-isolate if you have symptoms of COVID-19.

TIMELINE FOR RELAXATION OF HEALTH MEASURES

While we are daily responding to the current situation, adjusting where necessary based upon new and emerging issues, we are also planning for the future.  As part of our larger mitigation strategy, there are two major factors driving our decision-making. The first is the extent of community transmission. Second is the progress of our vaccination campaign.

We established the border of the Lami-Nausori Containment Zone because of the high number of clusters within that specific containment area. Since this time we have seen increasing cases on both sides of the border, meaning that we now will be considering the benefits of keeping these measures in place.

With the rise of cases in the West, as well as increasing vaccination coverage, we are now reviewing the purpose and utility of the containment zone border entirely. Any adjustments to this containment zone will depend on the number of vaccines provided to our communities, in addition to vaccination coverage for specific locations. We know there are communities that will see higher flows of traffic once the containment zone border is lifted, particularly places along the Coral Coast highway that are stopover areas for people commuting between Suva and Lautoka. Our health teams will be imminently surveying these areas to confirm what percentage of these communities have been vaccinated before we consider lifting the border. Where we do not see sufficient vaccine coverage, we are deploying our stock of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccines, which has a shorter timeline for full immunization.

We are also considering a revision to the curfew hours. Again, the decision hinges on vaccine coverage. The fact that we are considering these changes should not equate to complacency. This outbreak is far from over –– every technical factor shows the risk of transmission is extremely high across Viti Levu. We do not have a specific date for you today as to when the border will be lifted or when the curfew hours will change. But we know when those actions are taken they will be accompanied by more stringent enforcement of our existing health measures –– particularly our blanket restriction on social gatherings.

Travel from Viti Levu to the North and to the maritime islands remains highly regulated with pre-departure and quarantine protocols in place. We have no positive cases in those areas –– that is a very good thing and we all want to keep it that way. So we have no near-term plans to change the protocols around inter-island travel. Life in those areas should continue as it is –– there’s no sense in putting everyone in those regions at risk.

ADDITIONAL UPDATES

The Ministry’s strategy remains to prioritize vaccinating the most vulnerable subgroups –– people older than 60, pregnant women, people with co-morbidities, and other vulnerable groups–as quickly as possible. One thing we know for sure: Vaccination is safe for people with chronic illnesses, and the Covid virus is extremely dangerous for people with chronic illnesses. So the choice is clear – get vaccinated or take the risk of becoming seriously ill from COVID-19. Again we recommend anyone who falls into these vulnerable categories make arrangements to get vaccinated right away. Mobile vaccination teams will intensify their efforts to reach the elderly and others who may not be able to go out for vaccination.

In the Central division, we have also strengthened our Home Isolation admission and discharge protocol to ensure that the data we are using to follow up patients who are on home isolation protocol is updated and robust. In this regard, we may have unintentionally missed out on some individuals who should have been discharged from home isolation by now. Therefore, we wish to inform residents of the Lami-Nausori containment zone, that if you have been in home isolation prior to 27 July 2021, and do not have any symptoms of COVID-19, you can end your period of home isolation from today, Wednesday, 11 August 2021. If you still have symptoms of COVID-19, please present yourself to your nearest screening clinic or health facility for further assessment and advice. You can also call 158 for further advice.

One troubling trend we’re still seeing is patients arriving at hospitals dead on arrival due to COVID-19. It’s upsetting. Worse, it’s unnecessary. We have established a hotline to detect cases of severe disease. We have teams ready to deploy and transport patients to hospitals. Please keep an eye on your loved ones –– particularly if they are older or have underlying health conditions. If they have serious flu-like symptoms, please report them so that they can receive the potentially life-saving care that they need. There is no cure for COVID, but there are measures we can take that can still save someone’s life if we have the chance to do so.

FEMAT –– our emergency response team –– is currently conducting more medical evacuations in areas outside of the current Lami-Nausori Containment Zone than from within it. We’re having discussions with the Police to ensure that people outside of the Lami-Nausori Containment Zone have full and efficient access to emergency retrieval teams, and they should call 165 if they, or someone in their household, have developed severe flu-like symptoms.

In summary, this delta virus has changed the nature of our battle especially in regards to vaccine breakthrough infections but remember this:

• The risk of severe disease or death is reduced 10-fold or greater in vaccinated individuals, so vaccine mandates will protect the vulnerable population
• The risk of transmission is reduced in the vaccinated
• All other community mitigation strategies must be fully enforced. Wear your masks, maintain your physical distance, wash your hands often, and do not gather socially. And keep your careFIJI app switched on at all times you are outside your home.

We need to take all these measures while we continue our vaccination program with the goal of vaccinating all adults in Fiji. We need a minimum of 80% of adults fully vaccinated, and I would like to get 100% coverage if possible.

Then, as more data emerges worldwide about the safety of the vaccine in children, we will make a decision about recommending the vaccine for children who are at least 12 years old.

Our basic message remains:

Everyone should arrange to get fully vaccinated.

Maintain the COVID-safe practices we know.

Isolate yourself if you have mild symptoms.

Call 165 to receive treatment if you have severe symptoms.

We all need to do our part to contain the spread of this virus.

Vinaka vakalevu.

Media Release

COVID-19 Daily Update

Tuesday, 10 August 2021

Transmission Update

We have 264 new cases of COVID-19 to report for the 24 hour period that ended at 8am today. 131 cases are from the Western Division and 133 cases are from the Central Division. 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 new cases, active cases, and recovered cases on the dashboard at the following link: http://bit.ly/3vE2ZBb.

There have been 257 new recoveries reported since the last update, which means that there are now 24,414 active cases. 18,948 active cases are in the Central Division and 5,446 active cases in the Western Division. All cases that were recorded in the Northern and Eastern Divisions (cases that were imported from Viti Levu) have recovered and there are no active cases currently in those divisions.

There have been 37,776 cases during the outbreak that started in April 2021. We have recorded a total of 37, 846 cases in Fiji since the first case was reported in March 2020, with 12,934 recoveries.

Deaths

We have 10 new COVID-19 deaths to report for the period of 30^th July – 10^th August.  All deaths were reported from the Central Division.

The first COVID-19 death to report is an 82 year old man from Nausori who died at home on the 08/08/2021. He was not vaccinated.

The second COVID-19 death to report is a 69 year old woman from Suva who died at home on the 07/08/2021. She was not vaccinated.

The third COVID-19 death to report is a 64 year old woman from Wailea who died at home on the 08/08/2021. She received the first dose of the vaccine in late May. She did not receive the 2^nd dose of the vaccine. This means that she was not fully vaccinated.

The fourth COVID-19 death to report is a 64 year old man from Suva who died at home on the 09/08/2021. He was not vaccinated.

The fifth COVID-19 death to report is a 47 year old man from Kinoya who died at home on the 09/08/2021. He was not vaccinated.

The sixth COVID-19 death to report is a 44 year old woman from Lami. She presented to the CWM Hospital in severe respiratory distress. She died ten days after admission at the CWM Hospital (30/07/2021). She was not vaccinated.

The seventh COVID-19 death to report is a 72 year old man from Kalabu. He presented to the CWM Hospital in severe respiratory distress. He died one day after admission at the CWM Hospital (09/08/2021). He received the first dose of the vaccine in early June. He did not receive the second dose of the vaccine. This means that he was not fully vaccinated.

The eighth COVID-19 death to report is a 52 year old woman from Nabua. She presented to the CWM hospital in severe respiratory distress. She died 12 days after admission on 09/08/2021. She was not vaccinated.

The ninth COVID-19 death to report is a 63 year old man from Lami. He presented to the CWM hospital in severe respiratory distress.  He died 2 days after admission on  09/08/2021. He was not vaccinated.

The tenth COVID-19 death to report is a 51 year old woman from Suva. She presented to the CWM hospital in severe respiratory distress.  She died 17 days after admission on 10/08/2021. She was not vaccinated.

There have been 3 more deaths of COVID-19 positive patients. However, these deaths have been classified as non-COVID deaths by their doctors. Doctors have determined that their deaths were caused by serious pre-existing medical conditions and not COVID-19.

With today’s newly reported deaths, there have now been 327 deaths due to COVID-19 in Fiji, with 325 of these deaths during the outbreak that started in April this year. The 7 day rolling average of COVID-19 deaths per day is 7.  We also have recorded 171 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 300 COVID-19 patients admitted to hospital. 62 patients are admitted to the Lautoka Hospital, 67 patients are admitted at the FEMAT field hospital, and 171 admitted at CWM hospital, St Giles, and Makoi. 41 patients are considered to be in severe condition, and 9 are in critical condition.

Screening Update

A total of 6,176 individuals were screened and 773 swabbed at our stationary screening clinics in the last 24 hours, bringing our cumulative total to 432,174 individuals screened and 76,462 swabbed to date. As of the 09^th August our mobile screening teams screened a total of 1,366 individuals and swabbed 155. This brings our cumulative total to 783,709 individuals screened and 69,206 swabbed by our mobile teams.

Testing update

A total of 297,801 samples have been tested since this outbreak started in April 2021, with 340,662 tested since testing began in March 2020. 1085 tests have been reported for August 8th. The 7-day daily test average is 2489 tests per day or 2.8 tests per 1,000 population. The national 7-day average daily test positivity is 37.1 %.

Vaccination Update

As of the 09th August 513, 535 adults in Fiji have received their first dose of the vaccine and 180,722 have received their second doses. This means that 87.5% of the target population have received at least one dose and 30.8% 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 730 cases per day or 825 cases per million population per day. We have noted a drop in cases reported per day recently. However, our daily testing numbers have also been dropping around the same time, due to the change in testing policy in Suva-Nausori. As announced on July 21st by the Permanent Secretary, only persons that have a higher risk of developing severe COVID-19 are being targeted for testing in Suva-Nausori. This was done so that resources could be targeted to early detection, monitoring and care of persons with COVID-19 who are at higher risk of severe disease, to prevent more people succumbing to severe disease and death.

We are likely seeing the effect of this testing policy change now in Suva-Nausori with the drop in daily reported cases. This does not mean that the outbreak is on a downward trend in the Suva-Nausori community. As previously announced by the Permanent Secretary, daily case numbers in Suva-Nausori are currently not being used as an indicator to monitor progress of the outbreak in Suva-Nausori. The Ministry is closely monitoring other indicators such as  test positivity, hospitalisations and deaths to track the progress of the outbreak in Suva-Nausori. Test positivity in Suva-Nausori was between 40-50% before the change in testing policy and has remained at this high level, which is above the national average. This is one indicator of the continuing high level of community transmission in this area.

Testing levels in the Western Division remain consistently high with 3.8-4 tests per 1000 population per day at a 7 day average. We are seeing increasing cases reported in the Western Division with evidence of widespread community transmission in that division.  We are also recording increasing numbers of people with severe disease, and deaths in the West. The Northern and Eastern Divisions currently have no active cases.

Advice to the public

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

In the Western Division,  please go to your nearest healthcare facility if you have symptoms of severe COVID-19.

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

Media Release

COVID-19 Daily Update

Monday, 09 August 2021

Transmission Update

We have 603 new cases of COVID-19 to report for the 24 hour period that ended at 8am today. 223 cases are from the Western Division and 380 cases are from the Central Division. 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 new cases, active cases, and recovered cases on the dashboard at the following link: http://bit.ly/3vE2ZBb.

There have been 293 new recoveries reported since the last update, which means that there are now 24,420 active cases. 19,088 active cases are in the Central Division and 5,332 in the West. All cases that were recorded in the Northern and Eastern Divisions (cases that were imported from Viti Levu) have recovered and there are no active cases currently in those divisions.

There have been 37,512 cases during the outbreak that started in April 2021. We have recorded a total of 37, 582 cases in Fiji since the first case was reported in March 2020, with 12,677 recoveries.

Deaths

We have 18 new COVID-19 deaths to report for the period of 04^th August to 09^th August.  Twelve deaths were reported from the Western Division and seven deaths were reported from the Central Division.

The first COVID-19 death to report is an 83 year old man from Lautoka. He presented to the Lautoka hospital in severe respiratory distress. He died four days after admission to hospital on 06/08/2021. He was not vaccinated.

The second COVID-19 death to report is a 79 year old woman from Sigatoka. She was declared dead on arrival by the attending medical officer at the Sigatoka Sub-Divisional Hospital on 06/08/2021. This means that she died at home or on her way to the hospital. She was not vaccinated.

The third COVID-19 death to report is an 86 year old man from Sigatoka. He was declared dead on arrival by the attending medical officer at the Sigatoka Sub-Divisional Hospital on 05/08/2021. This means that he died at home or on his way to the hospital. He was not vaccinated.

The fourth COVID-19 death to report is a 70 year old man from Nadi. He presented to a medical facility in severe respiratory distress. His condition worsened in the medical facility and he died on the same day (07/08/2021). He was not vaccinated.

The fifth COVID-19 death to report is a 75 year old man from Lautoka. He was declared dead on arrival by the attending medical officer at the Lautoka Hospital on 06/08/2021. This means that he died at home or on his way to the hospital. He was not vaccinated.

The sixth COVID-19 death to report is an 83 year old woman from Lautoka. She was declared dead on arrival by the attending medical officer at the Lautoka Hospital on 06/08/2021. This means that she died at home or on her way to the hospital. She was not vaccinated.

The seventh COVID-19 death to report is an 80 year old man from Lautoka. He was declared dead on arrival by the attending medical officer at the Lautoka Hospital on 06/08/2021. This means that he died at home or on his way to the hospital. He was not vaccinated.

The eighth COVID-19 death to report is an 88 year old man from Ba. He presented to the Ba Mission Hospital in respiratory distress. He died two days after admission at the hospital on 07/08/2021. He was not vaccinated.

The ninth COVID-19 death to report is a 49 year old man from Nadi.  He was declared dead on arrival by the attending medical officer at the Nadi Hospital on 08/08/2021. This means that he died at home or on his way to the hospital. He was not vaccinated.

The tenth COVID-19 death to report is a 37 year old woman from Nadi. She presented to Nadi hospital in severe respiratory distress. She was reported to have had symptoms of cough and shortness of breath for 5 days, and she had recently given birth. A medical team retrieved her and brought her to the Lautoka Hospital. She died five days after admission to hospital on 07/08/2021. She was not vaccinated.

The eleventh COVID-19 death to report is a 48 year old man from Lautoka.  He presented to the Lautoka Hospital in severe respiratory distress. He died two days after admission on 08/08/2021. He was not vaccinated.

The twelfth COVID-19 death to report is a 60 year old woman from Dawasamu. She presented to a medical facility in severe respiratory distress. She died on the same day at the medical facility (06/08/2021). She was not vaccinated.

The thirteenth COVID-19 death to report is a 63 year old man from Nakasi who died at home on the 07/08/2021. He was not vaccinated.

The fourteenth COVID-19 death to report is a 70 year old woman from Nakasi. She presented to the CWM Hospital in severe respiratory distress. She died 5 days after admission on 08/08/2021. She was not vaccinated.

The fifteenth COVID-19 death to report is a 68 year old man from Nasinu who died at home on the 09/08/2021. He was not vaccinated.

The sixteenth COVID-19 death to report is a 72 year old woman from Nausori who died at home on the 07/08/2021. She was not vaccinated.

The seventeenth COVID-19 death to report is an 88 year old woman from Naitasiri who died at home on the 08/08/2021. She was not vaccinated.

The eighteenth COVID-19 death to report is an 81 year old woman from Naitasiri who died at home on the 08/08/2021. She was not vaccinated.

There have been 10 more deaths of COVID-19 positive patients. However, these deaths have been classified as non-COVID deaths by their doctors. Doctors have determined that their deaths were caused by serious pre-existing medical conditions and not COVID-19.

With today’s newly reported deaths, there have now been 317 deaths due to COVID-19 in Fiji, with 315 of these deaths during the outbreak that started in April this year. The 7 day rolling average of COVID-19 deaths per day is 7.  We also have recorded 168 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 289 COVID-19 patients admitted to hospital. 58 patients are admitted to the Lautoka Hospital, 68 patients are admitted at the FEMAT field hospital, and 163 admitted at CWM hospital, St Giles, and Makoi. 66 patients are considered to be in severe condition, and 6 are in critical condition.

Screening Update

A total of 930 individuals were screened and 176 swabbed at our stationary screening clinics in the last 24 hours, bringing our cumulative total to 425,998 individuals screened and 75,689 swabbed to date. As of the 07^th August our mobile screening teams screened a total of 1,500 individuals and swabbed 309. This brings our cumulative total to 782,343 individuals screened and 69,051 swabbed by our mobile teams.

Testing update

A total of 296,716 samples have been tested since this outbreak started in April 2021, with 339,577 tested since testing began in March 2020. 1550 tests have been reported for August 7th. Pending testing number data from one lab has been received for August 5-6th. The 7-day daily test average is 2795 tests per day or 3.2 tests per 1,000 population. The national 7-day average daily test positivity is 34.1 %.

Vaccination Update

As of the 08th August 512, 282 adults in Fiji have received their first dose of the vaccine and 178,606 have received their second doses. This means that 87.3% of the target population have received at least one dose and 30.4% 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 867 cases per day or 980 cases per million population per day. Daily cases numbers remain high, and daily test positivity remains high, indicating ongoing widespread community transmission in the Suva-Nausori containment zone. Cases are also increasing in the West with evidence of widespread community transmission in that division.  We are also recording increasing numbers of people with severe disease, and deaths in the West. The Northern and Eastern Divisions currently have no active cases.

Advice to the public

COVID-19 health services in the Western Division.

The Ministry of Health and Medical Services wishes to inform the public that due to the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in the Western Division, it is necessary to adjust the current health services strategy for the division in Mitigation Phase.

Residents for the whole of the Western Division from the Nadroga medical subdivision to the Ra medical subdivision are requested to note that the Ministry of Health and Medical Services will, in the coming days, be varying its public advisories and guidelines to reflect the evolving COVID-19 situation

Some of the initial changes in this Mitigation Phase are below, and they strictly apply to members of the public in the Western division only:

Screening and Testing

Individuals experiencing COVID-19 symptoms: cough, runny nose, nasal congestion, sneezing, fatigue/extreme tiredness, headache, aches and pains, sore throat, fever, diarrhea, red eyes (conjunctivitis), loss of taste or smell, a rash on the skin should visit the nearest screening clinic for testing.

Individuals who test positive will be provided immediate advice and care by the health teams at the screening facility.

Pregnant Women

Pregnant women experiencing COVID-19 symptoms: cough, runny nose, nasal congestion, sneezing, fatigue/extreme tiredness, headache, aches and pains, sore throat, fever, diarrhea, red eyes (conjunctivitis), loss of taste or smell, a rash on the skin, must immediately visit a screening clinic for testing.

Pregnant women who test positive will be provided immediate advice and care by the health teams at the screening facility.

Contact Tracing

The Western Division health teams will no longer carry out contact tracing. Health response teams in the Western Division will now be redirected to the identification and close monitoring of people with COVID-19 symptoms who are at higher risk of developing severe COVID-19.

Members of the public who return positive COVID-19 test results will be provided advice and resources to aid their self-isolation at home.  COVID-19 positive cases are encouraged to take responsibility and share information and advice to their known primary contacts.

Primary contact testing and clearance

Clearance testing will no longer be required for primary contacts. Primary contacts are required to self-isolate at home for 14-days from the day the known COVID-19 case they had close contact with, tested positive or 14 days from the day of the last contact with a known COVID-19 case.

Workers requiring official leave from work can attend the nearest screening clinic or Health Care Facility to be checked and obtain a medical certificate for 14 days of self-isolation at home.

Additional Information

Families and caregivers of the vulnerable, including the elderly, are urged to monitor the health of their loved ones.  If they develop COVID-19 symptoms, please take them to the nearest screening clinic.  If an individual has a disability, or is otherwise physically unable to leave their home and attend a screening clinic, in these exceptional circumstances, individuals can call 158 and request a home swabbing service.

The public is advised to please take responsibility to stop community transmission by continuing to practice the following: wear a mask, wash your hands regularly with soap and water or use a hand sanitiser, practice safe physical distancing of 2m apart, cover your cough and sneeze, wipe frequently touched surfaces and objects with disinfectant. Get vaccinated and encourage your family members to vaccinate too.  Stay in your bubble and avoid close contact with people who do not live with you.

Businesses are also asked to take responsibility for the decontamination of their premises. Please continue to ensure that the workplace is well ventilated. Encourage your staff to wipe down frequently touched surfaces with disinfectants at least three times a day. Businesses are encouraged to arrange rosters for their employees to ensure safe physical distancing at work. If any employee starts showing symptoms, please ensure they visit a screening clinic and self-isolate at home.

Main Clinical Health facilities

• All major health facilities will continue to remain fully functional in all subdivisions in the West, providing emergency services, admissions, and inpatient care for COVID and non-COVID diseases.
• General outpatient services continue in the health centres.
• SOPD services at Lautoka Hospital are currently suspended. Prescription refills for SOPD clients are available from the Girmit Centre.
• ANC clinics in Lautoka is available at the Girmit Centre, junction of Kings Road and Tavakubu Rd. Appointments for ANC clinics is made with the doctor at your nearest health centre.

Request for food assistance

Individuals who return positive test results for COVID-19 and are immediately asked to self-isolate, will have food ration requests facilitated by the sub-divisional health teams in your area.

Curfew hours

Curfew hours remain from 6pm – 4am.

COVID-19 health services in Suva-Nausori: 

If you or someone you are caring for has mild symptoms but is at high risk of severe COVID – in particular individuals over 50 years, have a chronic illness such as diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, asthma, are obese, or are pregnant – we need you to visit one of our screening clinics and get tested. If you test positive, then we will ensure you are provided immediate care by our health teams.

Community transmission within the Suva-Nausori containment zone is at a very high level. This means that anyone who develops symptoms of COVID-19 in Suva-Nausori should assume that they have COVID-19. Most people infected with COVID-19 will have mild symptoms like cough, runny nose, sore throat, fever, loss of taste or smell, body ache, or headache, and will fully recover at home with no medical intervention necessary. People who have any of these symptoms and are not within a group that is at higher risk for developing severe COVID-19 will no longer be tested for COVID-19, and should stay at home, strictly self-isolate for 14 days, and continue to monitor your symptoms for severe COVID-19.

If you develop any signs of severe COVID-19, like difficulty breathing or chest pain, please go immediately to one of our dedicated health facilities: 

• 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. 

1.) For symptomatic workers who need official leave from work, they are recommended to attend the nearest screening clinic to be checked and to obtain a medical certificate for the 14 days of home isolation.

2.) Symptomatic workers can also obtain a medical certificate for the 14 days self-isolation at home from participating General Practitioners (GPs).

For people anywhere else in Fiji: 

Please call 158 or go to your nearest screening clinic for testing if you have any symptoms of COVID-19. If you do leave your home to go to a screening clinic: please wear a mask that covers your mouth and nose, keep at least 2 metres between yourself and others outside your household, wash your hands with soap and water frequently or use hand sanitiser, and download and activate the careFIJI app if you have a smartphone, and avoid using public transport. Also call 158 if you have been in contact with someone confirmed as a case of COVID-19.

Media Release

COVID-19 Daily Update

Sunday, 08 August 2021

Transmission Update

We have 657 new cases of COVID-19 to report for the 24 hour period that ended at 8 am today. 256 cases are from the Western Division and 401 cases are from the Central Division. 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 new cases, active cases, and recovered cases on the dashboard at the following link: http://bit.ly/3vE2ZBb.

There have been 586 new recoveries reported since the last update, which means that there are now 24,138 active cases. 19,005 active cases are in the Central Division and 5,133 in the West. All cases that were recorded in the Northern and Eastern Divisions (cases that were imported from Viti Levu) have recovered and there are no active cases currently in those divisions.

There have been 36,909 cases during the outbreak that started in April 2021. We have recorded a total of 36,979 cases in Fiji since the first case was reported in March 2020, with 12,384 recoveries.

Deaths

We have 3 new COVID-19 deaths to report for the period of 06^th August- 07^th August. All three deaths were reported from the Central Division.

The first COVID-19 death to report is an 86 year old woman from Newtown who died at home on 06/08/2021. She was not vaccinated.

The second COVID-19 death to report is a 73-year-old woman from Kinoya who died at home on 06/08/2021. She was not vaccinated.

The third COVID-19 death to report is a 71-year-old man from Cunningham who died at home on 07/08/2021. He was not vaccinated.

With today’s newly reported deaths, there have now been 299 deaths due to COVID-19 in Fiji, with 297 of these deaths during the outbreak that started in April this year. The 7 day rolling average of COVID-19 deaths per day is 6.  We also have recorded 158 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

In the Central Division: There are currently 240 COVID-19 patients admitted to the hospital. 69 patients are admitted at the FEMAT field hospital, and 171 were admitted at CWM hospital, St Giles, and Makoi. 50 patients are considered to be in severe condition, and 5 are in critical condition. Today’s hospitalisation data update is pending from the Western Division.

 

Screening Update

A total of 3086 individuals were screened and 338 swabbed at our stationary screening clinics in the last 24 hours, bringing our cumulative total to 425,068 individuals screened and 75,513 swabbed to date. As of the 07^th August our mobile screening teams screened a total of 1,500 individuals and swabbed 309. This brings our cumulative total to 782,343 individuals screened and 69,051 swabbed by our mobile teams.

Testing update

A total of 294,860 samples have been tested since this outbreak started in April 2021, with 337,721 tested since testing began in March 2020. 1981 tests have been reported for August 6th. Testing number data is pending from one laboratory. Based on available data the national 7-day daily test average is 3010 tests per day or 3.4 tests per 1,000 population. The national 7-day average daily test positivity is 31.3 %.

Vaccination Update

As of the 07th August 512, 282 adults in Fiji have received their first dose of the vaccine and 178,606 have received their second doses. This means that 87.3% of the target population have received at least one dose and 30.4% 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 938 cases per day or 1060 cases per million population per day. Daily cases numbers remain high, and daily test positivity remains high, indicating ongoing widespread community transmission in the Suva-Nausori containment zone. Cases are also increasing in the West with evidence of community transmission in that division.  We are also recording increasing numbers of people with severe disease and deaths in the West. The Northern and Eastern Divisions currently have no active cases.

Advice to the public

The following was announced in a public advisory issued earlier this week:

COVID-19 health services in the Western Division.

The Ministry of Health and Medical Services wishes to inform the public that due to the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in the Western Division, it is necessary to adjust the current health services strategy for the division in Mitigation Phase.

Residents for the whole of the Western Division from the Nadroga medical subdivision to the Ra medical subdivision are requested to note that the Ministry of Health and Medical Services will, in the coming days, be varying its public advisories and guidelines to reflect the evolving COVID-19 situation

Some of the initial changes in this Mitigation Phase are below, and they strictly apply to members of the public in the Western division only:

Screening and Testing

Individuals experiencing COVID-19 symptoms: cough, runny nose, nasal congestion, sneezing, fatigue/extreme tiredness, headache, aches and pains, sore throat, fever, diarrhea, red eyes (conjunctivitis), loss of taste or smell, a rash on the skin should visit the nearest screening clinic for testing.

Individuals who test positive will be provided immediate advice and care by the health teams at the screening facility.

Pregnant Women

Pregnant women experiencing COVID-19 symptoms: cough, runny nose, nasal congestion, sneezing, fatigue/extreme tiredness, headache, aches and pains, sore throat, fever, diarrhea, red eyes (conjunctivitis), loss of taste or smell, a rash on the skin, must immediately visit a screening clinic for testing.

Pregnant women who test positive will be provided immediate advice and care by the health teams at the screening facility.

Contact Tracing

The Western Division health teams will no longer carry out contact tracing. Health response teams in the Western Division will now be redirected to the identification and close monitoring of people with COVID-19 symptoms who are at higher risk of developing severe COVID-19.

Members of the public who return positive COVID-19 test results will be provided advice and resources to aid their self-isolation at home.  COVID-19 positive cases are encouraged to take responsibility and share information and advice with their known primary contacts.

Primary contact testing and clearance

Clearance testing will no longer be required for primary contacts. Primary contacts are required to self-isolate at home for 14-days from the day the known COVID-19 case they had close contact with, tested positive, or 14 days from the day of the last contact with a known COVID-19 case.

Workers requiring official leave from work can attend the nearest screening clinic or Health Care Facility to be checked and obtain a medical certificate for 14 days of self-isolation at home.

Additional Information

Families and caregivers of the vulnerable including the elderly, are urged to monitor the health of their loved ones.  If they develop COVID-19 symptoms, please take them to the nearest screening clinic.  If an individual has a disability, or is otherwise physically unable to leave their home and attend a screening clinic, in these exceptional circumstances, individuals can call 158 and request a home swabbing service.

The public is advised to please take responsibility to stop community transmission by continuing to practice the following: wear a mask, wash your hands regularly with soap and water or use a hand sanitiser, practice safe physical distancing of 2m apart, cover your cough and sneeze, wipe frequently touched surfaces and objects with disinfectant. Get vaccinated and encourage your family members to vaccinate too.  Stay in your bubble and avoid close contact with people who do not live with you.

Businesses are also asked to take responsibility for the decontamination of their premises. Please continue to ensure that the workplace is well ventilated. Encourage your staff to wipe down frequently touched surfaces with disinfectants at least three times a day. Businesses are encouraged to arrange rosters for their employees to ensure safe physical distancing at work. If any employee starts showing symptoms, please ensure they visit a screening clinic and self-isolate at home.

Main Clinical Health facilities

• All major health facilities will continue to remain fully functional in all subdivisions in the West, providing emergency services, admissions, and inpatient care for COVID and non-COVID diseases.
• General outpatient services continue in the health centres.
• SOPD services at Lautoka Hospital are currently suspended. Prescription refills for SOPD clients are available from the Girmit Centre.
• ANC clinics in Lautoka are available at the Girmit Centre, junction of Kings Road and Tavakubu Rd. Appointments for ANC clinics are made with the doctor at your nearest health centre.

Request for food assistance

Individuals who return positive test results for COVID-19 and are immediately asked to self-isolate will have food ration requests facilitated by the sub-divisional health teams in your area.

 

Curfew hours

Curfew hours remain from 6 pm – 4 am.

Media Release

COVID-19 Daily Update

Saturday, 07 August 2021

Transmission Update

We have 682 new cases of COVID-19 to report for the 24 hour period that ended at 8am today. 193 cases are from the Western Division and 489 cases are from the Central Division. 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 new cases, active cases, and recovered cases on the dashboard at the following link: http://bit.ly/3vE2ZBb.

There have been 297 new recoveries reported since the last update, which means that there are now 24,070 active cases. 19,154 active cases are in the Central Division and 4,916 in the West. All cases that were recorded in the Northern and Eastern Divisions (cases that were imported from Viti Levu) have recovered and there are no active cases currently in those divisions.

There have been 36,252 cases during the outbreak that started in April 2021. We have recorded a total of 36,322 cases in Fiji since the first case was reported in March 2020, with 11,798 recoveries.

Deaths

We have 6 new COVID-19 deaths to report for the period of 05^th August- 06^th August. 3 of the deaths were in the Central Division, and 3 deaths were from the Western Division.

The first COVID-19 death to report is an 18-year-old woman from Suva who died at home on 05/08/2021. Her family reported that she had a cough five days prior to her presentation. She was not vaccinated.

The second COVID-19 death to report is a 75-year-old man from Nausori. He presented to the CWM hospital in severe respiratory distress. His condition worsened in the hospital and he died on the same day 05/08/2021. He received the 1^st dose of the vaccine in early July. He did not receive the second dose of the vaccine. This means that he was not fully vaccinated.

The third COVID-19 death to report is a 77-year-old man from Suva. He presented to the CWM hospital in severe respiratory distress. His condition worsened in the hospital and he died six days after admission on 07/08/2021. He was not vaccinated.

The fourth COVID-19 death to report is a 50-year-old woman from Lautoka. She presented to the Lautoka Hospital in respiratory distress. Her condition worsened at the hospital and she died 7 days after admission (05/08/2021). She was not vaccinated.

The fifth COVID-19 death to report is an 85-year-old woman from Lautoka. She presented to the Lautoka Hospital in respiratory distress. Her family reported that she had a fever and cough two days prior to the presentation. Her condition worsened at the hospital and she died 2 days after admission (06/08/2021). She received the 1^st dose of the vaccine in late July. She did not receive the second dose of the vaccine. This means that she was not fully vaccinated.

The sixth COVID-19 death to report is a 59-year-old woman from Lautoka. She presented to the Lautoka Hospital in respiratory distress. Her family reported that she had a fever, cough, and shortness of breath one week prior to presentation. Her condition worsened at the hospital and she died 2 days after admission (06/08/2021). She was not vaccinated.

There have been 5 more deaths of COVID-19 positive patients. However, their deaths have been classified as non-COVID deaths by their doctors. Doctors have determined that their deaths were caused by serious pre-existing medical conditions and not COVID-19.

With today’s newly reported deaths, there have now been 296 deaths due to COVID-19 in Fiji, with 294 of these deaths during the outbreak that started in April this year. The 7 day rolling average of COVID-19 deaths per day is 6.  We also have recorded 158 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 292 COVID-19 patients admitted to the hospital. 58 patients are admitted to the Lautoka hospital. In Suva, 72 patients are admitted at the FEMAT field hospital, and 162 were admitted at CWM hospital, St Giles, and Makoi. 66 patients are considered to be in severe condition, and 10 are in critical condition.

Screening Update

A total of 5,338 individuals were screened and 642 swabbed at our stationary screening clinics in the last 24 hours, bringing our cumulative total to 421,982 individuals screened and 75,175 swabbed to date. As of the 06^th August, our mobile screening teams screened a total of 2,509 individuals and swabbed 94. This brings our cumulative total to 780,843 individuals screened and 68,742 swabbed by our mobile teams.

Testing update

A total of 292,879 samples have been tested since this outbreak started in April 2021, with 335,740 tested since testing began in March 2020. 2899 tests have been reported for August 5th. The national 7-day daily test average is 3234 tests per day or 3.7 tests per 1,000 population. The national 7-day average daily test positivity is 30.8 %.

Vaccination Update

As of the 06th August, 508,796 adults in Fiji have received their first dose of the vaccine and 175,570 have received their second doses. This means that 86.7% of the target population have received at least one dose and 29.9% 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 934 cases per day or 1056 cases per million population per day. Daily cases numbers remain high, and daily test positivity remains high, indicating ongoing widespread community transmission in the Suva-Nausori containment zone. Cases are also increasing in the West with evidence of community transmission in that division.  We are also recording increasing numbers of people with severe disease and deaths in the West. The Northern and Eastern Divisions currently have no active cases.

Advice to the public

The following was announced in a public advisory issued earlier this week:

COVID-19 health services in the Western Division.

The Ministry of Health and Medical Services wishes to inform the public that due to the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in the Western Division, it is necessary to adjust the current health services strategy for the division in Mitigation Phase.

Residents for the whole of the Western Division from the Nadroga medical subdivision to the Ra medical subdivision are requested to note that the Ministry of Health and Medical Services will, in the coming days, be varying its public advisories and guidelines to reflect the evolving COVID-19 situation

Some of the initial changes in this Mitigation Phase are below, and they strictly apply to members of the public in the Western division only:

Screening and Testing

Individuals experiencing COVID-19 symptoms: cough, runny nose, nasal congestion, sneezing, fatigue/extreme tiredness, headache, aches and pains, sore throat, fever, diarrhea, red eyes (conjunctivitis), loss of taste or smell, a rash on the skin should visit the nearest screening clinic for testing.

Individuals who test positive will be provided immediate advice and care by the health teams at the screening facility.

Pregnant Women

Pregnant women experiencing COVID-19 symptoms: cough, runny nose, nasal congestion, sneezing, fatigue/extreme tiredness, headache, aches and pains, sore throat, fever, diarrhea, red eyes (conjunctivitis), loss of taste or smell, a rash on the skin, must immediately visit a screening clinic for testing.

Pregnant women who test positive will be provided immediate advice and care by the health teams at the screening facility.

Contact Tracing

The Western Division health teams will no longer carry out contact tracing. Health response teams in the Western Division will now be redirected to the identification and close monitoring of people with COVID-19 symptoms who are at higher risk of developing severe COVID-19.

Members of the public who return positive COVID-19 test results will be provided advice and resources to aid their self-isolation at home.  COVID-19 positive cases are encouraged to take responsibility and share information and advice to their known primary contacts.

Primary contact testing and clearance

Clearance testing will no longer be required for primary contacts. Primary contacts are required to self-isolate at home for 14-days from the day the known COVID-19 case they had close contact with, tested positive or 14 days from the day of the last contact with a known COVID-19 case.

Workers requiring official leave from work can attend the nearest screening clinic or Health Care Facility to be checked and obtain a medical certificate for 14 days of self-isolation at home.

Additional Information

Families and caregivers of the vulnerable including the elderly, are urged to monitor the health of their loved ones.  If they develop COVID-19 symptoms, please take them to the nearest screening clinic.  If an individual has a disability, or is otherwise physically unable to leave their home and attend a screening clinic, in these exceptional circumstances, individuals can call 158 and request a home swabbing service.

The public is advised to please take responsibility to stop community transmission by continuing to practice the following: wear a mask, wash your hands regularly with soap and water or use a hand sanitiser, practice safe physical distancing of 2m apart, cover your cough and sneeze, wipe frequently touched surfaces and objects with disinfectant. Get vaccinated and encourage your family members to vaccinate too.  Stay in your bubble and avoid close contact with people who do not live with you.

Businesses are also asked to take responsibility for the decontamination of their premises. Please continue to ensure that the workplace is well ventilated. Encourage your staff to wipe down frequently touched surfaces with disinfectants at least three times a day. Businesses are encouraged to arrange rosters for their employees to ensure safe physical distancing at work. If any employee starts showing symptoms, please ensure they visit a screening clinic and self-isolate at home.

Main Clinical Health facilities

All major health facilities will continue to remain fully functional in all subdivisions in the West, providing emergency services, admissions, and inpatient care for COVID and non-COVID diseases.

• General outpatient services continue in the health centers.
• SOPD services at Lautoka Hospital are currently suspended. Prescription refills for SOPD clients are available from the Girmit Centre.
• ANC clinics in Lautoka are available at the Girmit Centre, junction of Kings Road and Tavakubu Rd. Appointments for ANC clinics are made with the doctor at your nearest health center.

Request for food assistance

Individuals who return positive test results for COVID-19 and are immediately asked to self-isolate will have food ration requests facilitated by the sub-divisional health teams in your area.

Curfew hours

Curfew hours remain from 6 pm – 4 am.