Media Release
COVID-19 Daily Update
Wednesday, 21st July 2021
Transmission Update
We have 1,091 new cases of COVID-19 to report for the 24 hour period that ended at 8am today. A full breakdown of areas of interest will be published online tonight on the Ministry’s COVID-19 dashboard and on the Fijian Government Facebook page. You will also be able to view the approximate locations of the new cases on the dashboard tomorrow at the following link: http://bit.ly/3vE2ZBb.
We also have 21 new COVID-19 deaths to report for the period of 14th July to 20th July.
The first COVID-19 death to report is a 32 year old pregnant woman from Lami. She presented to a medical facility on the 14/07/2021 in severe respiratory distress. She was retrieved by a medical team to the CWM hospital. She was assessed by specialists and her baby was delivered by emergency caesarean section. Sadly, her condition worsened and she died 4 days after admission on 18/07/2021. She was not vaccinated.
The second COVID-19 death to report is a 33 year old pregnant woman from Lami. She presented to the CWM hospital maternity day assessment unit on 13/07/2021 in severe respiratory distress. She was assessed by the clinical specialist team and her baby was delivered by emergency cesarean section. Unfortunately, her condition worsened and she died 6 days after admission on 19/07/2021. She was not vaccinated.
The third COVID-19 death to report is a 39 year old man from Tacirua who died at home on the 17/07/2021.He was not vaccinated.
The fourth COVID-19 death to report is a 85 year old woman from Veidogo Settlement who died at home on the 16/07/2021.She was not vaccinated.
The fifth COVID-19 death to report is a 65 year old woman from Waqani who died at home on the 18/07/2021.She had received her 1st dose of the vaccine in early-June. She did not receive the 2nd dose of the vaccine. This means that she was not fully vaccinated.
The sixth COVID-19 death to report is a 81 year old woman from Tamavua-I-Wai who died at home on the 16/07/2021.She was not vaccinated.
The seventh COVID-19 death to report is a 75 year old man from Lagilagi Housing who died at home on the 17/07/2021.He was not vaccinated.
The eighth COVID-19 death to report is a 70 year old man from Cautata Village who died at home on the 16/07/2021.He was not vaccinated.
The ninth COVID-19 death to report is a 85 year old man from Naitasiri who died at home on the 19/07/2021.He was not vaccinated.
The tenth COVID-19 death to report is a 69 year old woman from Waiqanake who died at home on the 18/07/2021. She was not vaccinated.
The eleventh COVID-19 death to report is a 48 year old man from Laucala Bay. He presented to the CWM Hospital Emergency Department in severe respiratory distress. He died on the same day (19/07/2021).His family reported that he had a cough, fever and shortness of breath 3 days prior. He was not vaccinated.
The twelfth COVID-19 death to report is a 73 year old man from Tamavua who died at home on the 18/07/2021. He presented to the CWM Hospital Emergency Department in severe respiratory distress. He died on the same day (17/07/2021). His family reported that he had a cough, fever and shortness of breath 2 days prior. He was not vaccinated.
The thirteenth COVID-19 death to report is a 70 year old man from Cunningham. He presented to the FEMAT field hospital in severe respiratory distress. His condition worsened i and he died on the same day (18/07/2021). He was not vaccinated.
The fourteenth COVID-19 death to report is a 54 year old man from Nadawa who died at home on 19/07/2021. He was not vaccinated.
The fifteenth COVID-19 death to report is a 60 year old woman from Tamavua. She presented to the CWM Hospital Emergency Department in severe respiratory distress. Her condition worsened at the hospital and she died on the same day (20/07/2021). She received her 1st dose of the vaccine in late-June. She did not receive the 2nd dose of the vaccine. This means that she was not fully vaccinated.
The sixteenth COVID-19 death to report is a 65 year old woman from Lagilagi Housing. She presented to the CWM Hospital Emergency Department in severe respiratory distress. Her condition worsened at the hospital and she died on the same day (19/07/2021). She was not vaccinated.
The seventeenth COVID-19 death to report is a 36 year old woman from Tamavua who died at home on the 19/07/2021. She was not vaccinated.
The eighteenth COVID-19 death to report is a 66 year old woman from Bayview Heights who died at home on the 19/07/2021. She was not vaccinated.
The nineteenth COVID-19 death to report is a 80 year old woman from Vatuwaqa. She presented to the CWM hospital emergency department in severe respiratory distress. Her condition worsened in the hospital and she died on the same day (15/07/2021). She received her 1st dose of the vaccine in late June. She did not receive the 2nd dose of the vaccine. This means that she was not fully vaccinated.
The twentieth COVID-19 death to report is a 66 year old man from Caubati who died at home on the 19/07/2021. He was not vaccinated.
The twenty-first COVID-19 death to report is a 67 year old man from Nasinu. He presented to a medical facility in severe respiratory distress. His condition worsened in the health facility and he died on the same day 20/07/2021. He was not vaccinated.
There have been 10 more deaths of COVID-19 positive patients. However, their deaths have been classified as non-COVID deaths by their doctors. Doctors have determined that these deaths were caused by serious pre-existing medical conditions and not COVID-19.
There have now been 146 deaths due to COVID-19 in Fiji, with 144 of these deaths during the outbreak that started in April this year. We also have recorded 61 COVID-19 positive patients who died from the serious medical conditions that they had before they contracted COVID-19; these are not classified as COVID-19 deaths.
There have been 317 new recoveries reported since the last update, which means that there are now 15,686 active cases. There have been 20,373 cases during the outbreak that started in April 2021. We have recorded a total of 20,443 cases in Fiji since the first case was reported in March 2020, with 4,550 recoveries.
There are 6 more deaths currently under investigation. These will be discussed once investigations (including test results) and classifications are complete.
Screening Update
A total of 6,049 individuals were screened and 1,770 swabbed at our stationary screening clinics in the last 24 hours, bringing our cumulative total to 336,689 individuals screened and 60,009 swabbed to date. Our mobile screening teams screened a total of 3,659 individuals and swabbed 511 in the last 24 hours. This brings our cumulative total to 726,481 individuals screened and 63,071 swabbed by our mobile teams to date.
Testing update
A total of 236,584 samples have been tested since this outbreak started in April 2021, with 279,445 tested since testing began in March 2020. 3612 tests have been reported for July 19th. The national 7-day daily test average is 3837 tests per day or 4.3 tests per 1,000 population. The national 7-day average daily test positivity is 27.5%.
Vaccination Update
As of the 20th July 410,495 adults in Fiji have received their first dose of the vaccine and 83,732 have received their second doses. This means that 70% of the target population have received at least one dose and 14.3% 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 1111 cases per day or 1256 cases per million population per day. With the high numbers of new daily cases we are also seeing increasing cases of severe disease and deaths.
Advice to the public
COVID-19 infections are widespread across the Suva-Nausori containment zone. This means that if you develop any of the symptoms of COVID-19 you should assume you have COVID-19 and isolate yourself at home. Do not wait for a positive test result to self isolate. Isolating yourself will help to stop the spread of COVID-19 to others.
The symptoms of COVID-19 include any of the following:
Cough, runny nose, nasal congestion, sneezing, fatigue/extreme tiredness, loss of taste or smell, headache, aches and pains, sore throat, fever, diarrhoea, red eyes, skin rash.
If you have any of these symptoms please:
1) Immediately ISOLATE from others including other members of your household. Stay at home. And, as much as possible, maintain a physical distance of 2m between yourself and other members of your household, and wear a mask that covers your nose and mouth.
2.) Remain in home isolation for 14 days, drink plenty of fluids, and take paracetamol for pain and fever.
3.) Keep watch for severe COVID-19 symptoms
Severe COVID-19 is a medical emergency, and a delay in receiving appropriate medical treatment reduces your chance of recovering from the disease. You do not need to have a positive test result to watch out for these symptoms. We need all Fijians to know the severe symptoms of COVID-19, which include the following:
- Difficulty breathing
- Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
- Severe headache for a few days
- New confusion, inability to wake or stay awake
- Pale, gray, or blue-coloured skin, lips or nail beds
In the Suva-Nausori Containment zone we have identified health facilities specifically designated to receive people with symptoms of severe COVID-19. If you or a loved one live in the Suva-Nausori Containment Zone and have any of these severe symptoms please go immediately to the designated health facilities listed below.
– Colonial War Memorial Hospital (CWMH)
– FEMAT Hospital, Vodafone Arena
Individuals in Nausori with severe symptoms should go to:
– Nausori Health Centre
-Wainibokasi Hospital
Call 165 if you are unable to travel to a medical facility.
