Media Release

COVID-19 Daily Update

Thursday, 8^th July 2021

 

Transmission Update

 

We have 721 new cases of COVID-19 and 6 COVID-19 deaths to report for the 24 hour period that ended at 8am today, July 8th 2021. A full breakdown of areas of interest will be published online tomorrow morning 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 cases on the dashboard at the following link: http://bit.ly/3vE2ZBb.

 

The first COVID-19 death is an 80-year-old woman from Vatuwaqa. A Ministry response team attended to her at home and, assessing that she was severely ill, transferred her to the FEMAT field hospital. She reportedly had been having symptoms of COVID-19 at home for approximately three weeks. Her conditions worsened at the FEMAT field hospital and she died a few hours later. She was not vaccinated.

 

The second COVID-19 death is an 80-year-old woman from Mead Road. She was declared dead on arrival by the attending medical officer at the CWMH Hospital Emergency Department. This means that she died at home or on her way to the hospital. Her family reported that she had been unwell for at least three days at home. She was not vaccinated.

 

The third COVID-19 death is a 51-year-old woman from Gaji Road. She was admitted at the CWM Hospital with COVID-19 symptoms (fever, cough and generalized body pains). Her condition worsened in hospital and she died 11 days after admission. She was not vaccinated. 

 

The fourth COVID-19 death is a 44-year-old man from Laucala Beach Estate. He presented to the CWM Hospital emergency department in severe respiratory distress. His family reported that he had COVID-19 symptoms (fever, cough, shortness of breath, weakness and headache) for one week. His condition worsened in hospital and he died 4 days after admission. He received his 1^st dose of the vaccine in mid-June. He had not received the second dose of the vaccine and was not fully vaccinated. 

 

The fifth COVID-19 death is a 68-year-old woman from Delainivesi, Lami. Her family brought her to the CWM Hospital Emergency Department after she was noted to be unresponsive. Her family reported that she had been feeling unwell at home two days before. She died on the same day. She was not vaccinated.

 

The sixth COVID-19 death is a 52-year-old woman from Raiwai. She was brought by her family to the CWM Hospital Emergency Department.  Her family reported that she had been unwell with cough, shortness of breath, generalized weakness and vomiting, for at least three days. Her condition worsened in hospital and she died 1 day later. She was not vaccinated.

 

 

There have now been 48 deaths due to COVID-19 in Fiji, with 46 of these deaths during the outbreak that started in April this year. We also have recorded 19 COVID-19 positive patients who died from the serious medical conditions that they had before they contracted COVID-19.

 

There have been 101 new recoveries reported since the last update, which means that there are now 7,138 active cases. There have been 8,591 cases during the outbreak that started in April 2021. We have recorded a total of 8,661 cases in Fiji since the first case was reported in March 2020, with 1,456 recoveries.

 

Screening Update

 

A total of 6,187 individuals were screened and 1,488 swabbed at our stationary screening clinics in the last 24 hours, bringing our cumulative total to 264,047 individuals screened and 38,727 swabbed to date. Our mobile screening teams screened a total of 2,657 individuals and swabbed 326 in the last 24 hours. This brings our cumulative total to 683,973 individuals screened and 56,888 swabbed by our mobile teams to date.

 

Testing update

 

184,613 samples have been tested since this outbreak started in April 2021, with 227,474 tested since testing began in early 2020. 3387 tests have been reported for July 6th. Testing number data for all labs for July 6th are still being received and so the testing number is expected to increase once updated. The national 7-day daily test average is 3502 tests per day or 4 tests per 1,000 population. The national 7-day average daily test positivity is 14.4% and continues on an upward trend.

 

Vaccination Update

 

As of July 7th, 335,305 adults in Fiji have received their first dose of the vaccine and 59,574 have received their second doses. This means that 57% of the target population has received at least one dose and 10.2% are now fully vaccinated nationwide.

We now have two drive-through vaccination centers within the Suva- Nausori Corridor. One center is located at Albert Park in Suva and the second center is located at the Fiji National University (Nasinu Campus). These drive-through vaccination centers are open until 5.30pm. The Ministry of Health and Medical Services is currently working on exploring possible venues across the country to establish more drive-through vaccination sites. 

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 has increased to 545 cases per day or 615 cases per million population per day. Daily case numbers are expected to continue to increase, along with an increase in people with COVID-19 requiring hospitalisation, and sadly, more deaths. 

 

Advice to the public

 

As a result of increasing COVID-19 cases in the Suva-Nausori containment zone, the Ministry of Health and Medical Services advises that until further notice, home-based screening and swabbing services in Suva-Nausori will no longer be provided, except in exceptional circumstances. Exceptional circumstances include if an individual has a disability, or is otherwise physically unable to leave their home and attend a clinic, and these people should call 158. Our response teams in Suva-Nausori will now be redirected to the identification and close monitoring of people with COVID-19 who are at higher risk of developing severe COVID-19.  

 

People in Suva-Nausori should visit their nearest screening clinic for testing if they:

 

–      Have COVID-19 symptoms (cough, runny nose, nasal congestion, sneezing, fatigue, headache, aches and pains, sore throat, fever, diarrhoea, red eyes, loss of taste or smell); 

or

–      Have been in close contact with someone who has COVID-19 

 

Any disruptions to screening clinic services, for instance for decontamination, will be communicated to the public.

 

A person in Suva-Nausori with symptoms, or who has been in close contact with someone confirmed to have COVID-19, should take the following steps:

 

1) Immediately isolate yourself from others, including other members of your household if possible. 

2) Where possible, visit the nearest screening clinic for a COVID-19 swab. Please wear a mask that covers your mouth and nose and keep a safe physical distance of 2 metres from others.

3) Please avoid using public transport to travel to the screening clinic. If you cannot avoid using public transport, please ensure to wear a mask that covers your mouth and nose at all times and maintain physical distance from others.

 

In other parts of Fiji, persons with COVID-19 symptoms, or who are contacts of cases, should call 158 to be advised by the respective medical teams in those areas.

 

Our FEMAT field hospital has begun the transition into a COVID-19 dedicated hospital. And we have set up an emergency number 165 for people with severe COVID-19 symptoms to contact if they cannot get to a hospital themselves. 

Sadly, we continue to see people with severe COVID-19 dying at home or coming to a medical facility in the late stages of severe illness and dying within a day or two. Severe COVID-19 is a medical emergency and a delay in receiving appropriate medical treatment may result in a higher risk of death.

We need all Fijians to know the severe symptoms of COVID-19, which include:

•             Difficulty breathing

•             Persistent pain or pressure in the chest

•             Severe headache for a few days

•             New confusion, inability to wake or stay awake; and

•             Pale, gray, or blue-coloured skin, lips or nail beds.

 

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

 

PUBLIC ADVISORY

Screening Clinic Services Suva-Nausori Containment Zone

 As a result of increasing COVID-19 cases in the Suva-Nausori containment zone, the Ministry of Health and Medical Services advises that until further notice, home-based screening and swabbing services in Suva-Nausori will no longer be provided, except in exceptional circumstances. Exceptional circumstances include if an individual has a disability or is otherwise physically unable to leave their home and attend a clinic, these people should call 158.

Health response teams in Suva – Nausori will now be redirected to the identification and close monitoring of people with COVID-19 who are at higher risk of developing severe COVID-19. In other parts of Fiji, persons with COVID-19 symptoms, or who are contacts of cases, should call 158 to be advised by the respective medical teams in those areas.

Residents experiencing COVID-19 symptoms

People in Suva-Nausori should visit their nearest screening clinic for testing if they:

• Have COVID-19 symptoms of cough, runny nose, nasal congestion, sneezing, fatigue/extreme tiredness, headache, aches and pains, sore throat, fever, diarrhoea, red eyes, loss of taste or smell, a rash on the skin);

Or

• Have been in close contact (known as a primary contact) with someone who has COVID-19

Any resident in Suva – Nausori with symptoms, who has been in close contact with a known COVID-19 case, please take the following steps:

1) Immediately isolate yourself from others, including other members of your household if possible.

2) Where possible, visit the nearest screening clinic for a COVID-19 swab. Please wear a mask that covers your mouth and nose and keep a safe physical distance of 2 metres from others.

3) Please avoid using public transport to travel to the screening clinic. If you cannot avoid using public transport, please ensure to wear a mask that covers your mouth and nose at all times and maintain physical distance from others.

Screening clinics will remain open for members of the public to access COVID-19 screening services. Getting tested will ensure that not only will you receive the proper treatment, but also help reduce the risk of the virus spreading to others.

Any disruptions to clinic services, for instance for decontamination, will be communicated to the public.

COVID-19 safety measures when visiting a screening clinic for testing

If you or someone you know has COVID-19 symptoms or has been in close contact with a person who has COVID-19 and needs to be screened, follow these simple measures to protect yourself and others:

• All individuals (sick individual, primary contact, or person/s helping transport the individual) must immediately wear masks correctly.
• Avoid buses or public transport. If in a private vehicle, all passengers and driver must wear masks and leave the windows down fully.
• If possible, keep at least 2 meters from the sick individual/primary contact.
• All individuals should clean their hands with hand sanitizer, especially if helping the sick person/primary contact.
• Have your careFIJI app turned on and Bluetooth enabled.
• When at the screening clinic, line up and do not crowd at the screening clinic.

**Definition of primary contact:
Individuals who have been in close contact with someone who has COVID-19 are called primary contacts. Primary contact means:

• You were within 2 metres of someone who has COVID-19
• You were within a confined space for at least an hour with someone who has COVID-19
• You provided care at home to someone who is sick with COVID-19
• You had direct physical contact with the person (hugged or kissed them) who has COVID-19
• You shared eating or drinking utensils, grog or taki with someone who has COVID-19
• Someone with COVID-19 sneezed, coughed, or somehow got respiratory droplets on you

Media Release

COVID-19 Daily Update

Wednesday, 7^th July 2021

Transmission Update

We have 791 new cases of COVID-19 and 3 COVID-19 deaths to report for the 24 hour period that ended at 8am today. A full breakdown of areas of interest has been published online on the Ministry’s COVID-19 dashboard and on the Fijian Government Facebook page. You can also view the approximate locations of cases at the following link: http://bit.ly/3vE2ZBb

The first COVID-19 death is a 61-year-old man from Qauia Village, Lami. He was brought to the CWMH Emergency Department in severe respiratory distress. He had been experiencing severe COVID-19 symptoms, including shortness of breath, for two weeks. He died one day later. He was not vaccinated.

The second COVID-19 death is a 75 year old man from Raiwaqa. He was declared dead on arrival by the attending medical officer at the CWMH Hospital Emergency Department. This means that he died at home or on his way to the hospital. His family reported that been unwell, with symptoms including fever and generalized weakness, for at least 5 days at home. He was not vaccinated.

The third COVID-19 death is a 67 year old man from Toorak. A Ministry response team attended to him at home and transferred him to the CWM Hospital after he reported having symptoms of COVID-19 at home for approximately a week. His condition worsened in hospital and he died 11 days after admission. He received his 1st dose of the vaccine in mid-June.  He had not received the second dose of the vaccine and was not fully vaccinated.

There have been three 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.

There have now been 42 deaths due to COVID-19 in Fiji, with 40 of these deaths during the outbreak that started in April this year. We also have recorded 19 COVID-19 positive patients who died from the serious medical conditions that they had before they contracted COVID-19.

There have been 37 new recoveries reported since the last update, which means that there are now 6,524 active cases. There have been 7,870 cases during the outbreak that started in April 2021. We have recorded a total of 7,940 cases in Fiji since the first case was reported in March 2020, with 1,355 recoveries.

Screening Update

A total of 6,361 individuals were screened and 1,629 swabbed at our stationary screening clinics in the last 24 hours, bringing our cumulative total to 257,860 individuals screened and 37,239 swabbed to date. Our mobile screening teams screened a total of 4,387 individuals and swabbed 410 in the last 24 hours. This brings our cumulative total to 681,316 individuals screened and 56,562 swabbed by our mobile teams to date.

Testing update

181,026 samples have been tested since this outbreak started in April 2021, with 223,887 tested since testing began in early 2020. 3356 tests have been reported for July 5th. Testing number data for all labs for July 5th are still being received and so the testing number is expected to increase once updated. The national 7-day daily test average is 3,420 tests per day or 3.9 tests per 1,000 population. The national 7-day average daily test positivity is 12.5% and continues on an upward trend.

Vaccination Update

As of July 6th, 329,837 adults in Fiji have received their first dose of the vaccine and 56,974 have received their second doses. This means that 56% of the target population has received at least one dose and 9.7% 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 has increased to 503 cases per day or 569 cases per million population per day. And today was another daily record of new cases. Daily case numbers are expected to continue to increase, along with an increase in people with COVID-19 requiring hospitalisation, and sadly, more deaths.

Advice to the public

As a result of increasing COVID-19 cases in the Suva-Nausori containment zone, the Ministry of Health and Medical Services advises that until further notice, home-based screening and swabbing services in Suva-Nausori will no longer be provided, except in exceptional circumstances. Exceptional circumstances include if an individual has a disability, or is otherwise physically unable to leave their home and attend a clinic, and these people should call 158. Our response teams in Suva-Nausori will now be redirected to the identification and close monitoring of people with COVID-19 who are at higher risk of developing severe COVID-19.

People in Suva-Nausori should visit their nearest screening clinic for testing if they:

–      Have COVID-19 symptoms (cough, runny nose, nasal congestion, sneezing, fatigue, headache, aches and pains, sore throat, fever, diarrhoea, red eyes, loss of taste or smell);

or

–      Have been in close contact with someone who has COVID-19

Any disruptions to screening clinic services, for instance for decontamination, will be communicated to the public.

A person in Suva-Nausori with symptoms, or who has been in close contact with someone confirmed to have COVID-19, should take the following steps:

1) Immediately isolate yourself from others, including other members of your household if possible.

2) Where possible, visit the nearest screening clinic for a COVID-19 swab. Please wear a mask that covers your mouth and nose and keep a safe physical distance of 2 metres from others.

3) Please avoid using public transport to travel to the screening clinic. If you cannot avoid using public transport, please ensure to wear a mask that covers your mouth and nose at all times and maintain physical distance from others.

In other parts of Fiji, persons with COVID-19 symptoms, or who are contacts of cases, should call 158 to be advised by the respective medical teams in those areas.

Our FEMAT field hospital has begun the transition into a COVID-19 dedicated hospital. And we have set up an emergency number 165 for people with severe COVID-19 symptoms to contact if they cannot get to a hospital themselves.

Sadly, we continue to see people with severe COVID-19 dying at home or coming to a medical facility in the late stages of severe illness and dying within a day or two. Severe COVID-19 is a medical emergency and a delay in receiving appropriate medical treatment may result in a higher risk of death.

We need all Fijians to know the severe symptoms of COVID-19, which include:

• Difficulty breathing
• Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
• Severe headache for a few days
• New confusion, inability to wake or stay awake; and
• Pale, gray, or blue-coloured skin, lips or nail beds.

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