Press Release

Media Release                                                                   

COVID-19 Update

Tuesday April 20th 2021

Since the last routine COVID-19 update on Saturday April 17^th the Ministry of Health and Medical Services had reported 2 new cases of COVID-19. These 2 are a 33 year old Republic of Fiji Military Forces soldier working in a quarantine hotel, and a 53 year old hotel worker working in the same quarantine hotel. Both cases were announced by the Honorable Prime Minister on Sunday 18^th April and Monday 19^th April.

Today we are announcing 3 more cases. The first, as announced by the Permanent Secretary today, is the 26 year old daughter of the hotel quarantine worker case announced yesterday. The other 2 are border quarantine cases – a 25 year old and 32 year old who are RFMF soldiers who recently returned from duties overseas, and tested positive during routine testing while undergoing 14 days of quarantine in a government supervised border quarantine facility. They have all been transferred to the isolation ward at Lautoka hospital according to the standard protocol for positive cases.

With these latest cases there are now 10 active cases admitted at the Lautoka hospital isolation unit, five are older border quarantine cases announced previously, and the remaining five are the cases reported since Sunday and mentioned in this update.

Fiji has had 77 cases in total, with 65 recoveries and 2 deaths, since our first case was reported on March 19^th 2020. 55 of these case have been international travel associated cases detected in border quarantine. And 2 recently announced cases – the quarantine hotel worker and her daughter are our first cases of local transmission in over 1 year.

A total of 43,241 COVID-19 laboratory tests have been conducted, with a daily average of 277 tests per day over the last 7 days, and a weekly average of 1892 tests per week over the last 2 weeks.

There are currently 800 people who have recently arrived from overseas undergoing mandatory 14 day quarantine in government supervised border quarantine facilities.

For more information please visit http://www.health.gov.fj/covid-19-updates/

Media Release
COVID-19 Update

April 17th, 2021

The Ministry of Health and Medical Services is announcing 4 new border quarantine cases of COVID-19.

The first two cases are a 38-year-old female and a 15-year-old male, who are family members that travelled to Fiji from Manila, Philippines, arriving in Nadi on flight NZ952 from Auckland on April 8^th. The next two cases are a 69-year-old male and a 38-year-old male, who are family members that travelled to Fiji from Rajkot, India, arriving in Nadi on flight FJ1362 from Singapore on April 10^th.

All four border quarantine cases returned positive test results during routine testing while undergoing 14-day quarantine at a government-supervised border quarantine facility in Nadi. They have been transferred to the isolation ward at Lautoka hospital according to the standard protocol for positive cases.

With these latest cases, there are now 5 active cases admitted at the Lautoka hospital isolation unit, with 1 recent recovery. And it has been 364 days since the last case was detected outside border quarantine on April 18^th, 2020.

Fiji has had 72 cases in total, with 65 recoveries and 2 deaths, since our first case was reported on March 19^th, 2020. The last 54 cases have been international travel-associated cases detected in border quarantine.

A total of 42,492 COVID-19 laboratory tests have been conducted, with a daily average of 237 tests per day over the last 7 days, and a weekly average of 2008 tests per week over the last 2 weeks.

There are currently 698 people who have recently arrived from overseas undergoing mandatory 14-day quarantine in government-supervised border quarantine facilities.

For more information please visit http://www.health.gov.fj/covid-19-updates/

Media Release                                                                   

COVID-19 Vaccination

April 16th, 2021

Following the huge turnout at vaccination sites across the country this week, the Ministry of Health and Medical Services previously announced that this phase of the campaign would end on Saturday, April 17^th, and even earlier on Friday, April 16^th for some sites, depending on the availability of vaccines.

We are now announcing that all vaccination sites will close today, Friday, April 16^th, with some already closing, as the current vaccine supply has been exhausted. No sites are expected to be open for vaccination tomorrow. The little remaining vaccine stock will be used for targeted vaccination activities.

More than 50,000 people in Fiji have received their first dose of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, with 12,354 people vaccinated yesterday alone. It is evident through this massive turnout that Fijians are once again committed to protecting themselves, their families, and Fiji during this pandemic.

Today we are also announcing that our second batch of vaccines through the COVAX facility is expected within-country next week. The next phase of the vaccine rollout will start soon after these 24,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine are received.

Therefore, if you missed out on getting vaccinated this time, please stand by for the start of the next phase in the next 2 weeks.

Until then, please do continue to register to get vaccinated. Registering in advance will reduce your waiting time at future vaccination sites.

Why do I need to register?

• The registration will help the Ministry of Health and Medical Services plan and coordinate the COVID-19 vaccination campaign.

• The vaccine used requires 2 doses given within a specific time period for maximum protection against the virus.
• You will be reminded in time for your second dose once you have registered and received your first dose.

Where can I register?

Register at your nearest Health Facility

You will need a Valid Photo ID (Passport, Voter ID Card, FNPF Card, Driver’s License, Student ID, TIN Joint Card).

You may also register online at vra.digitalfiji.gov.fj

You will need your Birth Registration Number and a valid photo ID (Passport, Voter ID Card, FNPF Card, Driver’s License, Student ID, TIN Joint Card). The birth registration number is on your birth certificate. If you don’t have your birth certificate, please go to your nearest Births, Deaths, and Marriages office to locate your birth registration number free of charge.

Foreign Nationals Living in Fiji

You will need your Permit Number and a valid photo ID (Passport, Voter ID Card, FNPF Card, Driver’s License, Student ID, TIN Joint Card) to register.

Naturalised Citizens

You will need your Citizen Certificate Number (CCN) and a valid photo ID (Passport, Voter ID Card, FNPF Card, Driver’s License, Student ID, TIN Joint Card).

For more information visit the Ministry of Health and Medical Services website health.gov.fj

-ENDS-

Media Release                                                                   

COVID-19 Vaccination

April 14th 2021

The Ministry of Health and Medical Services is announcing that, based on the high uptake of COVID-19 vaccine by the public, the current phase of the vaccination campaign is expected to end by Saturday 17^th April if not earlier. The target for this phase of the campaign was to vaccinate 50,000 people, and to date 27,705 people in Fiji have received their first dose of the vaccine, with 9,932 people vaccinated on Tuesday 13^th April alone.

To find the nearest location where you can get registered and vaccinated, please see the daily update on the Ministry’s Facebook page and in the Fiji Sun newspaper. For those in the Suva area, a week-long COVID-19 vaccination drive is underway at the Vodafone Arena.

To register online please visit vra.digitalfiji.gov.fj and register with your birth registration number or citizenship number, or permit number (if a non-citizen), and a valid photo ID.

For those who have registered in the past and are yet to get vaccinated, you may go to your nearest COVID-19 vaccination site with your registration reference number and valid photo identification to get vaccinated. A valid photo ID may be a Joint FNPF/FRCA card, voter registration card, driver’s license, passport, or a valid student ID.

You can also register at the vaccination sites if you have not been registered yet. Just bring a valid photo ID.

Vaccination is open to all individuals living in Fiji aged 18 and over, but we are especially urging those in the following target groups to get vaccinated:

• Frontline staff at the borders
• Healthcare workers (including those in private healthcare)
• Police and military officers
• Tourism and hotel workers
• Civil servants
• People over the age of 60
• People with medical conditions that increase the risk of severe disease if they do get infected with COVID-19. You will fall into this category if you are currently attending a Special Outpatients Department (SOPD) clinic with the Ministry of Health and Medical Services, or similar with a private healthcare provider. This includes those with diabetes, asthma, and heart conditions.