Last Updated on 3 years by Publishing Team

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