Archives 2021

Media Release

Vunimono High School hosts Fiji’s first drive-through swab service

The Sub Divisional Medical Officer (SDMO) Rewa, Dr. Sravaniya Dasi announces Fiji’s first swab drive-through service at Vunimono High School, Nausori.  This service begins on Wednesday 14 July 2021 and will be available on weekdays (Monday – Friday) from 10 am to 2 pm.

SDMO Rewa, Dr. Dasi encourages residents in the Rewa Sub Division to use this drive-through swab service, it minimizes standing in long lines as residents are swabbed in the comfort of their vehicles by the medical team.

Persons with mild COVID-19 symptoms include 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 are requested to visit this clinic, or other swab clinics closest to their homes if they experience these symptoms.

If you or someone you are caring for is experiencing any of these symptoms, you must immediately isolate yourself from others including other members of your household. Where possible, visit the nearest screening clinic for a COVID-19 swab.

Dr. Dasi reminds residents attending the drive-through swab service to continue to practice COVID-19 safety measures and wear a mask that covers their mouth and nose and cough or sneeze into their elbow.

Other locations for screening clinic services in the Rewa Medical Sub Division are at the Nausori Special School and Mokani Health Centre.

ENDS-

Media Release

COVID-19 Daily Update

Tuesday, 13^th July 2021

Transmission Update

We have 647 new cases of COVID-19 and 1 COVID-19 death to report for the 24 hour period that ended at 8 am 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.

The COVID-19 death reported today is a 58-year-old man from Delaivalelevu who died at home. His family reported that he had been feeling unwell for 1 week. 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.

There has been one more death of a COVID-19 positive patient. However, the death has been classified as a non-COVID death by doctors. Doctors have determined that this death was caused by a serious pre-existing medical condition and not COVID-19.

There have now been 59 deaths due to COVID-19 in Fiji, with 57 of these deaths during the outbreak that started in April this year. We also have recorded 27 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 230 new recoveries reported since the last update, which means that there are now 9,725 active cases. There have been 11,962 cases during the outbreak that started in April 2021. We have recorded a total of 12,032 cases in Fiji since the first case was reported in March 2020, with 2,221 recoveries.

Screening Update

A total of 7,199 individuals were screened and 2,210 swabbed at our stationary screening clinics in the last 24 hours, bringing our cumulative total to 290,713 individuals screened and 46,559 swabbed to date. Our mobile screening teams screened a total of 4,418 individuals and swabbed 886 in the last 24 hours. This brings our cumulative total to 701,049 individuals screened and 59,503 swabbed by our mobile teams to date.

Testing update

Testing data will be updated in the next daily statement as testing number data from the laboratories is still being received.

Vaccination Update

As of the 12th July 362,969 adults in Fiji have received their first dose of the vaccine and 68,819 have received their second doses. This means that 61.9 % of the target population have received at least one dose and 11.7 % 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 is 698 cases per day or 788 cases per million population per day. With daily increases in cases we are also seeing increasing cases of severe COVID-19 and increasing deaths.

Advice to the public

Sadly, 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:

• 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-colored 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.

Media Release

COVID-19 Daily Update

Sunday 11^th July 2021

Transmission Update

We have 485 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 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.

The first COVID-19 death we are reporting today is a 77 year old woman from Colo-I-Suva who died at home. Her family reported that she had been feeling unwell for 3 days. She was not vaccinated.

The second COVID-19 death is a 75 year old man from Nabua who died at home. His family reported that he was feeling unwell for 3 days. He was noted to have a reduced appetite and generalized weakness. He was not vaccinated.

The third COVID-19 death is a 38 year old woman from Nakasi. A Ministry response team attended to her at a medical facility and transferred her to the CWM Hospital after she reported having severe symptoms of COVID-19. Her condition worsened in hospital and she died 4 days after admission. She was not vaccinated.

There have now been 55 deaths due to COVID-19 in Fiji, with 53 of these deaths during the outbreak that started in April this year. We also have recorded 21 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. 1 death of a COVID-19 positive patient remains under investigation. As of the 9th July the 7-day rolling average of deaths per day is 3.

There have been 162 new recoveries reported since the last update, which means that there are now 8,576 active cases. There have been 10,442 cases during the outbreak that started in April 2021. We have recorded a total of 10,512 cases in Fiji since the first case was reported in March 2020, with 1,859 recoveries.

Screening Update

A total of 4,127 individuals were screened and 913 swabbed at our stationary screening clinics in the last 24 hours, bringing our cumulative total to 282,083 individuals screened and 43,558 swabbed to date. Our mobile screening teams screened a total of 4,113 individuals and swabbed 418 in the last 24 hours. This brings our cumulative total to 694,316 individuals screened and 58,278 swabbed by our mobile teams to date. 

Testing update

195,695 samples have been tested since this outbreak started in April 2021, with 238,520 tested since testing began in early 2020. 3123 tests have been reported for July 9th. Testing number data for all labs for July 9th are still being received and so the testing number is expected to increase once updated. We are still receiving testing number data from all labs for July 8th and 9^th, and those total test numbers will increase once updated. The national 7-day daily test average is 3604 tests per day or 4.1 tests per 1,000 population. The national 7-day average daily test positivity is 17.4% and continues on an upward trend.

Vaccination Update

As of the 10^th July 353,303 adults in Fiji have received their first dose of the vaccine and 66,635 have received their second doses. This means that 60.2 % of the target population have received at least one dose and 11.4 % 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 622 cases per day or 702 cases per million population per day. With daily increases in cases, we are also seeing increasing cases of severe COVID-19 and increasing deaths.

Advice to the public

With increasing daily cases, hospitalisations, and deaths, we are asking all Fijians to get vaccinated as soon as possible. Getting fully vaccinated, with 2 doses of the vaccine, will decrease your risk of getting infected with the virus. But most importantly, getting fully vaccinated will significantly reduce your risk of getting severe COVID-19, even if you do get infected. None of the people who have died from COVID-19 in Fiji have been fully vaccinated. And we know from data from the United Kingdom that the Oxford-Astrazeneca vaccine reduces the risk of hospitalization from the Delta variant by 92%. Vaccination locations are published daily on the Ministry’s website, social media, and in the daily newspapers.

Media Release 

COVID-19 Daily Update

Saturday 10^th July 2021

Transmission Update

We have  506 new cases of COVID-19 and 1 COVID-19 death 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.

The COVID-19 death we are reporting today is a 55 year old woman from Nabua. A Ministry response team attended to her at a medical facility and transferred her to the CWM Hospital after she reported having severe symptoms of COVID-19. Her condition worsened in hospital and she died 2 days after admission. She was not vaccinated.

There have been two 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.

There have now been 52 deaths due to COVID-19 in Fiji, with 50 of these deaths during the outbreak that started in April this year. We also have recorded 21 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. 1 death of a COVID-19 positive patient remains under investigation.

There have been 179 new recoveries reported since the last update, which means that there are now 8,256 active cases. There have been 9,957 cases during the outbreak that started in April 2021. We have recorded a total of 10,027 cases in Fiji since the first case was reported in March 2020, with 1,697 recoveries.

Screening Update

A total of 6,806 individuals were screened and 1,928 swabbed at our stationary screening clinics in the last 24 hours, bringing our cumulative total to 277,956 individuals screened and 42,645 swabbed to date. Our mobile screening teams screened a total of 2,938 individuals and swabbed 555 in the last 24 hours. This brings our cumulative total to 690,203 individuals screened and 57,860 swabbed by our mobile teams to date.

Testing update

192,536 samples have been tested since this outbreak started in April 2021, with 235,397 tested since testing began in early 2020. 3447 tests have been reported for July 8th. Testing number data for all labs for July 8th are still being received and so the testing number is expected to increase once updated. Testing numbers for July 6th and 7th from more labs has now been received and total test numbers for those days have now been updated. The national 7-day daily test average is 3617 tests per day or 4.1 tests per 1,000 population. The national 7-day average daily test positivity is 16.8% and continues on an upward trend.

Vaccination Update

As of the 9^th July 349,396 adults in Fiji have received their first dose of the vaccine and 65,618 have received their second doses. This means that 59.6% of the target population have received at least one dose and 11.2 % 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 627 cases per day or 708 cases per million population per day. With daily increases in cases we are also seeing increasing cases of severe COVID-19 and increasing deaths.

Advice to the public

With increasing daily cases, hospitalisations, and deaths, we are asking all Fijians to get vaccinated as soon as possible. Getting fully vaccinated, with 2 doses of the vaccine, will decrease your risk of getting infected with the virus. But most importantly, getting fully vaccinated will significantly reduce your risk of getting severe COVID-19, even if you do get infected. None of the people who have died from COVID-19 in Fiji have been fully vaccinated. And we know from data from the United Kingdom that the Oxford-Astrazeneca vaccine reduces the risk of hospitalization from the Delta variant by 92%. Vaccination locations are published daily on the Ministry’s website, social media, and in the daily newspapers.