Category Public Advisory

PRESS RELEASE

Statement from the Ministry of Health

The general public is advised that the supply of paracetamol (Panadol) is currently available in the Ministry’s pharmacies and health facilities around the country, contrary to statements made in parliament this week.

The Ministry’s Fiji Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Services (FPBS) management and staff have been working tirelessly around the clock to ensure that supplies of paracetamol and other essential medicines and medical products are made available at the pharmacies and health facilities for our patients to use, in spite of the significant global supply chain challenges currently faced by many nations around the world.

The Honourable Minister for Health, Dr Ifereimi Waqainabete, urges members of the public to continue to immediately seek medical assistance at our health facilities when they are sick. Staffs in our health facilities are also constantly networking with our divisional and national centres to deliver health services and medical supplies when required at any health facility in Fiji.

The Ministry also wishes to advise that in regards the report of the recent demise of a patient at Savusavu Hospital which has been discussed in the social media, the ministry staff at the hospital provided the best medical care they can provide to a very sick patient on the day of admission and under the prevailing unfavourable weather condition at the time.

The Ministry staff had consulted with the immediate family members throughout the period of care and after the unfortunate outcome, and now request members of the public to allow the family time and space to grieve. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family at this time.

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Media Release                                                                   

COVID-19 Update

10th February 2021

There have been 0 new cases of COVID-19 since the last update on February 8^th.

There are currently 0 active cases, as the recent border quarantine case recovered, and has been discharged from the Lautoka hospital isolation unit. The individual is now in a border quarantine facility in Nadi, awaiting completion of 14 days quarantine for his accompanying family member. The remaining historical border quarantine case, announced on February 3^rd, is expected to be discharged shortly.

Fiji has had 56 cases in total, with 54 recoveries and 2 deaths, since our first case was reported on March 19^th, 2020. The last 38 cases have been international travel-associated cases detected in border quarantine. It has been 298 days since the last case was detected outside border quarantine on April 18^th, 2020.

A total of 27,429 laboratory tests have been conducted, with a daily average of 130 tests per day over the last 7 days, and a weekly average of 1050 tests over the last 2 weeks.

For more information on COVID-19 in Fiji please visit the Ministry of Health and Medical Services web page http://www.health.gov.fj/covid-19-updates/

The next scheduled update will be on Friday, February 12th.

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Media Release                                                                   

COVID-19 Update

8th February 2021

There have been 0 new cases of COVID-19 since the last update on February 5^th.

There is 1 active border quarantine case and 1 historical border quarantine case, which were both announced on February 3^rd, admitted to the isolation ward at Lautoka hospital.

Fiji has had 56 cases in total, with 53 recoveries and 2 deaths, since our first case was reported on March 19^th 2020. The last 38 cases have been international travel associated cases detected in border quarantine. It has been 296 days since the last case was detected outside border quarantine on April 18^th 2020.

A total of 27,115 laboratory tests have been conducted, with a daily average of 141 tests per day over the last 7 days, and a weekly average of 1050 tests over the last 2 weeks.

For more information on COVID-19 in Fiji please visit the Ministry of Health and Medical Services web page http://www.health.gov.fj/covid-19-updates/

The next scheduled update will be on Wednesday February 10th.

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Media Release                                                                   

COVID-19 Update

5th February 2021

There have been 0 new cases of COVID-19 since the last update on February 3^rd.

There is 1 active border quarantine case and 1 historical border quarantine case, which were both announced on February 3^rd, admitted to the isolation ward at Lautoka hospital.

Fiji has had 56 cases in total, with 53 recoveries and 2 deaths, since our first case was reported on March 19^th 2020. The last 38 cases have been international travel associated cases detected in border quarantine. It has been 293 days since the last case was detected outside border quarantine on April 18^th 2020.

A total of 26,917 laboratory tests have been conducted, with a daily average of 157 tests per day over the last 7 days, and a weekly average of 1179 tests over the last 2 weeks.

For more information on COVID-19 in Fiji please visit the Ministry of Health and Medical Services web page http://www.health.gov.fj/covid-19-updates/

The next scheduled update will be on Monday February 8th.

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Media Release                                                                   

COVID-19 Update

3rd February 2021

The Ministry of Health and Medical Services is announcing 1 new border quarantine case of COVID-19.

This is a 48-year-old male who traveled from Jakarta, Indonesia on a repatriation flight GA 9820, which originally departed from New Delhi India, with stops in Jakarta and Port Moresby, before arriving in Nadi on January 27th. He tested positive during routine testing while undergoing mandatory 14-day quarantine in the government designated border quarantine facility in Nadi.

The individual was transferred to the isolation ward at the Lautoka hospital in accordance with the standard protocol for COVID-19 cases. The frontline border quarantine staff that may have had any contact with the case followed our standard infection prevention and control protocols. They will be monitored and tested as a precaution according to our protocols.

Also, a 25-year-old female in border quarantine has returned a weak positive test result during routine exit testing. She had traveled from Dublin Ireland, arriving in Nadi on flight MH8790 from Kuala Lumpur on January 20^th. This individual had tested positive and was confirmed as a COVID-19 case in Ireland in October 2020. She tested negative in subsequent tests after recovery, including a pre-departure test before arriving in Fiji, and during day 3 border quarantine testing. She currently has no symptoms. It is known that non-infectious fragments of the virus can remain detectable, and cause a positive test result long after the infection has passed, and even after previous negative test results; therefore it is unlikely that this person is currently infectious. Due to the test results, and history of testing positive in Ireland, this is considered a historical case, and is not counted as a new case for Fiji. However, as a precaution, she has been transferred to the isolation ward at Lautoka hospital in accordance with the standard protocol for COVID-19 cases.

Fiji has now had 56 cases in total, with 1 active case, 53 recoveries, and 2 deaths, since our first case was reported on March 19^th, 2020. The last 38 cases have been international travel-associated cases detected in border quarantine. It has been 291 days since the last case was detected outside border quarantine on April 18^th, 2020.

A total of 26,510 laboratory tests have been conducted, with a daily average of 154 tests per day over the last 7 days, and a weekly average of 1179 tests over the last 2 weeks.

The next scheduled update will be on Friday, February 5th.

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