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Media Release

COVID-19 Daily Update

Wednesday 29^th September 2021 

Transmission Update

We have 81 new cases of COVID-19 to report for the 24 hour period that ended at 8 am today.

There have been 57 new recoveries to report since the last update, which means that there are now 12,881 active cases. There have been 50,883 cases during the outbreak that started in April 2021. We have recorded a total of 50,953 cases in Fiji since the first case was reported in March 2020, with 36,977 recoveries.

We are currently reviewing and reconciling our active case database with deaths and recoveries and as a result, we expect the death and recovery numbers to intermittently change as verifications are made.

Deaths

We have 3 COVID-19 deaths to report for the period of 24^th July 2021 – 05^th September 2021. All three COVID-19 deaths were reported from the Central Division. Kindly note these deaths are being reported today due to a delay in the issuance of the official death certificates.

The first COVID-19 death to report was a 75-year-old man from Nausori. He presented to a medical facility in severe respiratory distress. Sadly, he died on the same day (24/07/2021). He was not vaccinated.

The second COVID-19 death was a 72-year-old man from Tailevu. He presented to a medical facility in severe respiratory distress. A medical team retrieved him from the medical facility and transferred him to the CWM Hospital. Sadly he died 16 days after admission on 05/09/2021. He received the first dose of the vaccine in mid-July. He did not receive the second dose of the vaccine. This means he was not fully vaccinated.

The third COVID-19 death to report was a 69-year-old woman from Suva who died at home on 31/08/2021. She was not vaccinated.

There have been 9 more deaths of COVID-19 positive patients. However, these deaths have been classified as non-COVID deaths by their doctors. The doctors have determined that these deaths were caused by a serious pre-existing medical condition and not COVID-19.

There have now been 624 deaths due to COVID-19 in Fiji, with 622 of these deaths during the outbreak that started in April this year. Please note that due to the time required by clinical teams to investigate, classify and report deaths, a 4-day interval is given to calculate the 7 days rolling average of deaths, based on the date of death, to help ensure the data collected is complete before the average is reported. Therefore, as of September 24th, the national 7 days rolling average of COVID-19 deaths per day is 0.5. The 7 days rolling average for COVID-19 deaths per day in the Central Division is 0.1 and 0.4 in the Western Division.

We have also recorded 471 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.

Hospitalisations

There are currently 88 COVID-19 patients admitted to the hospital. 47 patients are admitted at the Lautoka Hospital and 41 are admitted at CWM hospital, St Giles, and Makoi. 4 patients are considered to be in severe condition, and 5 are in critical condition.

Screening Update

A total of 8,111 individuals were screened and 537 swabbed at our stationary screening clinics in the last 24 hours, bringing our cumulative total to 681,246 individuals screened and 101,380 swabbed to date. Our mobile screening teams screened a total of 554 individuals and swabbed 344. This brings our cumulative total to 848,183 individuals screened and 77,167 swabbed by our mobile teams.

Testing Update

A total of 368,095 samples have been tested since this outbreak started in April 2021, with 410,956 tested since testing began in March 2020. 1,284 tests have been reported for September 29th. Lab testing data from one lab is still being received. Therefore, lab testing data is expected to increase. The 7-day daily test average is 1,166 tests per day or 1.3 tests per 1,000 population. Weekly testing is at 9.7 tests per 1000 population, which remains above the WHO recommended level of 4 tests per 1000 population per week. The national 7-day average daily test positivity is 8.2%, which is on a downward trend, but it still is indicating a high level of community transmission.

Vaccination Update

To date, 592,242 adults in Fiji have received their first dose of the vaccine and 448,128 have received their second doses. Based on our updated total population of 618,173 people aged 18 years and over (adults), the revised vaccination coverage rates are 95.8% for adults who have received at least one dose, and 72.5% are now fully vaccinated nationwide. Please do note that since dose one is beyond 95%, a verification exercise for dose one is ongoing which may result in minor changes.

As for children, 17,996 children in Fiji have received their first dose of the vaccine as of 24/09/2021. We will be tracking our vaccine coverage rates once we have firmed up our 15 to the 17-year-old denominator.

For persons who are currently ill or have valid reasons for delaying their vaccination, we request you to apply for possible temporary exemptions through covidexemptionreq@gmail.com.

Epidemic Outlook

The 7-day average of new cases per day is 98 cases per day or 110 cases per million population per day. As previously announced by the Permanent Secretary, the daily case numbers are currently not being used as the sole indicator to monitor the progress of the outbreak. The Ministry is closely monitoring other indicators such as test positivity, hospitalisations, and deaths to track the progress of the outbreak.

With the decrease in testing numbers, our testing remains above the WHO recommended rate of 4 tests per 1,000 population per week (or approx. 3,500 tests per week). We will be transitioning to community surveillance testing as severe disease numbers and positivity rates approach the containment phase levels.

One new case was recorded on Kadavu Island in the last 24 hours bringing the total number of cases to 558 cases. Of these, 542 cases have recovered and the remaining 14 active cases are under daily monitoring by the health team. Ten patients are currently admitted at Vunisea hospital, of which 3 are COVID positive and currently in stable condition, and 7 are negative for COVID-19. Vaccination continues by the Vunisea health teams and the Kavala health teams. Movement restrictions remain in force supervised by the Police team and the Vanua.

Five new cases have been reported in Solevu, Yaro, and Vunabaka villages in Malolo Island bringing the total number of cases to 87. Of these 57 have recovered, and 30 remain active. Daily monitoring continues for the active cases and their contacts. Vaccination of the villagers and distribution of food rations continue for the affected families. 13 outpatient cases were also attended to by the health team. Movement restrictions remain in place.

Two cases were recorded in Soso village on Naviti Island bringing the total number of cases to 181. Of these, 163 have recovered and 18 remain active. Daily monitoring of cases and their contacts by the health team continues. The island remains under strict movement restrictions.

Seven new cases were recorded in the villages of Natawa, Yalobi, and Naboro on Waya Island bringing the total number of cases to 51. Thirty-one cases have recovered and 20 cases remain active and under daily monitoring by the health team. The team also attended to 7 GOPD patients, 2 IMCI cases, and two MCH cases, while vaccination continued.

Thirteen new cases were recorded in the villages of Dalomo, Teci, and Yasawa-i-rara in the Nacula Medical Area in the last 24 hours. This brings the total number of cases in the medical area to 155, of which 30 have recovered, and 125 remain active. The active cases are isolated in their respective villages and are monitored daily by the health teams from the respective medical areas. Movement restrictions remain in force for the islands.

Three new cases were recorded in Yanuca village and 1 new case in Raviravi village on Beqa Island in the last 24 hours bringing the total number of cases to 252. Of these, 147 have recovered and 104 remain active. The active cases and the 269 primary contacts and 12 secondary contacts are under home isolation and daily monitoring from the health team. The active cases are distributed between the villages of Dakuibeqa, Soliyaga, Dakuni, Yanuca, Naceva, Nawaisomo, Lalati, and Raviravi. Risk assessment for the active cases noted that one case is in the high-risk category and 19 in the moderate risk category. Vaccination for the villagers will commence once the 14 days lockdown for the island is completed. Movement restriction remains in force for the whole island.

Ovalau Island did not report any new cases in the last 24 hours. The 2 positive cases remain in the Isolation facility and are monitored by the health team in Levuka. Internal repatriation to Ovalau has been put on hold for now.

Public Updates and Advice:

Vaccine Coverage and Relaxing Social and Workplace Engagement Restrictions and Quarantine Conditions,

Curfew hours will move up to 10 pm to 4 am from today the 29th of September 2021. From the 4th of October, houses of worship and almost all workplaces can open up to 70% capacity to double-dosed adults.

We are looking at reducing quarantine periods based on the science around the delta variant. To supplement our quarantine protocols, the Ministry of Health and Medical services is also in the final phases of:

1. Re-escalating our community surveillance back to containment phase levels with a strong emphasis on our careFIJI to facilitate tracking and rapid contact tracing efforts;
2. Strengthening our line listing for positive cases and vulnerable persons;
3. Ensuring better access to Clinical monitoring and outreach capability and retrieval services for those in the line list;
4. Strengthening our Clinical Care Protocols

The Ministry is preparing for the lifting of international travel restrictions, and other social and workplace engagement restrictions, noting that several countries have seen an increased number of cases with the relaxation of restrictions. There will always be people vulnerable to the virus even as we increase our vaccination coverage. We have one-third of the population under 18 years who will soon be eligible for vaccination. We will have older people with comorbidities whose ability to build up vaccine immunity is not as good as younger and healthier persons. Also of concern is that we will have unvaccinated people in our communities who are also not exposed to the virus, and hence do not have any protection against the disease, and among them are elderly persons and those with serious comorbidities. As such, future resurgence of infections and increased case numbers will again test our critical care capacities. We are constantly reviewing and updating our healthcare protocols so we can respond effectively to future outbreaks.

The key to avoiding future restrictions and lockdowns is for the public to remain cautious about how they engage in the greater freedom they will enjoy. Whilst the easing of restrictions is needed to facilitate social and economic livelihood, the public must ensure that together with vaccination, we continue to observe our COVID safe measures and avoid contained spaces and crowds.

The potential for transmission in any community will be slower, and the ability to contain the outbreak better, when we achieve a high vaccination rate and also maintain strict adherence to COVID safe measures. When we do this, we not only protect ourselves but also protect all those around us, especially the vulnerable, those not eligible for vaccination, and those who are not yet vaccinated.

Media Release

COVID-19 Daily Update

Tuesday, 28^th September 2021 

Transmission Update

We have 65 new cases of COVID-19 to report for the 24 hour period that ended at 8 am today.

There have been 196 new recoveries to report since the last update, which means that there are now 12,869 active cases. There have been 50,802 cases during the outbreak that started in April 2021. We have recorded a total of 50,872 cases in Fiji since the first case was reported in March 2020, with 36,724 recoveries.

We are currently reviewing and reconciling our active case database with deaths and recoveries and as a result, we expect the death and recovery numbers to intermittently change as verifications are made.

Deaths

We have 29 COVID-19 deaths to report for the period of 06^th July 2021 – 17^th September 2021. Twenty-eight COVID-19 deaths were reported from the Central Division while one COVID-19 death was reported from the Western Division. As mentioned above we are currently reviewing and reconciling our active case database with deaths and recoveries therefore the deaths and recovery numbers are expected to intermittently change as verifications are being made.

An analysis of the 29 deaths have highlighted that individuals were aged between 35 to 89 years, 55% (n=16) were males, 96.5% (n=28) of the individuals died at home or on their way to the hospital and 82.7% (n=24) of the deaths were unvaccinated, 13.8% (n=4) of the deaths received one dose of the vaccine and one death was fully vaccinated. The fully vaccinated individual was elderly and was admitted with severe comorbidity.

There have been 16 more deaths of COVID-19 positive patients. However, these deaths have been classified as non-COVID deaths by their doctors. The doctors have determined that these deaths were caused by a serious pre-existing medical condition and not COVID-19.

There have now been 621 deaths due to COVID-19 in Fiji, with 619 of these deaths during the outbreak that started in April this year. Please note that due to the time required by clinical teams to investigate, classify and report deaths, a 4-day interval is given to calculate the 7 days rolling average of deaths, based on the date of death, to help ensure the data collected is complete before the average is reported. Therefore, as of September 23rd, the national 7 days rolling average of COVID-19 deaths per day is 0.4. The 7 days rolling average for COVID-19 deaths per day in the Central Division is 0.1 and 0.3 in the Western Division.

We have also recorded 462 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.

Hospitalisations

There are currently 92 COVID-19 patients admitted to the hospital. 46 patients are admitted at the Lautoka Hospital and 46 are admitted at CWM hospital, St Giles, and Makoi. 7 patients are considered to be in severe condition, and 4 are in critical condition.

 Screening Update

A total of 9632 individuals were screened and 488 swabbed at our stationary screening clinics in the last 24 hours, bringing our cumulative total to 673,135 individuals screened and 100,843 swabbed to date. Our mobile screening teams screened a total of 578 individuals and swabbed 22. This brings our cumulative total to 847,629 individuals screened and 76,823 swabbed by our mobile teams.

Testing Update

A total of 366,604 samples have been tested since this outbreak started in April 2021, with 409,465 tested since testing began in March 2020. 970 tests have been reported for September 27th. Lab testing data from one lab is still being received. Therefore, lab testing data is expected to increase. The 7-day daily test average is 1,136 tests per day or 1.3 tests per 1,000 population. Weekly testing is at 9.7 tests per 1000 population, which remains above the WHO recommended level of 4 tests per 1000 population per week. The national 7-day average daily test positivity is 8.3%, which is on a downward trend, but it still is indicating a high level of community transmission.

Vaccination Update

To date, 591,785 adults in Fiji have received their first dose of the vaccine and 437,730 have received their second doses. Based on our updated total population of 618,173 people aged 18 years and over (adults), the revised vaccination coverage rates are 95.7% for adults who have received at least one dose, and 70.8% are now fully vaccinated nationwide.

As for children, 17,996 children in Fiji have received their first dose of the vaccine as of 24/09/2021. We will be tracking our vaccine coverage rates once we have firmed up our 15 to 17-year-old denominator.

For persons who are currently ill or have valid reasons for delaying their vaccination, we request you to apply for possible temporary exemptions through covidexemptionreq@gmail.com.

The vaccination program for Fijians under the age of 18 is progressing well, with more than 17,900 children vaccinated to date. Our adverse events reporting system has recorded zero reports of concern among vaccinated children in Fiji.

In order to synchronize the vaccination deployment effort with digital platform support, the Ministry will be deferring scheduled vaccinations for those under the age of 18 by one week. Vaccine information for Fijians under the age of 18 who have received one dose of the vaccine will be manually inputted in the digital registry for ease of access for vaccine authentication.

Epidemic Outlook

The 7-day average of new cases per day is 96 cases per day or 109 cases per million population per day. As previously announced by the Permanent Secretary, the daily case numbers are currently not being used as the sole indicator to monitor the progress of the outbreak. The Ministry is closely monitoring other indicators such as test positivity, hospitalisations, and deaths to track the progress of the outbreak.

With the decrease in testing numbers, our testing remains above the WHO recommended rate of 4 tests per 1000 population per week (or approx. 3500 tests per week). We will be transitioning to community surveillance testing as severe disease numbers and positivity rates approach the containment phase levels.

No new cases were recorded on Kadavu Island in the last 24 hours. Of the total 557 cases on the island, 542 cases have recovered and the remaining 13 active cases are under daily monitoring by the health team. Risk Assessment for the active cases revealed that 3 were considered high risk and 10 were low-risk cases. Seven patients are currently admitted at Vunisea hospital, of which 3 are COVID positive and currently in stable condition, and 4 are negative for COVID-19. Vaccination conducted by 5 teams from the Vunisea health team and 2 teams from the Kaval health team commenced today. Movement restrictions remain in force supervised by the Police team and the Vanua.

No new cases have been reported in Malolo Island, Naviti Island, Waya Island, and the Nacula Medical Area in the last 24 hours. The active cases are isolated in their respective villages and are monitored daily by the health teams from the respective medical areas. Movement restrictions remain in force for the islands.

No new cases were recorded on Beqa Island in the last 24 hours. Of the 248 cases, 54 have recovered and 193 remain active. The active cases and the 269 primary contacts and 12 secondary contacts are under home isolation and daily monitoring from the health team. The active cases are distributed between the villages of Dakuibeqa, Soliyaga, Dakuni, Yanuca, Naceva, Nawaisomo, Lalati, and Raviravi. Risk assessment for the active cases noted that 39 are in the high-risk category and 70 in the moderate risk category. Vaccination for the villagers will commence once the 14 days lockdown for the island is completed. Movement restriction remains in force for the whole island.

Ovalau Island did not report any new cases in the last 24 hours. The 2 positive cases remain in the Isolation facility and are monitored by the health team in Levuka. Contact tracing is underway for the new cases who remain in the isolation facility and monitored by the Levuka health team. Internal repatriation to Ovalau has been put on hold for now.

Public Updates and Advice:

Preparing COVID safe Workplaces

As we prepare for more industries and workplaces to open, the Ministry of Health and Medical Services reiterates our advice for all workplaces and business places to establish strategies to ensure personal COVID safe practices continue and are monitored, improved, and escalated. We remind all businesses and workplaces of the need to focus on improving ventilation and air quality to support their current COVID safe measures. There is increasing scientific evidence that improvement in ventilation and air quality in workplaces is necessary for a COVID safe working environment, whilst sanitization of all contact surfaces provides secondary support in reducing the transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Maximizing natural ventilation by opening windows, doors, and vents when conditions allow (not posing a safety risk), or mechanical ventilation using fans and ducts, or a combination of both is important. Any poorly ventilated spaces in the workplace must be identified and steps are taken to improve fresh air flow in these areas. The use of portable air cleaners with High-Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters in spaces with high occupancy or limited ventilation is strongly recommended. In buildings with heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, it is important to ensure that:

1. These systems are operating in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions and design specifications,
2. All regularly scheduled inspections and maintenance procedures are conducted,
3. The amount of outside air supplied is maximized,
4. Where feasible, installation of air filters with a Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV) 13 or higher is carried out.

Vaccine Coverage and Relaxing Social Restrictions and Quarantine Conditions

As tweeted by the Hon. Prime Minister, curfew hours will move up to 10 pm to 4 am from tomorrow the 29th of September 2021. From the 4th of October, houses of worship and almost all workplaces can open up to 70% capacity to double-dosed adults.

We are looking at reducing quarantine periods based on the science around the delta variant. To supplement our quarantine protocols, the Ministry of Health and Medical services is also in the final phases of:

1.  Re-escalating our community surveillance back to containment phase levels with a strong emphasis on our careFIJI to facilitate tracking and rapid contact tracing efforts;
2. Strengthening our line listing for positive cases and vulnerable persons;
3. Ensuring better access to Clinical outreach capability and retrieval services for those in the line list;
4. Strengthening our Clinical Care Protocols

Media Release

COVID-19 Daily Update

Monday 27^th September 2021 

Transmission Update

We have 52 new cases of COVID-19 to report for the 24 hour period that ended at 8 am today.

There have been 17 new recoveries to report since the last update, which means that there are now 13,045 active cases. There have been 50,737 cases during the outbreak that started in April 2021. We have recorded a total of 50,807 cases in Fiji since the first case was reported in March 2020, with 36,724 recoveries.

We are currently reviewing and reconciling our active case database with deaths and recoveries and as a result, we expect the death and recovery numbers to intermittently change as verifications are made.

Deaths

We have two COVID-19 deaths to report for the 29^th of July 2021. Both COVID-19 deaths were reported from the Central Division. Kindly note the two deaths are being reported today due to the delay in the issuance of the official death certificates.

The first COVID-19 death to report is a 79-year-old man from Suva who died at home on 29/07/2021. He was not vaccinated.

The second COVID-19 death to report is a 65-year-old woman from Suva who died at home on 29/07/2021. She was not vaccinated.

There have been 10 more deaths of COVID-19 positive patients. However, these deaths have been classified as non-COVID deaths by their doctors. The doctors have determined that these deaths were caused by a serious pre-existing medical condition and not COVID-19.

There have now been 592 deaths due to COVID-19 in Fiji, with 590 of these deaths during the outbreak that started in April this year. Please note that due to the time required by clinical teams to investigate, classify and report deaths, a 4-day interval is given to calculate the 7 days rolling average of deaths, based on the date of death, to help ensure the data collected is complete before the average is reported. Therefore, as of September 22nd, the national 7 days rolling average of COVID-19 deaths per day is 0.2. The 7 days rolling average for COVID-19 deaths per day in the Central Division is 0.1 and 0.1 in the Western Division.

We have also recorded 446 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.

Hospitalisations

There are currently 88 COVID-19 patients admitted to the hospital. 41 patients are admitted at the Lautoka Hospital and 47 are admitted at CWM hospital, St Giles, and Makoi. 6 patients are considered to be in severe condition, and 4 are in critical condition.

 Screening Update

A total of 1036 individuals were screened and 142 swabbed at our stationary screening clinics in the last 24 hours, bringing our cumulative total to 663,503 individuals screened and 100,355 swabbed to date. Our mobile screening teams screened a total of 170 individuals and swabbed 74. This brings our cumulative total to 847,051 individuals screened and 76,801 swabbed by our mobile teams.

Testing Update

A total of 365,634 samples have been tested since this outbreak started in April 2021, with 408,495 tested since testing began in March 2020. 735 tests have been reported for September 26th. Lab testing data from one lab is still being received. Therefore, lab testing data is expected to increase. The 7-day daily test average is 1,190 tests per day or 1.3 tests per 1,000 population. Weekly testing is at 9.7 tests per 1000 population, which remains above the WHO recommended level of 4 tests per 1000 population per week. The national 7-day average daily test positivity is 8.6%, which is on a downward trend, but it still is indicating a high level of community transmission.

Vaccination Update

As of the 26th September 2021: 591,293 adults in Fiji have received their first dose of the vaccine and 425,902 have received their second doses. Based on our updated total population of 618,173 people aged 18 years and over (adults), the revised vaccination coverage rates are 95.7% for adults who have received at least one dose, and 68.9% are now fully vaccinated nationwide.

As for children, 17,996 children in Fiji have received their first dose of the vaccine as of the 24th of September. We will be tracking our vaccine coverage rates once we have firmed up our 15 to 17-year-old denominator.

For persons who are currently ill or have valid reasons for delaying their vaccination, we request you to apply for possible temporary exemptions through covidexemptionreq@gmail.com.

Epidemic Outlook

The 7-day average of new cases per day is 104 cases per day or 117 cases per million population per day. As previously announced by the Permanent Secretary, the daily case numbers are currently not being used as the sole indicator to monitor the progress of the outbreak. The Ministry is closely monitoring other indicators such as test positivity, hospitalisations, and deaths to track the progress of the outbreak.

With the decrease in testing numbers, our testing remains above the WHO recommended rate of 4 tests per 1000 population per week (or approx. 3500 tests per week). We will be transitioning to community surveillance testing as severe disease numbers and positivity rates approach the containment phase levels.

No new case was recorded on Kadavu Island in the last 24 hours. Of the total cases on the island, 543 cases have recovered and the remaining 14 active cases are under daily monitoring by the health team. Eight patients are currently admitted at Vunisea hospital, of which 3 are COVID positive and currently in stable condition, and 5 are negative for COVID-19. Vaccination was conducted by 5 teams from the Vunisea health team and 2 teams from the Kavala health team. Movement restrictions remain in force supervised by the Police team and the Vanua.

No new cases have been reported in Malolo Island, Naviti Island, Waya Island, and the Nacula Medical Area in the last 24 hours. The active cases are isolated in their respective villages and are monitored daily by the health teams from the respective medical areas. Movement restrictions remain in force for the islands.

No new cases were recorded on Beqa Island in the last 24 hours.  Of the new total of 248 cases on the island, 44 cases have recovered and 203 are active cases who are under home isolation. Daily monitoring by the health team continues for the active cases and 321 primary contacts. Vaccination for the villagers will commence once the 14 days lockdown for the island is completed. Movement restriction remains in force for the whole island.

No new cases have been recorded on Ovalau Island in the last 24 hours. The 2 positive cases remain in the Isolation facility and are monitored by the health team in Levuka. Internal repatriation to Ovalau has been put on hold for now.

Public Updates and Advice:

Disease Surveillance for Maritime Communities

The Ministry is putting together plans to surveil maritime communities and islands close to those maritime islands that are reporting cases of COVID-19. As part of this program, surveillance done on the Yadua and Yageta islands, based on proximity and potential for travel with islands in Yasawa, generated a total of 104 samples all of which were negative. Similar surveillance in Yaqeta generated 78 random swabs which have all been reported as negative. While in Vatulele, a total of 57 negative swabs have been reported. This program will continue to be conducted by the divisional health teams and extend to other maritime islands in the Eastern, Western, and Northern divisions.

Preparing COVID safe Workplaces

As we prepare for more industries and workplaces to open, the Ministry of Health and Medical Services reiterates our advice for all workplaces and business places to establish strategies to ensure personal COVID safe practices continue and are monitored, improved, and escalated. We remind all businesses and workplaces of the need to focus on improving ventilation and air quality to support their current COVID safe measures. There is increasing scientific evidence that improvement in ventilation and air quality in workplaces is necessary for a COVID safe working environment, whilst sanitization of all contact surfaces provides secondary support in reducing the transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Maximizing natural ventilation by opening windows, doors, and vents when conditions allow (not posing a safety risk), or mechanical ventilation using fans and ducts, or a combination of both is important. Any poorly ventilated spaces in the workplace must be identified and steps are taken to improve fresh air flow in these areas. The use of portable air cleaners with High-Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters in spaces with high occupancy or limited ventilation is strongly recommended. In buildings with heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, it is important to ensure that:

1. These systems are operating in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions and design specifications,
2. All regularly scheduled inspections and maintenance procedures are conducted,
3. The amount of outside air supplied is maximized,
4. Where feasible, installation of air filters with a Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV) 13 or higher is carried out.

Lifting of international travel restrictions, and other social and workplace engagement restrictions.

The Ministry is preparing for the lifting of international travel restrictions, and other social and workplace engagement restrictions, noting that a number of countries have seen an increased number of cases with the relaxation of restrictions. There will always be people vulnerable to the virus even as we increase our vaccination coverage. We have one-third of the population under 18 years who will soon be eligible for vaccination. We will have older people with comorbidities whose ability to build up vaccine immunity is not as good as younger and healthier persons. Also of concern is that we will have unvaccinated people in our communities who are also not exposed to the virus, and hence do not have any protection against the disease, and among them are elderly persons and those with serious comorbidities. As such, future resurgence of infections and increased case numbers will again test our critical care capacities. We are constantly reviewing and updating our healthcare protocols so we can respond effectively to future outbreaks.

The key to avoiding future restrictions and lockdowns is for the public to remain cautious about how they engage in the greater freedom they will enjoy. Whilst the easing of restrictions is needed to facilitate social and economic livelihood, the public must ensure that together with vaccination, we continue to observe our COVID safe measures and avoid contained spaces and crowds.

The potential for transmission in any community will be slower, and the ability to contain the outbreak better, when we achieve a high vaccination rate and also maintain strict adherence to COVID safe measures. When we do this, we not only protect ourselves but also protect all those around us, especially the vulnerable, those not eligible for vaccination, and those who are not yet vaccinated.

Media Release

COVID-19 Daily Update

Sunday 26^th September 2021 

Transmission Update

We have 54 new cases of COVID-19 to report for the 24 hour period that ended at 8 am today.

There have been 99 new recoveries to report since the last update, which means that there are now 13,022 active cases. There have been 50,685 cases during the outbreak that started in April 2021. We have recorded a total of 50,755 cases in Fiji since the first case was reported in March 2020, with 36,707 recoveries.

We are currently reviewing and reconciling our active case database with deaths and recoveries and as a result, we expect the death and recovery numbers to intermittently change as verifications are made.

Deaths

We have no new COVID-19 deaths to report today.

There have now been 590 deaths due to COVID-19 in Fiji, with 588 of these deaths during the outbreak that started in April this year. Please note that due to the time required by clinical teams to investigate, classify and report deaths, a 4-day interval is given to calculate the 7 days rolling average of deaths, based on the date of death, to help ensure the data collected is complete before the average is reported. Therefore, as of September 21st, the national 7 days rolling average of COVID-19 deaths per day is 0.3. The 7 days rolling average for COVID-19 deaths per day in the Central Division is 0 and 0.3 in the Western Division.

We have also recorded 436 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.

Hospitalisations

There are currently 93 COVID-19 patients admitted to the hospital. 43 patients are admitted at the Lautoka Hospital and 50 are admitted at CWM hospital, St Giles, and Makoi. 10 patients are considered to be in severe condition, and 4 are in critical condition.

 Screening Update

A total of 3,539 individuals were screened and 220 swabbed at our stationary screening clinics in the last 24 hours, bringing our cumulative total to 662,467 individuals screened and 100,213 swabbed to date. Our mobile screening teams screened a total of 24 individuals and swabbed 185. This brings our cumulative total to 846,881 individuals screened and 76,727 swabbed by our mobile teams.

Testing Update

A total of 364,723 samples have been tested since this outbreak started in April 2021, with 407,584 tested since testing began in March 2020. 651 tests have been reported for September 25th. Lab testing data from one lab is still being received. Therefore, lab testing data is expected to increase. The 7-day daily test average is 1,182 tests per day or 1.3 tests per 1,000 population. Weekly testing is at 9.7 tests per 1000 population, which remains above the WHO recommended level of 4 per 1000 population per week. The national 7-day average daily test positivity is 9.8%, which is on a downward trend, but it still is indicating a high level of community transmission.

Vaccination Update

As of the 25th September 2021: 591,293 adults in Fiji have received their first dose of the vaccine and 425,902 have received their second doses. Based on our updated total population of 618,173 people aged 18 years and over (adults), the revised vaccination coverage rates are 95.7% for adults who have received at least one dose, and 68.9% are now fully vaccinated nationwide.

As for children, 17,996 children in Fiji have received their first dose of the vaccine as of the 24th of September. We will be tracking our vaccine coverage rates once we have firmed up our 15 to 17-year-old denominator.

For persons who are currently ill or have valid reasons for delaying their vaccination, we request you to apply for possible temporary exemptions through covidexemptionreq@gmail.com.

Epidemic Outlook

The 7-day average of new cases per day is 114 cases per day or 129 cases per million population per day. As previously announced by the Permanent Secretary, the daily case numbers are currently not being used as the sole indicator to monitor the progress of the outbreak. The Ministry is closely monitoring other indicators such as test positivity, hospitalisations, and deaths to track the progress of the outbreak.

With the decrease in testing numbers, our testing remains above the WHO recommended rate of 4 tests per 1000 population per week (or approx. 3500 tests per week). We will be transitioning to community surveillance testing as severe disease numbers and positivity rates approach the containment phase levels.

One new case was recorded on Kadavu Island in the last 24 hours bringing the total number of cases to 556. Of these, 536 cases have recovered and the remaining 18 active cases are under daily monitoring by the health team. Seven patients are currently admitted at Vunisea hospital, of which 3 are COVID positive and currently in stable condition, and 4 are negative for COVID-19. Vaccination was conducted by 5 teams from the Vunisea health team and 2 teams from the Kavala health team. Vaccination for children will commence on Monday 27 September 2021. Movement restrictions remain in force supervised by the Police team and the Vanua.

No new cases have been reported in Malolo Island, Naviti Island, Waya Island, and the Nacula Medical Area in the last 24 hours. The active cases are isolated in their respective villages and monitored daily by the health teams from the respective medical areas. Movement restrictions remain in force for the islands.

Six new cases were recorded on Beqa Island in the last 24 hours.  Of the new total of 248 cases on the island, 44 cases have recovered and 203 are active cases who are under home isolation and daily monitoring from the health team. The positive cases are distributed in the villages of Dakuibeqa, Dakuni, Soliyaga, Naceva, Nawaisomo, Lalati, Raviravi, and 2 new cases on Yanuca Island. Risk assessment for the active cases revealed that 51 cases are of the high-risk category, and 78 cases are in the moderate category. Vaccination for the villagers will commence once the 14 days lockdown for the island is completed. Movement restriction remains in force for the whole island.

No new cases were recorded on Ovalau Island in the last 24 hours. The 2 positive cases are in the Isolation facility and monitored by the health team in Levuka. Contact tracing continues for the new cases who are monitored daily by the Levuka health team. Internal repatriation to Ovalau has been put on hold for now.

Public Updates and Advice:

As the second dose coverage increases and a greater portion of our population become fully vaccinated against COVID-19, local and international travel restrictions and other social and workplace engagement restrictions will be gradually lifted. However, we wish to advise that members of the public must remain cautious about how they engage in the greater freedoms that they will enjoy. Whilst the easing of restrictions is needed to facilitate social and economic livelihood, the public must ensure that together with vaccination, we should continue to observe our COVID safe measures and avoid contained spaces and crowds to avoid the risk of increased spread of the virus.

There will always be people vulnerable to the virus even as we increase our vaccinations coverage. We have one-third of the population under 18 years and who will soon be eligible for vaccination. We will have older people with comorbidities who, although having better protection with vaccination, their ability to build up vaccine immunity is not as good as younger and healthier persons. Also of concern is that we will have unvaccinated people in our communities who are also not exposed to the virus, and hence do not have any protection against the disease, and among them are elderly persons and those with serious comorbidities

The potential for transmission in any community will be slower, and the ability to contain the outbreak better, when we achieve a high vaccination rate and also maintain strict adherence to COVID safe measures. So we encourage the public to persist in the practice of COVID-19 safe measures of wearing a mask when leaving your home, washing your hands regularly with soap and water or using a hand sanitizer, practicing the correct coughing and sneezing etiquette, maintaining safe physical distancing of 2 meters, ensuring that the careFIJI app is downloaded on your phone and enabled, and last but not least, getting all eligible individuals fully vaccinated. When we do this we not only protect ourselves but also protect all those around us especially the vulnerable, those not eligible for vaccination, and those who are not yet vaccinated.

As we prepare for more industry and workplaces to open, the Ministry of Health and Medical Services reiterate our plea for all workplaces and business places to establish strategies to ensure personal COVID safe practices continue and are monitored and improved and escalated. We also remind all businesses and workplaces that there is an urgent need to refocus on improving ventilation and air quality to support their current COVID safe measures. There is increasing scientific evidence that improvement in ventilation and air quality in workplaces is a prerequisite to COVID safe conditions whilst sanitization of all contact surfaces provides secondary support in reducing the transmission of the SARS COV.  Maximizing natural ventilation by opening windows, doors, and vents when conditions allow (not posing a safety risk), or mechanical ventilation using fans and ducts, or a combination of both is important. Any poorly ventilated spaces in the workplace must be identified and steps are taken to improve fresh air flow in these areas. The use of portable air cleaners with High-Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters in spaces with high occupancy or limited ventilation is strongly recommended. In buildings with heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, it is important to ensure that:

1. These systems are operating in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions and design specifications,
2. All regularly scheduled inspections and maintenance procedures are conducted,
3. Maximize the amount of outside air supplied,
4. Where feasible, installing air filters with a Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV) of 13 or higher.

While we strive to free the country of the heavy burden of the COVID-19 disease and enter into the new normal way of living, we must move ahead and approach the future with caution and care, as in the words of a leading infectious disease expert, “with our eyes wide open and with a great deal of humility”.

Media Release

COVID-19 Daily Update

Saturday 25^th September 2021 

Transmission Update

We have 161 new cases of COVID-19 to report for the 24 hour period that ended at 8 am today.

There have been 84 new recoveries to report since the last update, which means that there are now 13,067 active cases. There have been 50,631 cases during the outbreak that started in April 2021. We have recorded a total of 50,701 cases in Fiji since the first case was reported in March 2020, with 36,608 recoveries.

We have one new border quarantine case to announce today. This case is a 23-year-old man from Tokyo. He arrived in Fiji on the 12^th of September 2021 at the Nadi Airport. His entry swab on the 16^th of September 2021 was noted to be negative. He was observing the mandatory 14-day quarantine in a managed Quarantine Facility when he reported becoming symptomatic on day 9 (21^st September 2021). He was swabbed on day 11 and his swab came back positive for COVID-19 (23/09/2021). As per protocol he has been retrieved and transferred to a managed Isolation Facility in Nadi. He is currently noted to be in a stable condition and the disinfection process of his room and linen have been completed by the onsite health quarantine officer. All frontline workers and accompanying passengers who were in contact with this individual have been included in the routine weekly swabbing schedules and the front-liner surveillance schedules.

We are currently reviewing and reconciling our active case database with deaths and recoveries and as a result, we expect the death and recovery numbers to intermittently change as verifications are made.

Deaths

We have six COVID-19 deaths to report for the period of 09^th July- 24^th September 2021. Four COVID-19 deaths were reported from the Central Division and two COVID-19 deaths were reported from the Western Division. Kindly note four deaths from July are being reported today due to the delay in the issuance of the official death certificates.

The first COVID-19 death to report is an 80-year-old man from Suva who died at home on 09/07/2021. He was not vaccinated.

The second COVID-19 death to report is a 91-year-old man from Suva who died at home on 16/07/2021. He was not vaccinated.

The third COVID-19 death to report is a 65-year-old woman from Suva who died at home on 16/07/2021. She received the first dose of the vaccine in early July. She did not receive the second dose of the vaccine. This means that she was not fully vaccinated.

The fourth COVID-19 death to report is a 67-year-old man from Suva who died at home on 16/07/2021. He was not vaccinated.

The fifth COVID-19 death to report is a 78-year-old man from Ba. He presented to the Ba Mission Hospital in severe respiratory distress. Sadly, he died on the same day (24/09/2021). He received the first dose of the vaccine in mid-July. He did not receive the second dose of the vaccine. This means that he was not fully vaccinated.

The sixth COVID-19 death to report is a 67-year-old woman from Nadi. She was declared dead on arrival by the attending medical officer at the Nadi Hospital on (24/09/2021). This means that she died at home or on her way to the hospital. She was not vaccinated.

There have been 3 more deaths of COVID-19 positive patients. However, these deaths have been classified as non-COVID deaths by their doctors. The doctors have determined that these deaths were caused by a serious pre-existing medical condition and not COVID-19.

There have now been 590 deaths due to COVID-19 in Fiji, with 588 of these deaths during the outbreak that started in April this year. Please note that due to the time required by clinical teams to investigate, classify and report deaths, a 4-day interval is given to calculate the 7 days rolling average of deaths, based on the date of death, to help ensure the data collected is complete before the average is reported. Therefore, as of September 20th, the national 7 days rolling average of COVID-19 deaths per day is 0.3. The 7 days rolling average for COVID-19 deaths per day in the Central Division is 0 and 0.3 in the Western Division.

We have also recorded 436 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.

Hospitalisations

There are currently 98 COVID-19 patients admitted to the hospital. 42 patients are admitted at the Lautoka Hospital and 56 are admitted at CWM hospital, St Giles, and Makoi. 8 patients are considered to be in severe condition, and 3 are in critical condition.

 Screening Update

A total of 3,150 individuals were screened and 526 swabbed at our stationary screening clinics in the last 24 hours, bringing our cumulative total to 658,928 individuals screened and 99,993 swabbed to date. Our mobile screening teams screened a total of 2,431 individuals and swabbed 61. This brings our cumulative total to 846,857 individuals screened and 76,542 swabbed by our mobile teams.

Testing Update

A total of 363,601 samples have been tested since this outbreak started in April 2021, with 406,462 tested since testing began in March 2020. 957 tests have been reported for September 24th. The 7-day daily test average is 1,163 tests per day or 1.3 tests per 1,000 population. Weekly testing is at 9.7 tests per 1000 population, which remains above the WHO recommended level of 4 per 1000 population per week. The national 7-day average daily test positivity is 10.4%, which is on a downward trend, but it still is indicating a high level of community transmission.

Vaccination Update

As of the 24th September 2021: 590,881 adults in Fiji have received their first dose of the vaccine and 425,120 have received their second doses. Based on our updated total population of 618,173 people aged 18 years and over (adults), the revised vaccination coverage rates are 95.6% for adults who have received at least one dose, and 68.8% are now fully vaccinated nationwide.

As for children, 17,996 children in Fiji have received their first dose of the vaccine as of the 24th of September. We will be tracking our vaccine coverage rates once we have firmed up our 15 to 17-year-old denominator.

For persons who are currently ill or have valid reasons for delaying their vaccination, we request you to apply for possible temporary exemptions through covidexemptionreq@gmail.com.

Epidemic Outlook

The 7-day average of new cases per day is 117 cases per day or 133 cases per million population per day. As previously announced by the Permanent Secretary, the daily case numbers in the Suva-Nausori corridor are currently not being used as the sole indicator to monitor the progress of the outbreak. The Ministry is closely monitoring other indicators such as test positivity, hospitalisations, and deaths to track the progress of the outbreak.

With the decrease in testing numbers, our testing remains above the WHO recommended rate of 4 tests per 1000 population per week (or approx. 3500 tests per week). We will be transitioning to community surveillance testing as severe disease numbers and positivity rates approach the containment phase levels.

No new cases were recorded on Kadavu Island in the last 24 hours. Of the 556 positive cases on the island, 536 cases have recovered and the remaining 17 active cases are under daily monitoring by the health team. Seven patients are currently admitted at Vunisea hospital, of which 3 are COVID positive and currently in stable condition, and 4 are negative for COVID-19. Vaccination was conducted by 5 teams from the Vunisea health team and 2 teams from the Kavala health team. Vaccination for children will commence on Monday 27 September 2021. Movement restrictions remain in force supervised by the Police team and the Vanua.

Ten new cases have been reported in the village of Yaro in Malolo Island in the last 24 hours bringing the total number of cases to 82.  Of the 72 cases on the island, 57 cases have recovered and the 25 remaining active cases are monitored daily by the health team. Contact tracings continue for the village of Solevu and rations have been distributed to affected families. One high-risk case is admitted at Lautoka Hospital. Movement restrictions remain in force for all villages on Malolo Island.

No new cases were recorded for Naviti Island in the last 24 hours. 86 cases remain active and under surveillance by the health team. Movement restrictions are in place for all villages.

Thirteen new cases were recorded in the villages of Nalawaki, Yalobi, Naboro, and Namara villages on Waya Island in the last 24 hours bringing the total number of cases to 44. Of these, 26 have recovered to date and 18 remain active cases and are under home isolation in their villages with a daily assessment conducted by the Yalobi nursing station health team. The island is still under strict movement restrictions.

Eleven new cases were reported in the Nacula Medical Area in the village of Nacula in the last 24 hours bringing the total to 149 cases for the medical area. The 149 active cases remain in home isolation in their respective villages and are monitored daily by the health team from the Nacula health center. The health team is visiting villages in the medical area and conducting monitoring for the contact cases and screening for the villagers. Strict movement restriction remains in place for the whole island.

No new cases were recorded on Beqa Island in the last 24 hours.  Of the 242 cases on the island, 41 cases have recovered and 201 are active cases who are under home isolation and daily monitoring from the health team. The positive cases are distributed in the villages of Dakuibeqa, Dakuni, Soliyaga, Naceva, Nawaisomo, Lalati, and Raviravi. Vaccination for the villagers will commence once the 14 days lockdown for the island is completed. Movement restriction remains in force for the whole island.

Ovalau Island recorded no new cases in the last 24 hours. The 2 positive cases are in the Isolation facility and monitored by the health team in Levuka. Contact tracing is underway for the new cases who remain in the isolation facility and monitored by the Levuka health team. Internal repatriation to Ovalau has been put on hold for now.

Public Updates and Advice:

As already announced, as the second dose coverage increases, local and international travel restrictions, and other social and workplace engagement restrictions will be eased. However, the public must remain cautious about how they engage in the greater freedoms that they will enjoy. Whilst the easing of restrictions is needed to facilitate social and economic livelihood, the public must ensure that together with vaccination, we should continue to closely observe our COVID safe measures and avoid contained spaces and crowds to avoid the risk of increased spread of the virus.

The Ministry of Health and Medical Services in preparation for easing of restrictions has remodeled health service provision to ensure:

1. Strengthened quarantine capacity;
2. Greater capacity for community surveillance through test trace and track protocols;
3. Registration and line listing of vulnerable persons especially in poorly vaccinated areas;
4. Monitoring of positive cases and vulnerable persons to ensure better access to appropriate care plans;
5. Reviewing and strengthening clinical care protocols for severe disease;

The Ministry of Health and Medical Services Communication team together with our multi-agency community engagement team are working with community leaders to identify and strengthen mechanisms that will facilitate a person with covid like symptoms seeking and engaging health care services early so that medical teams have a greater opportunity to provide timely treatment.

The potential for transmission in any community will be slower, and the ability to contain the outbreak better, when we achieve a high vaccination rate and also maintain strict adherence to COVID safe measures.

We encourage the public to persist in the practice of COVID-19 safety measures of wearing a mask when leaving your home, washing your hands regularly with soap and water or using a hand sanitizer, practicing the correct coughing and sneezing etiquette, maintaining safe physical distancing of 2 meters, ensuring that the careFIJI app is downloaded on your phone and enabled, and last but not least, getting all eligible individuals fully vaccinated.