Media Release
COVID-19 Daily Update
Tuesday, 20th July 2021
Transmission Update
We have 1,054 new cases of COVID-19 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.
We also have 12 new COVID-19 deaths to report for the period of 13th July to 19th July.
The first COVID-19 death to report is a 70 year old woman from Tamavua. She presented to the CMW hospital in severe respiratory distress. Her family reported that she was feeling unwell with COVID-19 symptoms at home four days prior. Her condition worsened at the hospital and she died on the same day (14/07/2021).She was not vaccinated.
The second COVID-19 death to report is a 53 year old woman from Nasinu. She presented to the CMW hospital in severe respiratory distress. Her family reported that she was unwell with a fever and cough for one week prior. She died on the same day in hospital (13/07/2021). She was not vaccinated.
The third COVID-19 death to report is a 60 year old man from Suva who died at home on 18/07/2021. He was not vaccinated.
The fourth COVID-19 death to report is a 60 year old man from Suva. He presented to the CWM hospital in severe respiratory distress. His condition worsened in the hospital and he died 1 day after admission (19/07/2021). He was not vaccinated.
The fifth COVID-19 death to report is a 72 year old woman from Nakasi who died at home on the 18/07/2021. She was not vaccinated.
The sixth COVID-19 death to report is a 69 year old man from Valelevu who died at home on 18/07/2021. He was not vaccinated.
The seventh COVID-19 death to report is a 74 year old woman from Narere. She presented to a medical facility in severe respiratory distress. She was retrieved by a medical team to the CWM Hospital. Her condition worsened in the hospital and she died 5 days after admission (18/07/2021). She was not vaccinated.
The eighth COVID-19 death to report is a 92 year old man from Wailoku who died at home on 19/07/2021. He was not vaccinated.
The ninth COVID-19 death to report is a 87 year old woman from Tacirua who died at home on 19/07/2021. She was not vaccinated.
The tenth COVID-19 death to report is a 81 year old man from Waila who died at home on 19/07/2021. He was not vaccinated.
The eleventh COVID-19 death to report is a 75 year old man from Nasinu. He presented to a medical facility in severe respiratory distress. He was retrieved by a medical team to the CWM Hospital. His condition worsened in the hospital and he died 1 day after admission (19/07/2021). He was not vaccinated.
The twelfth COVID-19 death to report is a 75 year old woman from Kinoya who died at home on 19/07/2021. She received her 1st dose of the vaccine in mid- May. She did not receive the 2nd dose of the vaccine. This means that she was not fully vaccinated.
There have been 3 more deaths of COVID-19 positive patients. However, their deaths have been classified as non-COVID deaths by their doctors. Doctors have determined that these deaths were caused by serious pre-existing medical conditions and not COVID-19.
There have now been 125 deaths due to COVID-19 in Fiji, with 123 of these deaths during the outbreak that started in April this year. We also have recorded 51 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 343 new recoveries reported since the last update, which means that there are now 14,943 active cases. There have been 19,282 cases during the outbreak that started in April 2021. We have recorded a total of 19,352 cases in Fiji since the first case was reported in March 2020, with 4,233 recoveries.
There are 30 more deaths currently under investigation. These will be discussed once investigations (including test results) and classifications are complete.
Screening Update
A total of 6,680 individuals were screened and 2,220 swabbed at our stationary screening clinics in the last 24 hours, bringing our cumulative total to 330,640 individuals screened and 58,239 swabbed to date. Our mobile screening teams screened a total of 3,321 individuals and swabbed 531 in the last 24 hours. This brings our cumulative total to 722,822 individuals screened and 62,560 swabbed by our mobile teams to date.
Testing update
A total of 232,972 samples have been tested since this outbreak started in April 2021, with 275,833 tested since testing began in March 2020. 3735 tests have been reported for July 18th. The national 7-day daily test average is 3837 tests per day or 4.3 tests per 1,000 population. The national 7-day average daily test positivity is 26%.
Vaccination Update
As of the 19th July 401,404 adults in Fiji have received their first dose of the vaccine and 80,894 have received their second doses. This means that 68.4% of the target population have received at least one dose and 13.8% 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 1046 cases per day or 1182 cases per million population per day. With the high numbers of new daily cases we are also seeing increasing cases of severe disease and deaths.
Advice to the public
COVID-19 infections are widespread across the Suva-Nausori containment zone. This means that if you develop any of the symptoms of COVID-19 you should assume you have COVID-19 and isolate yourself at home. Do not wait for a positive test result to self isolate. Isolating yourself will help to stop the spread of COVID-19 to others.
The symptoms of COVID-19 include any of the following:
Cough, runny nose, nasal congestion, sneezing, fatigue/extreme tiredness, loss of taste or smell, headache, aches and pains, sore throat, fever, diarrhoea, red eyes, skin rash.
If you have any of these symptoms please do the following:
1) Immediately ISOLATE from others including other members of your household. Stay at home. And, as much as possible, maintain a physical distance of 2m between yourself and other members of your household.
2) Where possible, visit the nearest screening clinic for a COVID-19 swab and advice. Ensure to 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 well-fitting mask that covers your mouth and nose at all times and maintain at least 2 metres physical distance from others
Severe COVID-19 is a medical emergency, and a delay in receiving appropriate medical treatment reduces your chance of recovering from the disease. You do not need to have a positive test result to watch out for these symptoms. We need all Fijians to know the severe symptoms of COVID-19, which include the following:
- Difficulty breathing
- Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
- Severe headache for a few days
- New confusion, inability to wake or stay awake
- Pale, gray, or blue-coloured skin, lips or nail beds
In the Suva-Nausori Containment zone we have identified health facilities specifically designated to receive people with symptoms of severe COVID-19. If you or a loved one live in the Suva-Nausori Containment Zone and have any of these severe symptoms please go immediately to the designated health facilities listed below.
– Colonial War Memorial Hospital (CWMH)
– FEMAT Hospital, Vodafone Arena
Individuals in Nausori with severe symptoms should go to:
– Nausori Health Centre
-Wainibokasi Hospital
Call 165 if you are unable to travel to a medical facility.
