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Media Release

COVID-19 Daily Update

Wednesday, 7^th July 2021

Transmission Update

We have 791 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 has been published online on the Ministry’s COVID-19 dashboard and on the Fijian Government Facebook page. You can also view the approximate locations of cases at the following link: http://bit.ly/3vE2ZBb

The first COVID-19 death is a 61-year-old man from Qauia Village, Lami. He was brought to the CWMH Emergency Department in severe respiratory distress. He had been experiencing severe COVID-19 symptoms, including shortness of breath, for two weeks. He died one day later. He was not vaccinated.

The second COVID-19 death is a 75 year old man from Raiwaqa. He was declared dead on arrival by the attending medical officer at the CWMH Hospital Emergency Department. This means that he died at home or on his way to the hospital. His family reported that been unwell, with symptoms including fever and generalized weakness, for at least 5 days at home. He was not vaccinated.

The third COVID-19 death is a 67 year old man from Toorak. A Ministry response team attended to him at home and transferred him to the CWM Hospital after he reported having symptoms of COVID-19 at home for approximately a week. His condition worsened in hospital and he died 11 days after admission. He received his 1st dose of the vaccine in mid-June.  He had not received the second dose of the vaccine and was not fully vaccinated.

There have been three more deaths of COVID-19 positive patients. However, these 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 42 deaths due to COVID-19 in Fiji, with 40 of these deaths during the outbreak that started in April this year. We also have recorded 19 COVID-19 positive patients who died from the serious medical conditions that they had before they contracted COVID-19.

There have been 37 new recoveries reported since the last update, which means that there are now 6,524 active cases. There have been 7,870 cases during the outbreak that started in April 2021. We have recorded a total of 7,940 cases in Fiji since the first case was reported in March 2020, with 1,355 recoveries.

Screening Update

A total of 6,361 individuals were screened and 1,629 swabbed at our stationary screening clinics in the last 24 hours, bringing our cumulative total to 257,860 individuals screened and 37,239 swabbed to date. Our mobile screening teams screened a total of 4,387 individuals and swabbed 410 in the last 24 hours. This brings our cumulative total to 681,316 individuals screened and 56,562 swabbed by our mobile teams to date.

Testing update

181,026 samples have been tested since this outbreak started in April 2021, with 223,887 tested since testing began in early 2020. 3356 tests have been reported for July 5th. Testing number data for all labs for July 5th are still being received and so the testing number is expected to increase once updated. The national 7-day daily test average is 3,420 tests per day or 3.9 tests per 1,000 population. The national 7-day average daily test positivity is 12.5% and continues on an upward trend.

Vaccination Update

As of July 6th, 329,837 adults in Fiji have received their first dose of the vaccine and 56,974 have received their second doses. This means that 56% of the target population has received at least one dose and 9.7% 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 has increased to 503 cases per day or 569 cases per million population per day. And today was another daily record of new cases. Daily case numbers are expected to continue to increase, along with an increase in people with COVID-19 requiring hospitalisation, and sadly, more deaths.

Advice to the public

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, and these people should call 158. Our 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.

People in Suva-Nausori should visit their nearest screening clinic for testing if they:

–      Have COVID-19 symptoms (cough, runny nose, nasal congestion, sneezing, fatigue, headache, aches and pains, sore throat, fever, diarrhoea, red eyes, loss of taste or smell);

or

–      Have been in close contact with someone who has COVID-19

Any disruptions to screening clinic services, for instance for decontamination, will be communicated to the public.

A person in Suva-Nausori with symptoms, or who has been in close contact with someone confirmed to have COVID-19, should 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.

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.

Our FEMAT field hospital has begun the transition into a COVID-19 dedicated hospital. And we have set up an emergency number 165 for people with severe COVID-19 symptoms to contact if they cannot get to a hospital themselves.

Sadly, we continue to see people with severe COVID-19 dying at home or coming to a medical facility in the late stages of severe illness and dying within a day or two. Severe COVID-19 is a medical emergency and a delay in receiving appropriate medical treatment may result in a higher risk of death.

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-coloured 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 Update

Sunday 04th July, 2021

Transmission Update

We have 522 new cases of COVID-19 and 3 COVID-19 deaths to report for the 24 hour period that ended at 8 am today. A full breakdown of areas of interest has been published online on the Ministry’s COVID-19 dashboard and on the Fijian Government Facebook page. You can also view the approximate locations of cases at the following link: http://bit.ly/3vE2ZBb

The first death is a 93-year-old woman from Matata, Valenicinia Lami. She died at home. According to protocol she was swabbed and tested positive for COVID-19. She was not vaccinated.

The two other deaths were previously reported as under investigation to determine if the cause of death was COVID-19. Doctors have now concluded that their deaths were caused by COVID-19. The first was a 60-year-old man from Lami Village who was declared dead on arrival at the Lami Health Centre. He died at home or on the way to the health facility. According to protocol he was swabbed and tested positive for COVID-19. He was not vaccinated. The second was a 56-year-old woman from Quia in Lami who died at home. She also tested positive for COVID-19. She was not vaccinated.

Another death of a COVID-19 positive patient that was previously reported as under investigation to determine if COVID-19 was the cause of death has now been classified as a non-COVID death. Doctors have determined that the person died from a pre-existing illness and not COVID-19.

There have now been 30 deaths due to COVID-19 in Fiji, with 28 of these deaths during the outbreak that started in April this year. We also have recorded 13 COVID-19 positive patients who died from the serious medical conditions that they had before they contracted COVID-19.

There have been 108 new recoveries reported since the last update, which means that there are now 4,909 active cases in isolation. There have been 6091 cases during the outbreak that started in April 2021. We have recorded a total of 6161 cases in Fiji since the first case was reported in March 2020, with 1209 recoveries.

Screening Update

A total of 3,610 individuals were screened and 464 swabbed at our stationary screening clinics in the last 24 hours, bringing our cumulative total to 243791individuals screened and 33,781 swabbed to date. Our mobile screening teams screened a total of 1,325 individuals and swabbed 141 in the last 24 hours. This brings our cumulative total to 672,362 individuals screened and 55,229 swabbed by our mobile teams to date.

Testing update

A total of 170,431 samples have been tested since this outbreak started in April 2021, with 213,292 tested since testing began in early 2020. 3216 tests have been reported for 2nd July. Testing number data for all labs has now been received for June 30th and July 1st so total numbers for those days have been updated. The national 7-day daily test average is 3,144 tests per day or 3.6 tests per 1,000 population. The national 7-day average daily test positivity is 10.4% and continues on an upward trend.

Vaccination Update

To date, 317, 461 adults in Fiji have received their first dose of the vaccine, and 52,001 have received their second doses. This means that 54 % of the target population has received at least one dose and 8.9 % are now fully vaccinated nationwide.

Fijians are reminded to 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 367 cases per day or 386 cases per million population per day. As expected, with the increasing case numbers we are also seeing increasing numbers of people with severe disease and more deaths in the Suva-Nausori containment zone.

It remains a serious concern that some people with the severe disease come to a medical facility only in the late stages of their illness. And we are still sadly seeing people with the severe disease die at home or on the way to the hospital before our medical teams have a chance to administer what could potentially be a life-saving treatment.

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-coloured skin, lips or nail beds.

If you or a loved one have any of these symptoms please go immediately to your nearest medical facility.

Media Release

COVID-19 Update

Saturday, 03rd July 2021

Transmission Update

We have 386 new cases of COVID-19 and 2 COVID-19 deaths to report for the 24 hour period that ended at 8 am today. Five of the new cases are contacts of cases who are undergoing 14 days of quarantine in quarantine facilities in Nadi. The rest of the cases are from the Suva-Nausori containment zone. A full breakdown of areas of interest has been published online on the Ministry’s COVID-19 dashboard and on the Fijian Government Facebook page. You can also view the approximate locations of the new cases at the following link: http://bit.ly/3vE2ZBb.

The first death from COVID-19 is a 66-year-old woman from Valelevu who was declared dead on arrival by doctors at the emergency department at CWM Hospital. This means she died at home or on the way to the hospital. Her family reported that she had been feeling unwell at home for a few days. She was not vaccinated.

The second death was reported yesterday as being under investigation to determine if the cause of death was COVID-19. This was a 24-year-old woman from Wainibokasi admitted at the CWM Hospital for treatment of a serious non-COVID-related medical condition and later tested positive in hospital. After investigation, her doctors have determined that her death was caused by COVID-19 and not the prior medical condition. She was not vaccinated.

The death of another person who tested positive for COVID-19 is also currently under investigation to determine if COVID-19 was the cause of death.

There have now been 27 deaths due to COVID-19 in Fiji, with 25 of these deaths during the outbreak that started in April this year. We also have recorded 12 COVID-19 positive patients who died from the serious medical conditions that they had before they contracted COVID-19. 3 deaths are under investigation to determine the cause of death.

There have been 131 new recoveries reported since the last update, which means that there are now 4,496 active cases in isolation. There have been 5569 cases during the outbreak that started in April 2021. We have recorded a total of 5639 cases in Fiji since the first case was reported in March 2020, with 1101 recoveries.

Screening Update

A total of 5816 individuals were screened and 1050 swabbed at our stationary screening clinics in the last 24 hours, bringing our cumulative total to 240,181 individuals screened and 33,317 swabbed to date. Our mobile screening teams screened a total of 2,088 individuals and swabbed 472 in the last 24 hours. This brings our cumulative total to 671,037 individuals screened and 55,088 swabbed by our mobile teams to date.

Testing update

A total of 166,501 samples have been tested since this outbreak started in April 2021, with 209,362 tested since testing began in early 2020. 3240 tests have been reported for 1^st July. This number is expected to increase as recent testing numbers from one laboratory have not yet been received. The national 7-day daily test average is 3,055 tests per day or 3.5 tests per 1,000 population. The national 7-day average daily test positivity is 10.2% and continues on an upward trend.

Vaccination Update

To date, 315,898 adults in Fiji have received their first dose of the vaccine and 51,408 have received their second doses. This means that 54% of the target population has received at least one dose and 8.8 % are now fully vaccinated nationwide.

Fijians are reminded to 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 330 cases per day or 373 cases per million population per day. As expected, with the increasing case numbers we are also seeing increasing numbers of people with severe disease and more deaths in the Suva-Nausori containment zone.

Of great concern is the people with severe disease that come to a medical facility in the late stages of their illness. And we are also sadly seeing people with severe diseases die at home or on the way to the hospital before our medical teams have a chance to administer what could potentially be a life-saving treatment.

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