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Joint Statement WHO and Ministry of Health and Medical Services statement on Australian announcement to changes in age recommendations for AstraZeneca Vaccines 

COVID-19 vaccination remains one of our most effective measures in response to the current COVID-19 outbreak, significantly reducing a person’s risk of being infected, seriously ill, hospitalized or dying from COVID-19. As new information and evidence becomes available, we are also continuously assessing our efforts and response as the continued safety and protection of our communities is at the forefront of all aspects of our efforts.  

The benefits of vaccines are clear. We see from other countries around the world, like Israel and the United States, who have vaccinated high proportions of their population that they have significantly reduced the number of hospitalized patients and slowed the spread of COVID-19. This has also allowed them to relax some of their containment measures. So, we know vaccines work and they are an invaluable tool we have available for our response.  

Fiji, alongside 22 other countries globally, has successfully and safely administered over 2 billion doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to people aged 18 years and older. We are aware that Australia recently announced changes to their age recommendations for their national distribution of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines following a rare but serious adverse event following immunization. Decisions such as this are being undertaken by national governments on a basis of various considerations, including weighing up the various risks. This being what is the risk of a person being infected and becoming seriously ill from COVID-19, compared to the risk of suffering a rare, but severe side effect from the vaccine. It is clear that in the Fiji context, our case numbers are escalating daily and the risk of being infected with COVID-19 and getting severe disease and dying in Fiji is much higher than in Australia because we have community transmission in the Lami-Nausori area and in the West. Mitigating the effects of the outbreak, including preventing more people getting severe disease and dying, will depend on our ability to get as many people vaccinated as possible, and as quickly as possible.

Australia’s decision does not change the approach for us here in Fiji.  Given the current community transmission and COVID-19 variant, all unvaccinated individuals are at risk from the virus. Recent events in Fiji and many other countries have shown us how quickly outbreaks can spread despite intensive contact tracing and public health action. It is also important to remember that serious adverse events following immunization with the AstraZeneca vaccine remain rare events. To date no confirmed cases of serious adverse events following immunization have been detected in Fiji despite 256018 individuals being given one dose (44% of the adult population) and 17990 individuals having had 2 doses to date.  This is a phenomenal achievement of not only of our community coming together to protect each other, but also the tireless efforts of our vaccination teams in ensuring vaccines are being delivered to communities across the county.  Furthermore, our vaccination teams and clinicians have been well trained and have the resources on hand to treat individuals if such rare incidents do occur.   

The World Health Organization’s recommendations for Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines remain the same, with the vaccines recommended for individuals aged 18 years and over. These vaccines have undergone the strictest safety and quality control trials and have reached the exacting standards of safety, purity, and effectiveness. Nothing is left to chance.

Media Release

COVID-19 Update

Friday, 18 June 2021

Transmission Update

We have recorded 115 new cases in the 24-hour period ending at 8:00 am today. As we noted yesterday, we will report cases going forward by 3:00 pm each day covering the 24-hour period ending at 8:00 am on the day of each update.

The majority of these cases are related to existing clusters of transmission or to localities where significant transmission has occurred. These localities are well known areas of concern that we have discussed in our updates throughout the current outbreak.

52 cases are from the following known clusters:

Waila: 8
Nasinu Police Barracks: 6
Navosai: 2
CWMH: 8
Nawajikuma, Nadi: 7
Townhouse hotel: 7
Freshet: 13
Rewa EOC: 1

12 are from new clusters: Max Value Supermarket, Lami (8) and Public Rental Board (4)

7 cases have also been detected during screening at the Valelevu, Nuffield, and Raiwaqa screening clinics. 1 case was also identified during screening at Nadi hospital. Investigations are underway to determine any links to known cases.
21 have been identified as primary contacts of previous cases and are under investigation by the contact tracing teams to determine if there is a cluster link.
22 cases are from the following areas and are under investigation to determine if they have links to other cases. They are currently considered cases of community transmission: Naqio settlement, Rewa (2), Nadave (1), Nausori village (7), Naulu (4), Omkar Rd, Narere (1), Valenicina, Lami (1), Verata, Nausori (1), Milverton Road, Raiwaqa (1), Qauia, Lami (2), Naduru Rd, Nausori (1), and Fiji Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Services (1)

We unfortunately have recorded another death at CWM Hospital. This is a 49-year-old man who had been admitted for almost a month and was being treated for a severe non-COVID pre-existing condition. He tested positive for COVID-19 during his admission, and his doctors are currently investigating to determine if this is a COVID-19 death.

There are now 1182 active cases in isolation. There have been 1578 cases during this outbreak that started in April 2021.

We have recorded a total of 1648 cases in Fiji since the first case was reported in March 2020. There have been 452 recoveries and 6 deaths due to COVID-19. A total of 7 COVID-19 positive patients have died from pre-existing non-COVID-19 related illnesses. 1 new death is currently under investigation.

Testing update

A total of 121,193 samples have been tested since this outbreak started in April 2021, with 164,054 tested since testing began in early 2020.
3089 tests have been reported for June 16th. The national 7-day daily test average is 3443 tests per day or 3.9 tests per 1000 population.

Vaccination Update

We continue to make excellent progress in our vaccination effort. 43% of Fijians 18 and older have received their first dose, and 2.1% are fully vaccinated. That is a total of 252,791 who have received at least one dose and 12,246 who are fully vaccinated.

In the first four days of this week, we have administered 14,425 first doses and 6,752 second doses. In the Central Division, 9,897 received their first dose this week and 3,904 people have received their second. In the Western Division this week, 4,592 people received their first dose and 2,767 received their second.
We are moving steadily to the outcome we want—having 80% of our adult population vaccinated. We encourage all Fijians to arrange to get vaccinated as soon as you can.

Media Release

COVID-19 Update

Thursday, June 17th 2021

Transmission Update

We are reporting 91 cases since yesterday’s daily update.

Please note this is for new case notifications received between 6pm last night and  8am this morning. We are currently shifting to a new daily reporting format that will replace our current evening public reporting of the consolidated cases for the day. From tomorrow, the new daily cases will be reported to the public at 3pm for the 24 hour reporting period of 8am to 8am. This will allow our teams to investigate new cases and gather information to share with the public in a more efficient manner.

49 of the new cases reported have been confirmed in the following existing clusters:

Waila: 1
Rewa EOC: 5
Vunivivi: 1
Nasinu Police Barracks: 2
Korovou: 4
Navosai: 13
CWMH: 17
Tramline, Nadi: 4
Grantham Road: 1
Town House hotel: 1

36 cases have been identified as primary contacts of earlier cases, and the respective response teams are determining the cluster link, this includes cases from Veisari Lami (3) and Delainavesi, Lami (5).  The remaining 6  cases from the following areas that are under investigation to determine whether they have links to other cases: Vusuya, Rewa (1), Namuka-i-Lau, Lami (1),Lami village (1), Waikerekere, Lami (1),  Raiwaqa (2).

Sadly, we have one new death to report. This is a 76 year old male admitted at the CWM Hospital. He had a severe pre-existing medical condition, and his cause of death has been assessed by his doctors to be due to COVID-19. We have extended our condolences to the family of the deceased.

This is the 4th death due to COVID-19 during this current outbreak.

A review of cases recently reported from Nadi has revealed a duplicate entry for 1 case, therefore the duplicate has been removed from the active and total case count.

64  COVID-19 cases have recovered, which means there are now 1068 active cases in isolation. There have been 1463 cases during the outbreak that started in April 2021.

We have recorded a total of 1533 cases in Fiji since the first case was reported in March 2020. There have been 452  recoveries and 6 deaths due to COVID-19. A total of 7 COVID-19 positive patients have died from pre-existing non-COVID-19 related illnesses.

Testing Update

With today’s change to the reporting schedule the latest testing data will be provided in tomorrow’s 3pm report.

Quarantine Facility Update

Fiji’s border quarantine facilities and protocols have been exhaustively reviewed to protect against transmission stemming from individuals entered into quarantine or isolation. The measures taken include:

• Quarantine capacity is to be capped at 300. This will be reviewed as and when appropriate.
• Hotel workers deemed as “high-risk” will include housekeeping staff, maintenance, and reception staff and will be accommodated within the quarantine facility.
• CCTV coverage has been upgraded in selected quarantine facilities, for improved monitoring and surveillance.
• All infection prevention protocols have been reviewed in all quarantine facilities and a refresher program has been carried out for all Hotel, Military and Health staff.
• Internal reviews of the standard cleaning & disinfection protocols and the food and amenities delivery and exchange protocols for quarantine facilities have been conducted.
• New mitigation measures have been introduced to address the risk related to transmission of the virus within tightly-contained spaces within quarantine facilities in the course of operations and frontline surveillance reporting, which includes mandatory reporting for staff on leave, has been strengthened.
• Routine surveillance swabbing of all quarantine facility workers, health officials, military, and transfer companies will step-up from a fortnightly basis to a weekly basis (once every 7 days), to ensure early identification and appropriate management of cases; and
• We have escalated immunization rates for quarantine facilities and personnel – 90% 0f hotel workers, 100% of transfer drivers and 100% of health workers and military personnel are fully-vaccinated.

Well-run quarantine facilities with adequate bed capacity are critical to the containment of COVID-19. We ask the public’s cooperation in establishing quarantine facilities. We are all safer when suitable facilities are open and available to cater for Fijians who may have been exposed to COVID-19. The more facilities are opened and run in accordance with these protocols, the higher level of success we’ll obtain in our containment of the virus. Additionally, these facilities will allow Fijians who are returning to Fiji after seeking medical treatment to safely return home.

Epidemic Outlook

Our mitigation strategy continues to rely on the women and men, doctors, nurses, contact tracers and members of our disciplined forces who serve on the frontlines. While they are provided with the proper personal protective equipment, they face a risk to their health and wellbeing every day of their service to the nation. We are committed to their safety and are grateful for the sacrifices they have continually made to protect the Fijian people. They are tracing contacts, they are caring for patients who develop severe disease, they are monitoring individuals under isolation, they are spending weeks at a time away from their families, and these heroes deserve the cooperation and the respect of the public.

Likewise, we are also making a strong appeal to our health officials to remain resolute in our purpose, our professionalism, and our patience in our service to the public. Our two-month battle against this outbreak has demanded great sacrifices from all of us, but it has also saved countless lives. In the line of duty, you may encounter moments of frustration. We urge you to meet those moments with compassion.

We have made excellent progress to-date with more than 250,000 people in Fiji receiving at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and many more have been screened and tested. We have set a standard of professional conduct that has inspired confidence from the Fijian people, and that must remain the benchmark for our engagement with the public. We are disturbed by some reports of impolite and inappropriate conduct by some of our frontline officials, including those administering vaccines. We apologise if there have been any shortcomings or unprofessional lapses in our service delivery. We are constantly seeking to improve our services and we will not allow these incidents to define the professionalism of our overall effort. It is our mission to offer the full protection of vaccines to every eligible individual in Fiji and we cannot allow that mission to be compromised by reports of unprofessional conduct. Every Fijian who makes the decision to come forward to be vaccinated or swabbed to protect themselves, their loved ones and the country should be applauded, and these patriotic Fijians –– regardless of their background or status –– deserve nothing less than the full measure of your empathy and courtesy. We are all on the same team in the fight against the virus and victory can only be achieved together. Please, let us soldier on in a spirit of solidarity.

Public Advisory

Thursday, 17 June 2021            

The Ministry of Health and Medical Services wishes to advise that pregnant women living within the Lami-Nausori containment area can visit one of the following health centres nearest to them for their first booking clinic only. Pregnant women who have already completed their first booking including those who have been booked before April must wait at home and they will be given a phone call to schedule future appointments.

For any  queries please call:  9988997 / 9988970.

When going to the health centre for first booking clinic, adhere to the following for the safety of yourself and family members:

• Do not bring your children, husband or any other family member with you unless required (this is to minimize crowding at the facility and thus reduce the risk of spreading the virus);
• Wear a mask;
• Do not interact with anyone else while waiting for your turn;
• Maintain safe physical distancing of 2 metres from another person while waiting;
• Wash your hands with soap and water or frequently sanitise with alcohol based rub; and
• Keep your careFIJI application turned on.

Media Release

COVID-19 Update

Wednesday, June 16th 2021

Transmission Update

We have 121 new cases of COVID-19 to confirm since yesterday’s update. 61 cases are linked to the following existing clusters:

A new cluster has been identified within the Rewa Emergency Operations Centre, possibly linked to the Vunimono cluster; there are 2 new cases to report for this cluster. A new cluster is also at the Town House hotel – where CWMH and IMT staff are being accommodated. There are 19 cases within this cluster – likely linked to the CWMH or IMT clusters.

11 cases have been identified as primary contacts of earlier cases, and the respective response teams are determining the cluster link. The remaining are cases from the following areas that are under investigation to determine whether they have links to other cases: Nasevou St, Lami, Nakoba St, Lami, Delainavesi, Lami, Qauia St, Lami, Naituni, Rewa, Qima Settlement, Nadi, Feeder Rd. Tacirua, Wainivula Rd, Cunningham Stage 4, Ura Place, Toorak, Freshet, Makoi, Bau St Nausori, Toga – Nausori, Nabitu – Nausori, Naduru – Nausori.

21 COVID-19 cases have recovered, which means there are now 1043 active cases in isolation. There have been 1373 cases during the outbreak that started in April 2021.

We have recorded a total of 1443 cases in Fiji since the first case was reported in March 2020. There have been 388 recoveries and 5 deaths due to COVID-19. A total of 7 COVID-19 positive patients have died from pre-existing non-COVID-19 related illnesses.

Testing Update

A total of 117,221 samples have been tested since this outbreak started in April 2021, with 160,082 tested since testing began in early 2020.

2835 tests have been reported for 15 June. The national 7-day daily test average is 3405 tests per day or 3.8 tests per 1000 population. The national 7-day average daily test positivity is 2.5%.

Vaccine Update

An additional 70,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines will arrive in Fiji from Australia over the next week. The arrival of these vaccines will bring Australia’s total vaccine contribution to Fiji to 250,000 doses out of the one million pledged to Fiji. We’re grateful that the commitment to deliver 40,000 vaccines per month has been exceeded. Australia’s commitment, as well as that of New Zealand, has helped us reserve the full dosage of COVID-19 vaccines for every eligible Fijian. We’re grateful for the expedited commitment of the Australian and New Zealand governments as we contend with this surge in new local cases. We are also grateful to the Indian Government for their initial contribution of 100,000 COVID-19 vaccines.

This week, several US states, including New York and California, have lifted most COVID restrictions. They were able to do so because they have immunised enough of their populations against COVID-19. Fiji’s road to recovery will look much the same. As of today, 42% of Fijians aged 18 and over have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. We are making extremely efficient use of the vaccines we have received, and we thank the more than 246,000 people in Fiji who have come forward to be vaccinated. My teams are committed to continue vaccinating our population and protecting Fijians from this deadly disease. According to a recent study by Public Health England, after both doses, the AstraZeneca vaccine is 92% successful at preventing hospitalization from the Delta variant of COVID-19 present in Fiji. So, we ask those who have received one dose to make sure they receive dose number two, and we encourage every eligible Fijian awaiting their first dose to seize this opportunity to protect themselves.

Epidemic Outlook

The majority of new COVID cases continue to be confirmed within known clusters in areas already under lockdown or are individuals under home quarantine. However, new clusters in new locations do pose a serious risk of wider transmission. We are prepared to mitigate the impact of a larger number of daily case totals and have contingency plans in place to care for patients who develop severe cases of the virus. But it should be noted that this case surge is not inevitable. Widespread public adherence to the health protection measures in-force can limit or stop the spread of COVID-19 entirely and lessen the growing burden on our frontline health officials. Essential movement, when managed in a COVID-safe manner, can occur without moving the virus and without putting you, your loved ones, and your community members at high-risk of becoming infected. If you need to move, wear a mask, wash your hands regularly with soap and water or an alcohol-based sanitiser, install careFIJI on your phones and keep Bluetooth switched on, maintain a strict physical distance of two metres from others, and do not enter closed contained spaces with others. Communities should not wait for a lockdown order to come into effect before adopting this COVID-safe behaviour –– every Fijian must adopt an attitude of vigilance and COVID-safe discipline now to keep themselves healthy.