Transmission Update
We have 468 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 11 new COVID-19 deaths to report for the period of 19th July to 21st July.
The first COVID-19 death to report is a 82 year old woman from Samabula who died at home on 22/07/2021. She was not vaccinated.
The second COVID-19 death to report is a 56 year old woman from Vatuwaqa who died at home on 22/07/2021. She was not vaccinated.
The third COVID-19 death to report is a 64 year old man from Nasinu who died at home on 21/07/2021. He received the 1st dose of the vaccine in late-May. He did not receive the second dose of the vaccine. This means that he was not fully vaccinated.
The fourth COVID-19 death to report is a 85 year old woman from Cunningham who died at home on 22/07/2021. She was not vaccinated.
The fifth COVID-19 death to report is a 51 year old man from Tacirua who died at home on 22/07/2021. He was not vaccinated.
The sixth COVID-19 death to report is a 79 year old woman from Lami who died at home on 22/07/2021. She was not vaccinated.
The seventh COVID-19 death to report is a 63 year old man from Davuilevu who died at home on 22/07/2021. He was not vaccinated.
The eighth COVID-19 death to report is a 66 year old man from Nausori. He presented to a medical facility in severe respiratory distress. A medical team retrieved him from a health facility and brought him to the CWM Hospital. His condition worsened in the hospital and he died 2 days later (23/07/2021). He received his 1st dose of the vaccine in early-June. He did not receive the second dose of the vaccine. This means that he was not fully vaccinated.
The ninth COVID-19 death to report is a 40 year old man from Kalokolevu Village who died at home on 22/07/2021. He was not vaccinated.
The tenth COVID-19 death to report is a 84 year old man from Caubati who died at home on 22/07/2021. He received his 1st dose of the vaccine in mid-April. He did not receive the second dose of the vaccine. This means that he was not fully vaccinated.
The eleventh COVID-19 death to report is a 63 year old woman from Toorak who died at home on 23/07/2021. She received her 1st 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.
There have been 7 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 172 deaths due to COVID-19 in Fiji, with 170 of these deaths during the outbreak that started in April this year. We also have recorded 75 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 792 new recoveries reported since the last update, which means that there are now 16,061 active cases. There have been 21,759 cases during the outbreak that started in April 2021. We have recorded a total of 21, 829 cases in Fiji since the first case was reported in March 2020, with 5,521 recoveries.
There is 1 more death that remains under investigation. This will be discussed once investigations (including test results) and classifications are complete.
Screening Update
A total of 6,252 individuals were screened and 1,979 swabbed at our stationary screening clinics in the last 24 hours, bringing our cumulative total to 349,222 individuals screened and 63,950 swabbed to date. Our mobile screening teams screened a total of 4,015 individuals and swabbed 875 in the last 24 hours. This brings our cumulative total to 734,716 individuals screened and 64,812 swabbed by our mobile teams to date.
Testing update
A total of 243,743 samples have been tested since this outbreak started in April 2021, with 286,604 tested since testing began in March 2020. 3747 tests have been reported for July 21st. The national 7-day daily test average is 3742 tests per day or 4.2 tests per 1,000 population. The national 7-day average daily test positivity is 28.8 %.
Vaccination Update
As of the 22nd July 428,524 adults in Fiji have received their first dose of the vaccine and 90,531 have received their second doses. This means that 73% of the target population have received at least one dose and 15.4% 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 934 cases per day or 1056 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
For people with COVID-19 symptoms in Suva-Nausori:
People who are symptomatic will no longer be tested for COVID-19, and should stay at home and strictly self-isolate for 14 days. Most people infected with COVID-19 will have only mild symptoms like cough, runny nose, sore throat, fever, loss of taste or smell, body ache, headache, and can fully recover at home. For lower-risk individuals with COVID symptoms, we ask you to please stay at home for 14 days, isolate yourself from other family members, and continue to monitor your symptoms for severe COVID-19. If you develop any signs of severe COVID-19, like difficulty breathing or chest pain, please go immediately to one of our dedicated health facilities:
– 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.
If you or someone you are caring for is at high risk of severe COVID – in particular individuals over 50 years, have a chronic illness such as diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, asthma, are obese, or are pregnant – we need you to get in touch right away and visit one of our screening clinics. If you test positive, then we will ensure you are provided immediate care by our health teams.
1.) For symptomatic workers who need official leave from work, they are recommended to attend the nearest screening clinic to be checked and to obtain a medical certificate for the 14 days home isolation.
2.) Symptomatic workers can also obtain a medical certificate for the 14 days self-isolation at home from participating General Practitioners (GPs).