Transmission Update
We have 1,043 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 13 new COVID-19 deaths to report for the period of 14th July to 17th July.
The first COVID-19 death to report is a 77 year old woman from Toorak. She presented to the CWM Hospital Emergency Department in severe respiratory distress. Her condition worsened in the hospital and she died on the same day (17/07/2021). She was not vaccinated.
The second COVID-19 death to report is a 49 year old man from Vatuwaqa. He presented to the CWM Hospital Emergency Department in severe respiratory distress. His condition worsened in the hospital and he died on the same day (15/07/2021). He received the 1st dose of the vaccine on the 14th June. He had not received the 2nd dose of the vaccine. This means that he was not fully vaccinated.
The third COVID-19 death to report is an 88 year old woman from Nasinu who died at home on 14/07/2021. She was not vaccinated.
The fourth COVID-19 death to report is a 68 year old man from Cunningham. He was brought to the FEMAT field hospital on 16/07/2021 and declared dead on arrival by the attending medical officer. This means that he died at home or on his way to the hospital. His family reported that he had been unwell, with symptoms including fever, cough and shortness of breath for at least 7 days at home. He was not vaccinated.
The fifth COVID-19 death to report is a 76 year old man from Laucala Beach. He was brought to the FEMAT field hospital and noted to be in severe respiratory distress. His condition worsened in the FEMAT field hospital and he died on the same day (16/07/2021). His family reported that he had been feeling unwell with a cough at home. He received his 1st dose of the vaccine on 29/06/2021. He had not received the 2nd dose of the vaccine. This means that he was not fully vaccinated.
The sixth COVID-19 death to report is a 65 year old woman from Kinoya. She presented to the FEMAT field hospital in severe respiratory distress. Her condition worsened in the FEMAT field hospital and she died on the same day (17/07/2021). She received the 1st dose of the vaccine in early-June. She had not received the 2nd dose of the vaccine. This means that she was not fully vaccinated.
The seventh COVID-19 death to report is a 69 year old woman from Samabula. She presented to a medical facility in severe respiratory distress. She was retrieved by a medical team to the FEMAT field hospital. Her condition worsened in the FEMAT field hospital and she died on the same day (17/07/2021). She received the 1st dose of the vaccine in early-July. She had not received the 2nd dose of the vaccine. This means that she was not fully vaccinated.
The eighth COVID-19 death to report is an 86 year old man from Valelevu who died at home on 17/07/2021. He was not vaccinated.
The ninth COVID-19 death to report is an 84 year old woman from Raiwaqa who died at home on 17/07/2021. She was not vaccinated.
The tenth COVID-19 death to report is a 60 year old woman from Nausori She presented to a medical facility in severe respiratory distress. Her condition worsened at the medical facility and she died on the same day (17/07/2021). She was not vaccinated.
The eleventh COVID-19 death to report is a 77 year old woman from Narere. She presented to a medical facility in severe respiratory distress. Her condition worsened at the medical facility and she died on the same day (14/07/2021). Her family reported that she was unwell with COVID-19 symptoms two days before. She was not vaccinated.
The twelfth COVID-19 death to report is a 63 year old man from Valelevu who died at home (15/07/2021). His family reported that he had been unwell with COVID-19 symptoms (cough and shortness of breath). He received the 1st dose of the vaccine in early-June. He had not received the 2nd dose of the vaccine. This means that he was not fully vaccinated.
The thirteenth COVID-19 death to report is a 70 year old woman from Toorak who died at home on 15/07/2021. She was not 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 98 deaths due to COVID-19 in Fiji, with 96 of these deaths during the outbreak that started in April this year. We also have recorded 41 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 388 new recoveries reported since the last update, which means that there are now 13,610 active cases. There have been 17,444 cases during the outbreak that started in April 2021. We have recorded a total of 17,514 cases in Fiji since the first case was reported in March 2020, with 3,765 recoveries.
There are 9 more deaths currently under investigation. These will be discussed once investigations (including test results) and classifications are complete.
Screening Update
A total of 3,795 individuals were screened and 1,068 swabbed at our stationary screening clinics in the last 24 hours, bringing our cumulative total to 322,714 individuals screened and 55,408 swabbed to date. Our mobile screening teams screened a total of 207 individuals and swabbed 290 in the last 24 hours. This brings our cumulative total to 716,965 individuals screened and 61,756 swabbed by our mobile teams to date.
Testing update
A total of 225,366 samples have been tested since this outbreak started in April 2021, with 268,227 tested since testing began in March 2020. 4407 tests have been reported for July 16th. Testing number data for one laboratory is still pending for July 15th. Based on available testing numbers, the national 7-day daily test average is 3860 tests per day or 4.4 tests per 1,000 population. The national 7-day average daily test positivity is 24% and continues on an upward trend.
Vaccination Update
As of the 17th July 393,095 adults in Fiji have received their first dose of the vaccine and 78,624 have received their second doses. This means that 67% of the target population have received at least one dose and 13.4 % 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 1000 cases per day or 1130 cases per million population per day. Average daily case numbers are increasing, together with cases of severe disease and deaths.
Advice to the public
In the Suva-Nausori Containment Zone, people with severe COVID-19 are still dying at home, or they are coming to a medical facility in the late stages of severe illness. Severe COVID-19 is a medical emergency, and a delay in receiving appropriate medical treatment reduces your chance of recovering from the disease.
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.