Transmission Update
We have 968 new cases of COVID-19 to report for the 24 hour period that ended at 8am today. 292 cases are from the Western Division and 676 cases are from the Central Division. 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 new cases, active cases, and recovered cases on the dashboard at the following link:
http://bit.ly/3vE2ZBb
There have been 385 new recoveries reported since the last update, which means that there are now 23,226 active cases. 18,589 active cases are in the Central Division and 4,637 in the West. All cases that were recorded in the Northern and Eastern Divisions (cases that were imported from Viti Levu) have recovered and there are no active cases currently in those divisions.
There have been 34,818 cases during the outbreak that started in April 2021. We have recorded a total of 34,888 cases in Fiji since the first case was reported in March 2020, with 11,233 recoveries.
Deaths
We have 11 new COVID-19 deaths to report for the period of 02nd August – 05th August. 8 of the deaths were in the Central Division, and 3 deaths were from the Western Division.
The first COVID-19 death to report is a 15 year old from Tavua. She presented to a medical facility in respiratory distress and she was transferred to Lautoka hospital. Her family reported that she had a fever, cough and shortness of breath two days prior to presentation. Clinical investigations revealed that she was positive for both leptospirosis and COVID-19. Sadly, her condition worsened at the hospital and she died one day after admission (03/08/2021). Her doctors have determined that she died from severe COVID-19 with leptospirosis. Both diseases contributed to her death. She was not vaccinated against COVID-19; she was not in the target population of people 18 years and over that are eligible to receive the vaccine.
The second COVID-19 death to report is a 60 year old man from Lami who died at home on the 04/08/2021. He was not vaccinated.
The third COVID-19 death to report is a 51 year old woman from Raiwaqa who died at home on the 04/08/2021. She was not vaccinated.
The fourth COVID-19 death to report is an 85 year old man from Lautoka. He was declared dead on arrival by the attending medical officer at the Lautoka Hospital Emergency Department. This means that he died at home or on his way to the hospital. He was not vaccinated.
The fifth COVID-19 death to report is an 88 year old man from Sigatoka. He was declared dead on arrival by the attending medical officer at the Sigatoka Sub Divisional Hospital. This means that he died at home or on his way to the hospital. He was not vaccinated.
The sixth COVID-19 death to report is an 86 year old man from Toorak who presented to the CWM Hospital in severe respiratory distress. His condition worsened in the hospital and he died on the same day (04/08/2021). He received the first 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 seventh COVID-19 death to report is an 85 year old woman from Tailevu who died at home on the 02/08/2021. She was not vaccinated.
The eighth COVID-19 death to report is a 55 year old man from Tailevu who died at home on the 02/08/2021. He was not vaccinated.
The ninth COVID-19 death to report is a 70 year old woman from Tailevu who died at home on the 02/08/2021. She was not vaccinated.
The tenth COVID-19 death to report is a 90 year old man from Raiwai who died at home on the 05/08/2021. He was not vaccinated.
The eleventh COVID-19 death to report is an 85 year old man from Naitasiri who died at home on the 04/08/2021. He was not vaccinated.
There have been 4 more deaths of COVID-19 positive patients. However, their 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 and not COVID-19.
With today’s newly reported deaths, there have now been 283 deaths due to COVID-19 in Fiji, with 281 of these deaths during the outbreak that started in April this year. The 7 day rolling average of COVID-19 deaths per day is 6. We also have recorded 146 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.
Hospitalisations
There are currently 311 COVID-19 patients admitted to hospital. 63 patients are admitted at the Lautoka hospital. In Suva, 78 patients are admitted at the FEMAT field hospital, and 170 admitted at CWM hospital, St Giles, and Makoi. 48 patients are considered to be in severe condition, and 6 are in critical condition.
Screening Update
A total of 5,604 individuals were screened and 636 swabbed at our stationary screening clinics in the last 24 hours, bringing our cumulative total to 411,142 individuals screened and 73,893 swabbed to date. As of the 04th August our mobile screening teams screened a total of 1,928 individuals and swabbed 91. This brings our cumulative total to 776,034 individuals screened and 68,462 swabbed by our mobile teams.
Testing update
A total of 287,237 samples have been tested since this outbreak started in April 2021, with 330,098 tested since testing began in March 2020. 3352 tests have been reported for August 3rd. The national 7-day daily test average is 3401 tests per day or 3.8 tests per 1,000 population. The national 7-day average daily test positivity is 32.4 %.
Vaccination Update
As of the 04th August 498,680 adults in Fiji have received their first dose of the vaccine and 164,974 have received their second doses. This means that 85% of the target population have received at least one dose and 28.1% 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 1156 cases per day or 1193 cases per million population per day. Daily cases numbers remain high, and daily test positivity remains high, indicating ongoing widespread community transmission in the Suva-Nausori containment zone. Cases are also increasing in the West with evidence of community transmission in that division. We are also recording increasing numbers of people with severe disease, and deaths in the West. The Northern and Eastern Divisions currently have no active cases.
Advice to the public
The following was announced in a public advisory issued earlier today:
COVID-19 health services in the Western Division.
The Ministry of Health and Medical Services wishes to inform the public that due to the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in the Western Division, it is necessary to adjust the current health services strategy for the division in Mitigation Phase.
Residents for the whole of the Western Division from the Nadroga medical subdivision to the Ra medical subdivision are requested to note that the Ministry of Health and Medical Services will, in the coming days, be varying its public advisories and guidelines to reflect the evolving COVID-19 situation
Some of the initial changes in this Mitigation Phase are below, and they strictly apply to members of the public in the Western division only.
Screening and Testing
Individuals experiencing COVID-19 symptoms: cough, runny nose, nasal congestion, sneezing, fatigue/extreme tiredness, headache, aches and pains, sore throat, fever, diarrhea, red eyes (conjunctivitis), loss of taste or smell, a rash on the skin should visit the nearest screening clinic for testing.
Individuals who test positive will be provided immediate advice and care by the health teams at the screening facility.
Pregnant Women
Pregnant women experiencing COVID-19 symptoms: cough, runny nose, nasal congestion, sneezing, fatigue/extreme tiredness, headache, aches and pains, sore throat, fever, diarrhea, red eyes (conjunctivitis), loss of taste or smell, a rash on the skin, must immediately visit a screening clinic for testing.
Pregnant women who test positive will be provided immediate advice and care by the health teams at the screening facility.
Contact Tracing
The Western Division health teams will no longer carry out contact tracing. Health response teams in the Western Division will now be redirected to the identification and close monitoring of people with COVID-19 symptoms who are at higher risk of developing severe COVID-19.
Members of the public who return positive COVID-19 test results will be provided advice and resources to aid their self-isolation at home. COVID-19 positive cases are encouraged to take responsibility and share information and advice to their known primary contacts.
Primary contact testing and clearance
Clearance testing will no longer be required for primary contacts. Primary contacts are required to self-isolate at home for 14-days from the day the known COVID-19 case they had close contact with, tested positive or 14 days from the day of the last contact with a known COVID-19 case.
Workers requiring official leave from work can attend the nearest screening clinic or Health Care Facility to be checked and obtain a medical certificate for 14 days of self-isolation at home.
Additional Information
Families and caregivers of the vulnerable including the elderly, are urged to monitor the health of their loved ones. If they develop COVID-19 symptoms, please take them to the nearest screening clinic. If an individual has a disability, or is otherwise physically unable to leave their home and attend a screening clinic, in these exceptional circumstances, individuals can call 158 and request a home swabbing service.
The public is advised to please take responsibility to stop community transmission by continuing to practice the following: wear a mask, wash your hands regularly with soap and water or use a hand sanitiser, practice safe physical distancing of 2m apart, cover your cough and sneeze, wipe frequently touched surfaces and objects with disinfectant. Get vaccinated and encourage your family members to vaccinate too. Stay in your bubble and avoid close contact with people who do not live with you.
Businesses are also asked to take responsibility for the decontamination of their premises. Please continue to ensure that the workplace is well ventilated. Encourage your staff to wipe down frequently touched surfaces with disinfectants at least three times a day. Businesses are encouraged to arrange rosters for their employees to ensure safe physical distancing at work. If any employee starts showing symptoms, please ensure they visit a screening clinic and self-isolate at home.
Main Clinical Health facilities
· All major health facilities will continue to remain fully functional in all subdivisions in the West, providing emergency services, admissions, and inpatient care for COVID and non-COVID diseases.
· General outpatient services continue in the health centres.
· SOPD services at Lautoka Hospital are currently suspended. Prescription refills for SOPD clients are available from the Girmit Centre.
· ANC clinics in Lautoka is available at the Girmit Centre, junction of Kings Road and Tavakubu Rd. Appointments for ANC clinics is made with the doctor at your nearest health centre.
Request for food assistance
Individuals who return positive test results for COVID-19 and are immediately asked to self-isolate, will have food ration requests facilitated by the sub-divisional health teams in your area.
Curfew hours
Curfew hours remain from 6pm – 4am.