Transmission Update
We have 752 new cases of COVID-19 to report for the 24 hour period that ended at 8am today. 88 cases are from the Western Division and 664 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 268 new recoveries reported since the last update, which means that there are now 23,696 active cases. 18,967 active cases are in the Central Division and 4,729 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 35,570 cases during the outbreak that started in April 2021. We have recorded a total of 35,640 cases in Fiji since the first case was reported in March 2020, with 11,501 recoveries.
Deaths
We have 7 new COVID-19 deaths to report for the period of 10th July – 05th August. 6 of the deaths were in the Central Division, and 1 death was from the Western Division.
The first COVID-19 death to report is a 75 year old man from Tailevu. He presented to a medical facility in severe respiratory distress. His condition worsened at the medical facility and he died on the same day (05/08/2021). He received the first dose of the vaccine in mid-July. He did not receive the second dose of the vaccine. This means that he was not fully vaccinated.
The second COVID-19 death to report is a 53 year old man from Nausori who died at home on the 04/08/2021. He was not vaccinated.
The third COVID-19 death to report is a 58 year old man from Vatuwaqa who died at home on the 05/08/2021. He was not vaccinated.
The fourth COVID-19 death to report is a 52 year old man from Naitasiri. He presented to a medical facility in severe respiratory distress. His condition worsened at the medical facility and he died on the same day (05/08/2021). He was not vaccinated.
The fifth COVID death to report is a 48 year old man from Narere who died at home on the 05/08/2021. He was not vaccinated.
The sixth COVID-19 death to report is a 49 year old woman from Nadi who presented to the Nadi Sub-Divisional Hospital with an altered level of consciousness. Her family reported that she was noted to be unwell one day prior to her presentation. Her condition worsened in the hospital and she died on the same day (04/08/2021). She was not vaccinated.
The seventh COVID-19 death to report is a 78 year old man from Cunningham. He presented the CWM hospital in severe respiratory distress. His condition worsened at the hospital and he died 14 days after admission (10/07/2021). He 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 their deaths were caused by serious pre-existing medical conditions and not COVID-19.
With today’s newly reported deaths, there have now been 290 deaths due to COVID-19 in Fiji, with 288 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 153 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 295 COVID-19 patients admitted to hospital. 52 patients are admitted at the Lautoka hospital. In Suva, 77 patients are admitted at the FEMAT field hospital, and 166 admitted at CWM hospital, St Giles, and Makoi. 51 patients are considered to be in severe condition, and 10 are in critical condition.
Screening Update
A total of 5,502 individuals were screened and 640 swabbed at our stationary screening clinics in the last 24 hours, bringing our cumulative total to 416,644 individuals screened and 74,533 swabbed to date. As of the 05th August our mobile screening teams screened a total of 2,300 individuals and swabbed 186. This brings our cumulative total to 778,334 individuals screened and 68,648 swabbed by our mobile teams.
Testing update
A total of 289,980 samples have been tested since this outbreak started in April 2021, with 332,841 tested since testing began in March 2020. 2743 tests have been reported for August 4th. The national 7-day daily test average is 3300 tests per day or 3.7 tests per 1,000 population. The national 7-day average daily test positivity is 32.1 %.
Vaccination Update
As of the 05th August 504,695 adults in Fiji have received their first dose of the vaccine and 170,901 have received their second doses. This means that 86% of the target population have received at least one dose and 29.1% 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 997 cases per day or 1127 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.