STATEMENT FROM THE PERMANENT SECRETARY FOR HEALTH & MEDICAL SERVICES DR. JAMES FONG - 25.05.21

25/05/2021


Transmission Update  
We have recorded ten new cases of COVID-19 since yesterday evening. Nine are contacts of earlier announced cases that were identified through on-going contact tracing and screening investigations. This includes three cases from the Queen Elizabeth Barracks in Suva. The nine new cases come from the following areas:  
 
1 from Tacirua
3 from Muanikoso
1 from Kinoya
1 from Navosai in Narere
3 at Queen Elizabeth Barracks  
 
The 10th case has not yet been linked to any other cases at this early stage of the investigation. He is a member of the Fiji Navy from Tacirua who presented to the Nuffield Health Centre in Tamavua with symptoms, where he was swabbed and tested positive.  This tenth case was identified through our community surveillance programme, which includes swabbing of people who present with symptoms to screening clinics or health centres. Depending on what our investigations reveal about this case, the Ministry may recommend extensions of health protection measures.   
 
There are now 109 active cases in isolation, with the total number of cases recorded in Fiji since our first case in March 2020 now at 248. We have had 135 recoveries and 4 deaths.      
 
Testing and Screening Update    
We have now conducted 585,709 screenings and 27,026 swabs through our community mobile screening program, in addition to screenings at health facilities and fixed screening clinics and the contact-tracing screenings conducted for positive cases.