20,000 Australian manufactured AstraZeneca vaccines arrived last night

20,000 more AstraZeneca vaccines arrived in the country from Australia last night.

Australia’s High Commissioner to Fiji John Feakes said on Twitter that this is to further support the Health Ministry's fight against COVID-19 in the country.

A PCR testing machine to help ramp up the testing efforts across the country arrived last night.

Earlier this month, the Australian government also donated 10,000 vaccines through the Vuvale partnership.

Approximately 86,000 AstraZeneca doses are expected to arrive in the country by the end of the week through the COVAX facility and Australia and New Zealand.

The Health Ministry is planning to take vaccines to Fijians through mobile units and drive-through vaccination sites.

The locations of the mobile vaccination teams will be announced early next week.

The Health Ministry’s priority will be to provide first-dose to the rest of the frontline workers including those who have a high level of public contact in their employment such as taxi and bus drivers and those working in supermarkets; Fijians living in densely populated areas; and to individuals who are particularly vulnerable because of age, compromised immunity and certain chronic illnesses.