A 34-year-old woman of Veiraisi Settlement from Nadera has passed away due to COVID-19 while Fiji has recorded 215 new COVID-19 cases in the 24 hour period ending at 8am today.
Permanent Secretary for Health, Doctor James Fong says the woman was unwell at home before collapsing and was rushed to the CWM Hospital.
She was declared dead on arrival at the Emergency Department at CWM Hospital.
Doctor Fong says the woman had no known pre-existing medical conditions, and was swabbed according to protocol in the Emergency Department, and tested positive.
Her death has been determined to have been caused by COVID-19 by her doctors at CWM Hospital.
Doctor Fong says she was not vaccinated.
2 more people who tested positive for COVID-19 have died.
The doctors at CWM Hospital are investigating to determine if their deaths were caused by COVID-19.
There have now been 14 deaths due to COVID-19 in Fiji, with 12 of these deaths during the outbreak that started in April this year.
Doctor Fong says they have recorded 8 COVID positive patients that died from pre-existing non-COVID-19 related illnesses. 3 deaths are currently under investigation.
Looking at the new cases announced - 2 cases are from the Nawakalevu Containment Zone in Nadi and 1 nurse at the Natabua Quarantine Facility in Lautoka, with the remaining 212 cases from the Lami-Suva-Nausori Containment Zone.
101 cases are from existing areas of interest in this zone, and 18 are from new areas of interest which are FMF, New World Valelevu, Police Medical Suva, and Our Lady of Nazareth Wailoku.
The remaining cases are contacts of known cases, cases that were seen in screening clinics and were swabbed, and cases under investigation to determine possible sources of transmission.
According to the official COVID-19 dashboard, the active cases are in Toorak, Waimanu Road, Ratu Sukuna Road, Queen Elizabeth Drive, Nasova Police Barracks, Muanikau, Laucala Bay, Flagstaff, Knolly Street, Berry Road, Raiwaqa, Wailea, Vatuwaqa, Samabula, Tamavua, Namadi, Nabua, Valelevu, Kinoya, Nadera, Nadawa, Laqere, Kalabu, Muanikoso, Tovata, Narere, Makoi, Nakasi, Davuilevu, Koronivia, Dilkusha, Sawani, Naqali, Naqeledamu, Lakena, Vuci Road, Naduru, Vunivaivai, Kuku/ Raralevu, Mokani, Kasavu, Logani, Tobuniqio Village, Verata, Korovou, Waikalou, Laselevu and Tubarua Village in Naitasiri, Wailoku, Reservoir Road, Walu Bay, Naval Base, Tamavua-I-Wai, Nadonumai, Delainavesi, Vugalei, Lami Village, Lami Police Station, Qauia, Naivikinikini Settlement, Wailekutu, Namuka-I-Lau and Veisari.
Other quarantine facilities with active cases in Suva are the Grand Pacific Hotel, Holiday Inn, Southern Cross Hotel, James Cook Hotel, Peninsula, Tanoa Hotel and Town House Apartments.
In Nadi there are cases in Nawaka, Savunawai, Double Tree Quarantine Facility, Airport Apartments Quarantine Facilities, Mercure Hotel Quarantine Facility, Nasau Resort Villas Quarantine Facility, Tanoa Quarantine Facility, and the Hilton Resort Quarantine Facility. In Lautoka there are active cases Natabua Quarantine Facility in Drasa Vitogo and Vitogo Parade.
There is also a case at the Outrigger Quarantine Facility in Sigatoka.
There have been 22 new recoveries reported since the last update, which means that there are now 2,363 active cases in isolation.
Doctor Fong says there have been 2,993 cases during the outbreak that started in April 2021.
Fiji has recorded a total of 3,063 cases since the first case was reported in March 2020, with 675 recoveries.
142,087 samples have been tested since this outbreak started in April 2021, with 184,948 tested since testing began in early 2020.
The national 7-day average daily test positivity is 6.3 percent and continues on an upward trend.
A total of 3,179 individuals were screened and 210 swabbed by the mobile screening teams in the last 24 hours. This brings the cumulative total to 655,404 individuals screened and 52,725 swabbed since the start of this mobile screening program.
Permanent Secretary for Health, Doctor James Fong says the 7 day average of new COVID cases per day has increased to 203 cases per day or 230 cases per million population per day.
Doctor Fong says all the evidence is that there is widespread community transmission in the Lami-Suva-Nausori containment zone.
He says the daily testing numbers have remained at a high level, and yet the test positivity continues to increase.
Doctor Fong says there are also clusters in Naitasiri and one cluster in Korovou.
He says cases continue to be reported in Nadi, but so far they are from within the containment zone in the Nawajikuma, Nawakalevu, and Tramline Containment Area.
Two cases from the same family were detected in Lautoka, as announced 3 days ago and now a nurse at the Natabua Quarantine Facility has tested positive.
He says to date, this outbreak appears contained to Viti Levu, with the Northern and Eastern divisions yet to detect a case.
272,354 people have received the first doses of AstraZeneca since the beginning of the vaccination campaign in Fiji and 38,031 are now fully vaccinated.
This means that 46% of the adults in Fiji have received one dose, and 6.5% have received the second dose.
The target is to get 587,641 Fijians fully vaccinated which will ensure that our country moves forward.
While speaking on the fijivillage Straight Talk With Vijay Narayan, Head of the Vaccination Taskforce, Doctor Rachel Devi says people should not believe the videos with fake information that claim that COVID-19 is not real.
With some people saying that this is all a lie an they do not want to get vaccinated, Doctor Devi says the proof is all around us on what COVID is doing to us and other countries in the world.
Doctor Devi says the reality can be seen on the ground in Fiji.
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