Fiji has recorded 349 new cases of COVID-19 of which 130 new cases were recorded on Thursday and 219 new cases in the last 24 hours ending at 8 am yesterday.
Permanent Secretary for Health Dr James Fong says as we go through the current wave of COVID-19, Fijians need to adopt practices that build resilience.
Dr Fong says we know that there remains a high risk of resurgence of endemic variants and the arrival of new variants.
He further says our socioeconomic survival depends on our ability to build and sustain individual and community-wide resilience adding that we should expect that COVID-19 will be endemic, however, we need to appreciate that “endemic” doesn’t mean harmless.
Dr Fong highlighted that endemic means that we expect continued circulation of the disease in the community although at this stage it is too early to determine our expected baseline levels.
He also says Leptospirosis, Typhoid, and Dengue are endemic in Fiji and they are associated with serious outcomes, especially when cases increase above expected levels and result in an epidemic (outbreak).
Dr Fong adds building resilience demands that we adopt healthier lifestyles, make COVID safe behavior a habit that we adopt and support others to adopt, mainstream medical and community-wide oversight over vulnerable persons such that we support those at risk to have timely access to health care, build up community surveillance mechanisms that depend on both medical and non-medical data sources to inform us early of impending epidemics or outbreaks.
He further says our objective is to live with the virus and at the same time ensure a high level of transmission suppression and prevention of severe outcomes. Endemic diseases need constant suppression until their consequences are as low as the usual flu viruses.
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