Existing unknowns point to widespread transmission in the community – Dr Fong

Permanent Secretary for Health, Doctor James Fong says they believe we may be in the early part of a very fast-rising upward curve in COVID-19 case numbers.

He says the case number 111, the man from the Makoi cluster that travelled to Vunimono, is of high concern because of his extensive travel history since April 14th, when he was first exposed.

Doctor Fong says that is over two weeks of moving around Viti Levu, so the contact tracing teams are in overdrive working to determine and contact everyone he may have encountered who they determine to be of risk.

He says they hope that the risk of transmission was lessened by the fact that the man, at no point over the past weeks, displayed COVID symptoms.

But he says the hope is not a strategy as the man was engaged in higher-risk activities like drinking grog and sharing cigarettes with friends and family, others very well may have been exposed to the virus. The 110th case, who is the man living in Rakiraki, still does not have a clearly established connection to their existing cases.

However, Doctor Fong says thanks to contact tracing, they have leads, but until they are confident enough to make an official confirmation, all Fijians should continue to behave as if they have been exposed to the virus.

Boundaries in Ra have been set, and the patient’s family are now in quarantine and have been swabbed for testing.

The ministry has also swabbed another 40 primary contacts of this man and screened 406 others in Ra. The results are pending.

Meanwhile, Doctor Fong says most Fijians are already taking this threat seriously.

But he says most of us is not enough.

Every Fijian must act responsibly, wash your hands often and stay at home.

He says we still have too much movement among the public.

Doctor Fong says if there’s one measure that matters more than any, it is that: Stay Home.

If you have an absolutely essential reason to leave the house, wear a mask at all times and turn on your careFIJI app everywhere you go. If you feel unwell, call 158 or visit your nearest screening clinic.