Health Ministry will continue to administer the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines as recommended by WHO
No confirmed cases of serious adverse events following immunization to date in Fiji

Health Ministry will continue to administer the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines as recommended by WHO

No confirmed cases of serious adverse events following immunization to date in Fiji

By Semi Turaga
Saturday 19/06/2021
AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines

The Health Ministry stresses that it will continue to administer the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines as the World Health Organization’s recommendations for the vaccine remains the same.

In a joint statement with the WHO, the Health Ministry says the WHO still recommends the AstraZeneca vaccines for individuals aged 18 years and over.

The Health Ministry stresses that to date, no confirmed cases of serious adverse events following immunization have been detected in Fiji despite 256,018 individuals being given one dose and 17990 individuals having had two doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.

It says it is also important to remember that serious adverse events following immunization with the AstraZeneca vaccine remain rare events.

The joint statement says these vaccines have undergone the strictest safety and quality control trials and have reached the exacting standards of safety, purity, and effectiveness.

According to the Ministry, vaccination teams and clinicians have been well trained and have the resources on hand to treat individuals if such rare incidents do occur.

It further says COVID-19 vaccination remains one of our most effective measures in response to the current COVID-19 outbreak, significantly reducing a person’s risk of being infected, seriously ill, hospitalized or dying from COVID-19.

The Ministry and the WHO say the benefits of vaccines are clear.

They say as they see from other countries around the world, like Israel and the United States, who have vaccinated high proportions of their population that they have significantly reduced the number of hospitalized patients and slowed the spread of COVID-19.

This has also allowed them to relax some of their containment measures.

The WHO says Fiji, alongside 22 other countries globally, has successfully and safely administered over 2 billion doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to people aged 18 years and older.

The Health Ministry says mitigating the effects of the outbreak, including preventing more people from getting the severe disease and dying, will depend on our ability to get as many people vaccinated as possible, and as quickly as possible.

It adds given the current community transmission and COVID-19 variant, all unvaccinated individuals are at risk from the virus.

They add recent events in Fiji and many other countries have shown us how quickly outbreaks can spread despite intensive contact tracing and public health action.

The joint statement by the WHO and Health Ministry says they are aware that Australia recently announced changes to their age recommendations for their national distribution of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines following a rare but serious adverse event following immunization.

They say decisions such as this are being undertaken by national governments on a basis of various considerations, including weighing up the various risks.

The statement says this being what is the risk of a person being infected and becoming seriously ill from COVID-19, compared to the risk of suffering a rare, but severe side effect from the vaccine.

According to the WHO and the Health Ministry, it is clear that in the Fiji context, case numbers are escalating daily and the risk of being infected with COVID-19 and getting a severe disease and dying in Fiji is much higher than in Australia because we have community transmission in the Lami-Nausori area and in the West.

They stress that Australia’s decision does not change the approach for us here in Fiji

FEATURE NEWS
Fiji and U.S strengthen partnership in trade, investment and security
Fiji and the U.S. have partnered in key areas such as trade and investment, with the most recent being security cooperation. During a meeting with...
11 hours ago
LATEST NEWS
Trump revokes Biden’s security clearance and access to intelligence briefings
US President Donald Trump has revoked former President Joe Biden's security clearance and access to daily intelligence briefings after his ...
10 hours ago

New desks and chairs enhance learning at Naqara Primary School in Kadavu
Good news for the students of Naqara Primary School in Ono, Kadavu as they have received much-needed classroom furniture including desks and ...
10 hours ago

Coalition Govt assures to work on issues in the CWM Hospital’s Cardiac Unit
The Coalition Government has assured to work on issues in the Cardiac Unit at the CWM Hospital following a visit by Acting Prime Minister and ...
10 hours ago

FCS responds to concerns raised by FMA on termination of Medical Officer
The Fiji Corrections Service has responded to the concerns raised by the Fiji Medical Association regarding the termination of a medical officer ...
15 hours ago

Suva residents take advantage of free health screenings at World Harvest Centre
People turned up in numbers for the health expo that is currently underway at the World Harvest Centre Car Park in Suva, taking the opportunity to ...
15 hours ago



fijivillage Straight Talk with Vijay Narayan
Latest Videos

Stay tuned for the latest news on our radio stations

CFL radio frequencies
yb
IN DEPTH
Health Minister Dr Lalabalavu on fijivillage Straight Talk with Vijay Narayan
Health Minister, Doctor Ratu Atonio Lalabalavu on fijivillage Straight Talk With Vijay ...
3 days ago

PM Rabuka on fijivillage Straight Talk With Vijay Narayan
Prime Minister, Sitiveni Rabuka on fijivillage Straight Talk With Vijay Narayan. The in-depth interview will focus on many issues facing the ...
8 days ago

Perth 7s 2025
The Fiji Airways Men’s National 7s side finished in 5th place at the HSBC Perth 7s after defeating France 17-5 in the 5th place ...
9 days ago

TOP