Health care workers in the North are now on-call to protect lives and mitigate community transmission

Health care staff in the North have escalated the measures in place aimed at protecting residents of Vanua Levu from the severe effects of COVID-19.

Permanent Secretary for Health Doctor James Fong says the widespread community transmission of COVID-19 in the North is evident.

He says this was expected when borders between Viti Levu and Vanua Levu were opened as the North was largely spared by the Delta outbreak that affected Viti Levu earlier this year.

Doctor Fong adds the main advantage in the North is that more than 80% of the adult population have been vaccinated plus a significant number of children above 15 years.

He further says therefore they expect that there is a high level of protection against severe disease and hospitalization in the Northern Division.

Doctor Fong adds among the unvaccinated, it is unlikely that there is a significant level of “natural immunity” or immunity acquired after infection and thus they remain more vulnerable to severe effects of COVID 19 infection.

He says they also know that immunity may wane faster in some vulnerable people, especially the elderly.

The Permanent Secretary says therefore, booster doses for those who were vaccinated earlier in the program and for vulnerable groups are essential.

He says health care workers in the North are now on-call to protect lives and mitigate community transmission.

Doctor Fong adds they are aided by other government officials from various government agencies in the North in tracing contacts, caring for patients who develop severe disease and monitoring individuals under isolation.

He says they need the public to cooperate with health care workers and adhere to the COVID safe measures to ensure that this surge in COVID-19 positive cases in the Northern Division is managed and contained.