Hundreds gather in Nadi to get COVID-19 vaccine

Hundreds of people turned up at Prince Charles Park in Nadi today to get their first jab of the COVID-19 vaccine as the Ministry of Health rolls out the next phase of their vaccination campaign which is also underway in Lautoka and Suva

The campaign will continue till Friday.

The Ministry of Health has assured people that all COVID-19 safe measures are observed at the vaccination sites.

People are also being advised to strictly comply with the COVID-19 safe measures to ensure no compromise of anyone’s safety when at the vaccination site.

You can go to Prince Charles Park in Nadi and Tilak High School in Lautoka till 6pm if you are living in the area.

[images: Fijian Govt/Facebook]

For those living in Suva, you can go to the Special Outpatients Department at the CWM Hospital and Queen Victoria School Old Boys Club Hall in Brewster Road till 5pm today.

This is latest batch of the 24,000 doses which arrived in the country this month and is currently being administered to the targeted high-risk groups.

The high-risk groups include the remaining frontline workers and those providing essential services during the lockdown and Fiji’s vulnerable population.

The essential services include all vaccine eligible people who are part of the air and rescue services, air traffic control services, ports services, civil aviation, telecommunication services, food and sanitary manufacturing plants and services, electricity services, emergency services, fire services, health and hospital services, lighthouse services, meteorological services, mine pumping, ventilation and winding, supply and distribution of fuel and gas, power, telecommunications, garbage collection, transport services, water and sewage services, Fiji National Provident Fund, Fiji Revenue and Customs Services, civil service, private security services and road services.

The Ministry of Health is encouraging persons with disabilities and individuals with co-morbid issues such as diabetes, hypertension, heart conditions, asthma, HIV, cancer, patients undergoing renal dialysis and any other medical condition to come forward and get vaccinated.

Meanwhile the Permanent Secretary for Health, Doctor James Fong says the current commitments for the COVID-19 vaccine doses for the country can cover 484,000 Fijians.

He says we need to cover 650,000 people.

Doctor Fong says they expect 64,800 of the 100,800 doses pledged by COVAX to arrive by June.

New Zealand has pledged half a million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to Fiji.

We have received 100,000 doses from India and expect to receive the first shipment of 10,000 doses from Australia as early as this week, with other shipments arriving monthly.