New daily record of 1,405 cases confirmed as 6 unvaccinated people die from COVID between the 12th to 15th July

A new daily record of 1,405 new cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed for the 24 hour period that ended at 8am yesterday while there have been 6 new COVID-19 deaths for the period of 12th July to 15th July.

The Permanent Secretary for Health Dr. James Fong says the first COVID-19 death is a 58-year-old man from Tacirua.

He presented to a medical facility with severe COVID-19 symptoms including shortness of breath on Wednesday. His condition worsened at the health facility and he died on the same day. He was not vaccinated.

He says the second COVID-19 death to report is an 82 year old man from Waila. He presented to a health facility in severe respiratory distress.

Dr. Fong says he was retrieved by a medical team to the CWM Hospital and his condition worsened in the hospital and he died two days after admission on Monday. His family reported that he had been unwell with symptoms that included fever and cough. He was not vaccinated.

A 34-year-old man from Koronivia is the third COVID-19 death. He presented to a health facility in severe respiratory distress on Monday. His condition worsened at the health facility and he died on the same day. He was also not vaccinated.

Dr Fong adds the fourth COVID-19 death is a 68-year-old man from Valelevu. He presented to the CWM Hospital with COVID-19 symptoms. His condition worsened in the hospital and he died on Wednesday. He was not vaccinated.

He further says the fifth COVID-19 death is a 76-year-old woman from Narere. She presented to a healthcare facility with severe COVID-19 symptoms including shortness of breath. She was retrieved by a medical team to the CWM Hospital. Her condition worsened in the hospital and she died on Monday. She was not vaccinated.

A 92-year-old man from Ba is the sixth COVID-19 death. He was retrieved by a medical team from an isolation facility and transferred to the Lautoka Hospital. His condition worsened in the hospital and he died on Thursday. He was not vaccinated.

Dr Fong says there have been three more deaths of COVID-19 positive patients. However, their deaths have been classified as non-COVID deaths by their doctors.

He says doctors have determined that these deaths were caused by serious pre-existing medical conditions and not COVID-19.

There have now been 80 deaths due to COVID-19 in Fiji, with 78 of these deaths during the outbreak that started in April this year.

We have also recorded 34 COVID-19 positive patients who died from the serious medical conditions that they had before they contracted COVID-19; these are not classified as COVID-19 deaths.

There have been 470 new recoveries reported since the last update, which means that there are now 11,959 active cases.

There have been 15,221 cases during the outbreak that started in April 2021. We have recorded a total of 15,291 cases in Fiji since the first case was reported in March 2020, with 3,218 recoveries.

There are six more deaths currently under investigation. These will be discussed once investigations including test results and classifications are complete.

Dr Fong says as of Thursday, 384,480 adults in Fiji have received their first dose of the vaccine and 75,448 have received their second doses.

He says this means that 66% of the target population have received at least one dose and 12.9 % are now fully vaccinated nationwide.

Dr Fong says the national 7-day average daily test positivity is 19.2% and continues on an upward trend.

312,572 individuals have been screened and 52,386 swabbed to date.

He further says the 7-day average of new cases per day is 824 cases per day or 932 cases per million population per day.

Dr Fong adds average daily case numbers are increasing, together with cases of severe disease and deaths.

Doctor Fong also says severe COVID-19 is a medical emergency, and a delay in receiving appropriate medical treatment reduces your chance of recovering from the disease.

Severe symptoms of COVID-19 include dfficulty breathing, persistent pain or pressure in the chest, severe headache for a few days, new confusion, inability to wake or stay awake; and pale, gray, or blue-colored skin, lips, or nail beds.

If you or a loved one have any of these symptoms please go immediately to your nearest hospital or medical facility or call 165 if you are unable to travel to a medical facility.