Nurse tests positive for COVID-19 in border quarantine facility

A 25 year old female nurse is a new COVID-19 border quarantine case for Fiji however Acting Permanent Secretary for Health, Doctor James Fong confirms the nurse was not exposed to the members of the public.

Doctor Fong says this is the first positive case confirmed for the health care staff in Fiji.

He says the nurse contracted the virus while treating one of the border quarantine cases in an isolation unit.

Doctor Fong says Fiji is considering this as a border quarantine case because the nurse never entered the public space after contracting the virus.

As per protocol, she worked and lived in the isolation centre with zero contact with the public.

Doctor Fong says she entered a government quarantine facility without ever interacting with anyone from the public.

After developing symptoms while in quarantine, she was tested.

Doctor Fong says after she returned a positive result for COVID-19, she was re-admitted to the isolation ward to the Nadi Hospital.

She is recovering well.

Her fellow isolation unit nursing colleagues and medical officers on rotation have all returned negative tests.

The Acting Permanent Secretary says out of an abundance of caution even though they never interacted directly with this patient, all relevant front-line health, hotel staff and military personnel have been swabbed for the virus and they have tested negative.

He says around the world, rates of infection among the health care staff are the highest of any group.

In NZ, during the month of April one in ten cases were recorded among the health care workers.

Doctor Fong says even when every protocol is followed, even when personal protective gear is employed properly, this unpredictable virus can still be transmitted.

He says despite more than 3,000 patients held within our quarantine facility, this is the first positive case confirmed amongst the staff working in the isolation facility.

Doctor Fong says given what we have seen around the world, we are quite sure this won’t be the last.

He says this is why they have structured an air tight operation system within our isolation facility to ensure no risk to the general public.

The medical staff work through a roster system whereby they work and live in the facility for 14 days, then go into quarantine in one of the government designated quarantine facility for 14 days. They must then register another negative COVID test before they can rejoin their families.

Doctor Fong says Fiji’s health care staff all operate in appropriate personal protective equipment at all times.

He says there is no shortage of these supplies in Fiji and the staff are well trained on it’s use.

However he says some risks will always remain and they have to remain vigilant.

This is the 11th border quarantine case. Fiji currently has 2 cases in Lautoka and 1 now in Nadi Hospital.

Doctor Fong also says we should not take for granted the exceptional sacrifices these measures demand of our health care staff.

He says there is nothing easy about living and working away from your family for 4 weeks at a time and there is nothing easy about working to save a life while mitigating against the risk of getting infected.

He says Fijians who do so are heroes and they will never surrender.