Changes in testing strategy for COVID-19 in the Lami to Nausori area have been announced by Permanent Secretary for Health, Doctor James Fong as those at high risk of severe COVID-19 in this area will now be prioritised for testing and rapid turnaround of their results.
Doctor Fong says if you or someone you are caring for is at high risk of severe COVID - in particular individuals over 50 years, have a chronic illness such as diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, asthma, are obese, or are pregnant - they need you to get in touch right away and visit one of their screening clinics.
If you test positive, then the Ministry of Health will ensure you are provided immediate care by the health teams.
He says over the past few weeks, the overwhelming majority of COVID-19 deaths have been in our most vulnerable community members.
Doctor Fong says when the health teams first saw these patients, most of them were either in a critical condition or had already passed away.
He says if the health teams were able to see these patients earlier, they may have been able to save them.
Doctor Fong says they know many families are valiantly trying to care for their loved ones at home, but for those who are most at risk of severe COVID-19, home care won’t be enough.
These individuals need their oxygen levels closely monitored, likely need access to supplemental oxygen, as well as clinical teams to rapidly respond if their condition deteriorates.
For people in the Lami to Nausori area who are at lower risk of severe COVID, if you have been in close contact with someone with COVID - for example, you live or work with someone who has COVID-19 - you should assume you also have the virus.
Doctor Fong says this means you should immediately quarantine at home for the next 14 days.
If you develop any COVID-19 symptoms during this 14-day period, such as a cough, runny nose, sore throat, fever, loss of taste or smell, body ache, headache - you should most certainly assume you have COVID-19 and self-isolate.
He says most people infected with COVID-19 will have only mild symptoms and fully recover at home.
The Permanent Secretary says for lower risk individuals with COVID, they ask you to please stay at home for 14 days, isolate yourself from other family members and continue to monitor your symptoms for severe COVID-19.
If you develop any signs of severe COVID-19, like difficulty breathing or chest pain, please go to one of the dedicated health facilities.
He says he knows some people have experienced delays in being swabbed and receiving their test results.
Doctor Fong says at the national level their testing is averaging 4.3 tests per 1000 population per day, and in Suva-Nausori 6 per 1000 population per day.
He says at a population level, they are testing at similar rates to developed countries like Australia, and the state of New South Wales, which also has an outbreak, and they are doing so through just six laboratories.
He says they are working on increasing the testing capacity, including establishing a new Fiji CDC lab for Nadi in August.
And they are developing a new web-based system for delivering test results to patients.
But Doctor Fong says as cases have increased in the last two weeks, so has the demand for testing, and for non-urgent samples, this affects the turnaround time.
That has necessitated the important changes for the Ministry, and it requires new action from you as the Ministry of Health needs to target their testing to where the result makes a difference to the outcomes of patients.
That means they need to target testing for those most at risk of developing severe COVID-19.
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