Three new border quarantine cases of COVID-19

There are three new border quarantine cases of COVID-19.

They are a 32-year-old male and a 32-year-old female who arrived on flight GA8250 from New Delhi on December 21st 2020 and a 34-year-old female who had travelled from England and arrived on flight FJ392 from Hong Kong on December 21st 2020.

The Permanent Secretary for Health Ministry Doctor James Fong says all three tested positive during routine testing while undergoing mandatory quarantine in the government designated and Republic of Fiji Military Forces supervised border quarantine facilities in Nadi.

He says these new cases have been safely and hygienically transferred to the isolation ward at the Lautoka hospital according to the standard protocol for confirmed cases.

Doctor Fong says they have all been asymptomatic and well since this transfer.

He says the frontline border and quarantine staff who were directly involved with the cases have followed our standard infection prevention and control protocols and will be monitored and tested as necessary.

A 31-year-old male who arrived on flight FJ392 from Hong Kong on December 21st 2020 also tested positive during routine border quarantine testing.

Doctor Fong says this person had already tested positive on two occasions prior to arriving in Fiji, during his travels in France and the United Kingdom from October-December.

He remains symptom-free and is considered a historical case that will not be counted as a case for Fiji, as he has already been counted as a case in another country.

Doctor Fong says it is known that non-infectious pieces of the virus can remain detectable, and cause a positive test result, long after the infection has passed; therefore it is unlikely that this person is currently infectious.

He says as a precaution, he has been transferred to the isolation ward at Lautoka hospital according to the standard protocol.

Fiji has had 49 cases in total since our first case was detected on March 19th 2020, with the last 31 cases detected in border quarantine.

Doctor Fong says it has now been 255 days since the last case was detected outside border quarantine.