Fiji’s Health Minister Dr Ratu Antonio Lalabalavu has defended the government’s handling of the country’s HIV crisis.

HIV is surging in Fiji with at least 9000 people — or nearly one percent of the population — reported to be now infected.

There are concerns that the real figure could be significantly higher, with global health experts saying HIV is historically under-reported.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) believes the country has been gripped by an “escalating HIV outbreak”.

The island nation declared an HIV outbreak in January last year, with the government calling it “a national crisis” and regional health experts warning that it could spread across the region.

Dr Lalabalavu told Pacific Waves that despite the rising tide of infection the government’s response to the crisis had been “responsible”.

“Look at the [HIV] trend and how it started, it goes way back to 2017, 2018. We are the government that recognised it and now we are doing something about it.”

Budget allocation
The government allocated FJ$10 million (US$4.4 million) in last year’s Budget towards initiatives designed to tackle the problem, he said.

“From last year there have been government initiatives put in place to ensure that we do try and get this under control.”

“In 2025, Fiji recorded 2003 new diagnoses, up from 1583 in 2024, with the national rate diagnosis rising to 226 per 100,000, up from 13 per 100,000 in 2019 — a 17-fold increase,” he said.

“Men remain more affected, but the gap is narrowing, showing that infection is increasingly affecting women and families.”

On top of that, a new trend has emerged showing that the number of HIV-positive newborns is on the rise, according to the head of Fiji’s National HIV Outbreak and Cluster Response team, Dr Jason Mitchell.

Sixty babies were born with HIV last year, up from 31 cases in 2024 and more than 3 percent of women attending antenatal care in Fiji were testing positive for HIV, with the number slightly higher in the capital, Suva, Dr Mitchell said.

One baby is being diagnosed with HIV every week due to mother-to-child transmission, and one child is dying every month from advanced HIV disease.

Mother-to-child transmission
Mother-to-baby transmission is a growing concern, according to treatment support worker Dashika Balak.

“They (the mothers) test negatively initially but over the course of the pregnancy they acquire HIV,” Balak said.

“This is a new trend that we are seeing, because these women may not have risky behaviours but most of the partners are injecting drug users and in pregnancy people do have sex.”

Testing during pregnancy is now underway to reduce the risk of transmission to babies, she said.

Dr Lalabalavu has admitted that sexual promiscuity and drug use among youth in particular are huge contributing factors in the HIV epidemic.

Asked exactly how the government planned to address this, he said “a behavioural change programme” was needed to ensure that happens.

“It is part of the plan, you need good planning and a programme to ensure that is implemented across the board,” he said.

“It is not just something for the Ministry of Health, it’s for the various ministries, important stakeholders, the vanua, the church and the family in general.”

“We will have to tread carefully in terms of how it is accepted within the community, and also we need to look into the legal aspect of it. So we are in the final stages of ensuring that the programme is endorsed.”

Cultural and religious beliefs played a part in the sensitivity around the issue in Fiji, he said.

“First of all, you need to create awareness that by doing this we are not advocating for drug use. That is the challenge and the narrative that we need the general public are aware of,” he said.

“Right now we are looking at avenues to ensure that we get the message to important stakeholders such as the community, the vanua, and religious-based organisations that are here.”

“We want to tap into their capabilities so they can, together with the ministry, pass this message along to their congregations and to the public at large,” he said.

Echoing this, Mitchell told Fiji’s state broadcaster that introducing the programme would not be easy, given the negative reactions in the past when condom use and family planning were phased in.

He said health officials were accused of promoting promiscuity among youth, when they were responding to public health needs.

However, he stressed that the needle and syringe programme was crucial to reducing HIV and Hepatitis C infections in the country.

Needle sharing is described as widespread in group settings, leading to infection clusters within families and communities.

The Health Minister said he expected that by the time the programme went public, it would be well accepted by the people.

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

Fiji’s Minister for Health and Medical Services has revealed the latest HIV numbers in the country to a development partner roundtable discussing the national response.

The minister reported 490 new HIV cases between October and December last year, bringing the 2024 total to 1583.

“Included in this number are 32 newborns diagnosed with HIV acquired through mother-to-child transmission,” Dr Atonio Rabici Lalabalavu said.

Fiji declared an outbreak of the disease in January. The Fiji Sun reported around 115 HIV-related deaths in the January-September 2024 period.

Fiji’s Central Division reported 1100 new cases in 2024, with 427 in the Western Division and 50 in the Northern Division.

Of the newly recorded cases, less than half — 770 — have been successfully linked to care, of which 711 have been commenced on antiretroviral therapy (ART).

Just over half were aged in their twenties, and 70 percent of cases were male.

Increase in TB, HIV co-infection
Dr Lalabalavu said the increase in HIV cases was also seeing an increase in tuberculosis and HIV co-infection, with 160 individuals in a year.

He said the ministry strongly encouraged individuals to get tested, know their status, and if it was positive, seek treatment.

And if it is negative, to maintain that negative status.

“I will reiterate what I have said before to all Fijians – HIV should not be a death sentence in Fiji,” he said.

In the Western Pacific, the estimated number of people living with HIV (PLHIV) reached 1.9 million in 2020, up from 1.4 million in 2010.

At the time, the World Health Organisation said that over the previous two decades, HIV prevalence in the Western Pacific had remained low at 0.1 percent.

However, the low prevalence in the general population masked high levels of HIV infection among key populations.

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

Fiji’s Minister for Health and Medical Services has declared an HIV outbreak.

Dr Ratu Atonio Rabici Lalabalavu announced 1093 new HIV cases from the period of January to September 2024.

“This declaration reflects the alarming reality that HIV is evolving faster than our current services can cater for,” he said.

“We need the support of every Fijian. Communities, civil society, faith-based organizations, private sector partners, and international allies must join us in raising awareness, reducing stigma, and ensuring everyone affected by HIV receives the care and support they need.”

In early December, the Fiji Medical Association called on the government to declare an HIV outbreak “as a matter of priority”.

As of mid-December, 19 under-fives were diagnosed with HIV in Fiji.

The UN Development Programme has recently delivered 3000 antiretroviral drugs to Fiji to support the HIV response.

World’s largest epidemic
A report released in mid-2024 showed that in 2023, 6.7 million people living with HIV were residing in Asia and the Pacific, making it the world’s largest epidemic after eastern and southern Africa.

“Among countries with available data, HIV epidemics are growing in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Fiji, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Papua New Guinea and the Philippines,” the report said.

The regional director of UNAIDS Asia Pacific Eamonn Murphy said rising new infections in Fiji “put the entire Pacific region at risk”.

“Prioritisation of HIV by the government is critical for not only the people of Fiji, but the entire Pacific,” he said.

“Political will is the essential first step. There must also be community leadership and regional solidarity to ensure these strategies work.”

UNAIDS said the 1093 cases from January to September was three times as many as there were in 2023.

Preliminary Ministry of Health numbers show that among the newly-diagnosed individuals who are currently receiving antiretroviral therapy, half contracted HIV through injecting drug use. Over half of all people living with HIV who are aware of their status are not on treatment.

Second-fastest growth
“Fiji has the second fastest growing HIV epidemic in the Asia and the Pacific region,” Murphy said.

He said the data does not just tell the story about a lack of services, but it indicates that even when people know they are HIV-positive, they are fearful to receive care.

“There must be a deliberate effort to not only strengthen health systems, but to respond to the unique needs of the most affected populations, including people who use drugs.

“Perpetuating prejudice against any group will only slow progress.”

UNAIDS also said the HIV Outbreak Response Plan called for a combination of prevention approaches.

Since the sexual transmission of HIV remains a significant factor, other key approaches are condom distribution and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), a treatment taken by an HIV-negative person to reduce the risk of contracting HIV if they are exposed.

UNAIDS support
Through the Australian government’s Indo-Pacific HIV Partnership, UNAIDS is supporting Fiji to scale up prevention approaches.

United Nations Resident Coordinator in Fiji Dirk Wagener said the outbreak declaration and the launch of high-impact interventions, such as needle syringe programmes and PrEP, marked a critical turning point in Fiji’s efforts to combat the epidemic.

“The Joint UN Team on HIV, with UNAIDS as its secretariat, stands ready to provide coordinated and sustained support to ensure the success of these strategies and to protect the most vulnerable.”

The HIV Surge Strategy includes tactics for Fiji to achieve the Global AIDS Strategy targets — 95 percent of all people living with HIV aware their status, 95 percent of diagnosed people on antiretroviral therapy, and 95 percent of people on treatment achieving a suppressed viral load.

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

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One in 50 Fijian children could have rheumatic heart disease and children between the ages of five to 15 years are the most at risk of rheumatic fever.

While revealing these alarming statistics, Health Secretary Dr James Fong revealed the high figures indicated the high screening conducted by the ministry, which was a positive sign in terms of early detection and early mitigation.

Speaking at the World Heart Day celebration in Suva yesterday, he said the ministry was focused on dedicating the best care to those diagnosed with rheumatic heart disease (RHD).

It had been proven that with the best medical care, patients of the disease lived a long life.

Dr Fong highlighted the ministry’s advocacy and early detection awareness in the community remained the focus of the ministry, as it saw an opportunity to reach many Fijians as possible.

Meanwhile, Maca Tikoicina, the grandmother of young Jaydee Tikocina who was diagnosed with RHD last year, shared the painful experience their family had endured in the past 12 months.

She stated Jaydee was diagnosed in September 2022 and had to drop out of school as he became too weak and unable to carry out normal duties.

She highlighted that following through with doctors’ consultations, taking the prescribed medicines on time and following the strict injection schedule of one injection after every 21 days resulted in significant improvement in her grandchild’s life.

“When the doctors screened him in March, they noted some improvements in his heart at the recent check earlier this month, we were told Jaydee can play sports again,” she said.

According to Tikocina, sports and other physical activities were some of the many activities and joys that Jaydee was barred from when he was initially diagnosed.

Tikocina urged parents and guidance to get their children checked early and if they are diagnosed, the key was following medical advice.

She also encouraged Fijians to take advantage of the free screening programmes and outreaches organised by the Ministry of Health.

Pauliasi Mateboto is a Fiji Times reporter. Republished with permission.

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Fiji has recorded 987 covid-19 cases, says Ministry of Health permanent secretary Dr James Fong who says the latest deaths are a “stark reminder” of the seriousness of the pandemic.

Fiji’s government reported on Monday 11 more people had died from covid-19, including a four-month-old girl and 15-year-old boy.

Dr Fong said 656 cases were recorded last Saturday while 81 new cases were recorded on Sunday and 250 new cases in the past 24 hours ending at 8am on Monday morning.

Dr Fong said it was known there remained a high risk of resurgence of endemic variants and the arrival of new variants.

“Our socioeconomic survival depends on our ability to build and sustain individual and community-wide resilience. We should expect that covid-19 will be endemic, however we need to appreciate that ‘endemic’ doesn’t mean harmless,” he said.

“Endemic means that we expect continued circulation of the disease in the community, the baseline levels of which are yet to be determined.

“Leptospirosis, typhoid and dengue are endemic in Fiji and they are associated with serious outcomes, especially when the number of cases increases to outbreak levels.

“Building resilience means that we must adopt healthier lifestyles, make covid-safe behaviour a habit that we adopt and support others to adopt. Our objective is to live with the virus and, at the same time, ensure a high level of transmission suppression and prevention of severe outcomes.”

Luke Rawalai is a Fiji Times journalist. Republished with permission.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

Fiji’s Ministry of Health and Medical Services has reported 1280 new covid-19 community cases since the last update on January 5.

“We have recorded a total of 1280 new cases; of which 348 new cases were recorded on 06/01/2022, 320 new cases were recorded on 07/01/2022 and 612 new cases in the last 24 hours ending at 8 am this morning,” the ministry said in a statement on Saturday evening.

Of the 1280 cases recorded since the last update, 619 cases were recorded in the Central Division; 535 cases were recorded in the Western Division, 114 cases were recorded in the Northern Division, and 12 cases in the Eastern Division.

Overall, there have been 57,187 cases recorded, with 69 percent of the cases from the Central Division, 27 percent of the cases from the Western Division, 1 percent of the cases from the Eastern Division, and 3 percent from the Northern Division.

Fiji’s national 7-day rolling average is 349 daily cases calculated for 4 January 2022.

There are five covid-19 deaths to report:

• The first covid-19 death to report is of an 89-year-old female from Taveuni who died at home on January 4. She had pre-existing medical conditions and was not vaccinated.
• The second covid-19 death to report is of a 55-year-old male from Nausori who died at home on January 4. He had a pre-existing medical condition, received his first dose of the covid-19 vaccine in mid-July and the second dose in mid-August. He was fully vaccinated.
• The third covid-19 death to report is of a 61-year-old female from Caubati who died at home on January 6. She had multiple pre-existing medical conditions that contributed to her death. She was not vaccinated.
• The fourth covid-19 death to report is of an 83-year-old female from Suva who died at home on January 7. She had received her first dose of the covid-19 vaccine in mid-June and the second dose in mid-August. She was fully vaccinated.
• The fifth covid-19 death to report is of a 27-year-old male from Nausori who died at home on January 7. He had a significant predisposing medical condition that was assessed by the attending doctors to have contributed to his death. He received the first dose of his covid-19 vaccine at the end of July and his second dose, mid-September. He was fully vaccinated.

There has been a total of 709 deaths due to covid-19 in Fiji.

Rohit Deo is a Fiji Times reporter. Republished with permission.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

The Australian government is assisting its citizens stranded in Fiji who also claimed they were mistreated by locals — claims rejects by tourism authorities — after testing positive to covid-19 when they arrived in the country on Boxing Day.

The move follows claims by an Australian family that they were locked in their hotel rooms and ignored by the staff soon after returning positive results for the coronavirus.

Fiji reopened its borders to international travellers on December 1 and that 30,000 visitors had arrived in the country since.

Tourism Fiji said about 75,000 people had booked to stay in hotels and resorts across the country through to the end of January.

Australia is Fiji’s largest tourism market with more than 40 percent of the visitors from Down Under.

In a report, dated 4 January 2022 and aired on Australia’s Channel 7 network, Jacqueline Hoy claimed that what was supposed to be a dream holiday in Fiji had quickly turned into a nightmare for her family.

Hoy said their ordeal began when her brother tested positive for covid-19 soon after the family arrived at Nadi Airport from Sydney on December 26.

Claim family was separated
She also claimed her family was separated and support was scarce.

Hoy said they were locked in their hotel rooms and did not get any food for three days — with calls for help to the hotel staff ignored.

“It is an absolute nightmare,” Hoy told the network. “On arrival at the hotel to check-in, there was no signage, no hand sanitiser and we waited four hours at the reception to check into our room.

“We didn’t get access to our rooms until 11.30pm. We were forced to sign a consent form which basically waived all our rights in relation to covid-19, access to our reports and medical records.

“I haven’t seen any medical reports, I’ve only been told I’m covid positive and I can’t leave my room in 10 days.

“We’ve been told that if any of our family members are seen together, coercing in the corridors — those who are negative will have to stay an extra seven days.”

The family is working with the Australian High Commission in Suva to get them home.

Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) said it was providing consular assistance, in accordance with the Consular Service Charter, to the family.

“Due to privacy obligations we are unable to provide further information,” the DFAT said in a statement.

Tourism Fiji refutes tourist’s claims
Tourism Fiji chief executive officer Brent Hill has rejected Hoy’s claims saying this is not the full story.

Hill did not respond to a request for comment from RNZ Pacific but he told local media that the stakeholders in Fiji’s tourism industry took these allegations seriously and were facilitating both sides of the dispute.

The hotel in question on the popular Coral Coast strip has refused to comment.

Fiji’s Hotel and Tourism Association said its investigation had also found that Hoy had made false claims.

The association’s chief executive, Fantasha Lockington, said 30,000 visitors had already visited Fiji over the last five weeks and the majority of them had a wonderful experience.

Both Tourism Fiji and FHTA are expected to release a joint statement soon.

Fiji is currently battling a third wave of the coronavirus with a total of 3009 active cases in isolation and the death toll at 704.

Fiji’s Health Ministry said there were 1555 covid-19 cases recorded since January 1 with 372 of them confirmed on Wednesday.

Health Minister Dr Ifereimi Waqainabete said the Australian woman’s claims of mistreatment by the locals were concerning.

Dr Waqainabete said he had viewed the Channel 7 report, adding that the safety of all visitors to Fiji was important.

“I’ve seen her talking and certainly she does not look too unwell — so we are thankful for that. Certainly, as I’ve alluded to the fact that she is being able to be fully vaccinated also supports her in that regard.

“But her health and safety is very important. That is something that we’ve been working on with Tourism Fiji and the Fiji Hoteliers Association.”

Dr Waqainabete said he had visited some of the hotels and resorts to check their standard operating procedures before Fiji’s borders reopened.

There are occasions where some challenges would be faced, he said.

“I am also grateful that there have been thousands and thousands of visitors that have come through to Fiji safely and have gone back home safely. And that is a testament to the processes that we have in place.”

Be prepared for challenges, Australians told
Covid-19 remains an ongoing global health risk, and Australians who travel overseas during the pandemic have been urged to be aware of the continued challenges associated with international travel.

A government travel advisory states that Australians travelling overseas must be fully prepared, to closely monitor the covid-19 situation in their intended travel destinations and arrange suitable travel insurance.

They are also encouraged to consult the Smartraveller website for the latest travel advice and the Global Covid-19 Health Advisory.

Travel advice in relation to Fiji is available at Fiji Travel Advice & Safety/Smartraveller.

Australians have also been told that the reopening of their borders is not a return to the pre covid-19 international travel environment.

“All travellers need to be aware of risks and take care regardless of where they travel,” a government travel advisory stated.

“This includes having sufficient funds to meet their travel needs and ensuring they have travel insurance and fully understand the details of their insurance, especially regarding contracting covid-19.”

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

Fiji is bracing for a third wave of the covid-19 virus after tests have confirmed the presence of the omicron variant in local communities.

The country’s Health Secretary Dr James Fong said today the ministry was prioritising testing of suspected individuals to prevent severe illness and death and to focus on suppression where the risk of transmission was high.

“Omicron is vastly more infectious than delta. As such, in keeping with what we see in other countries, the omicron will become the dominant variant,” said Dr Fong.

“As omicron spreads very fast, you should assume you are infected, and self-isolate, if you develop any cold/flu-like symptoms such as runny nose, sneezing, nasal congestion, sore throat, cough, body ache, or fever.

“Gatherings have been observed where covid-safe measures have not been followed, or people have attended while having symptoms. We ask that if you have relaxed in your observance of covid safe measures, that you please resume now.

According to Dr Fong, 580 new cases of both the delta and omicron variant were recorded between Monday and eight o’clock today.

Of the 580 cases recorded since the last update, 146 cases were recorded in the Northern Division, 111 cases were recorded in the Western Division, 303 cases were recorded in the Central Division, and 20 cases in the Eastern Division.

2417 active cases in Fiji
There are currently 2417 active cases of covid-19 in the country.

The Health Ministry has recorded two additional deaths in its latest report, bringing the total death toll to 712 during the pandemic.

However, Dr Fong said the omicron variant was likely to cause milder disease as data from the United Kingdom and South Africa had shown the risk of hospitalisation was reduced by 80 percent and, once in hospital, the risk of severe diseases was reduced by 70 percent when compared to the delta variant.

“As with previous variants, unvaccinated people are at higher risk of severe disease. With more than 92 percent of adults fully vaccinated, we expect that our high vaccination rates, plus the infection-induced immunity from the large number of people who were infected during the last wave, will help to lower the number of people that develop severe disease.

“We continue to see that the majority of individuals testing positive in medical facilities are presenting for non-covid medical problems and found to be positive while undergoing routine screening as all admissions to the hospital are currently tested for covid-19.

“Also, the vast majority of cases turning positive have minimal symptoms and remain stable.

He added that severe outcomes would be expected in some individuals, including those who have been immunised with two doses of the vaccine, especially people with severe underlying medical conditions and people over the age of 50.

‘Monitored … in a timely manner’
“We have in place measures that ensure that those vulnerable to severe disease are adequately monitored, tested, retrieved, and effectively managed in a timely manner before their conditions worsen.

“However, we need the cooperation and support of community networks in formal and informal community settings and business settings, working in tandem with the ministry.

The ministry has advised the public to self-isolate at home if they have any of the covid-19 symptoms.

A health care worker must isolate for seven days while everyone else is required to isolate for 10 days.

Meanwhile, Fijians who are eligible to get their booster shot have been advised to do so as the country fights the new variant.

Josefa Babitu is a University of the South Pacific student journalist and contributor to Asia Pacific Report.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

Health authorities in Fiji have confirmed two people who had arrived in the country from southern Africa last month have now tested positive to the omicron variant of covid-19.

The pair travelled to Fiji from Nigeria on November 25.

They both tested positive to covid-19 while in a border quarantine facility.

Health Secretary Dr James Fong said last night their samples were sent to a reference laboratory in Australia for urgent genomic sequencing.

Dr Fong said both travellers’ results were confirmed positive for the omicron variant.

“The two travellers are Fijian citizens who had travelled back into Fiji from Nigeria, arriving on Fiji Airways flight FJ1392 from Hong Kong on November 25 — the day the discovery of the omicron variant was announced internationally,” Dr Fong said.

“Both travellers tested negative for covid-19 before departure from Fiji and before they left Nigeria.

Fully vaccinated
“They entered a government-designated border quarantine facility immediately upon arrival into Fiji, tested positive while in quarantine, currently have no symptoms, and were fully vaccinated.”

With the exception of four passengers, Dr Fong said other passengers on the flight were from non-travel partner countries.

“They had entered a border quarantine facility upon arrival to undergo the full quarantine protocol of 10 days,” Dr Fong said.

“That has since been extended to 14 days.

“The four passengers on the flight who were from a travel partner country have tested negative.

“The Fiji Airways crew and accompanying passengers from FJ1392 have tested negative at least twice,” Dr Fong said.

No directives to crew
Fiji Airways confirmed none of its crew or staff have been given government directives to isolate.

The airline said it had strict protocols which forced all staff to undergo swabs before and after international flights.

“None of our crew are in quarantine or have tested positive to covid-19. We understand two cases of interest have tested positive but there is no confirmation on which variant it is,” Fiji Airways said in a statement.

“However, given this new threat our staff will undergo PCR testing as a precautionary measure.”

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

With most of its eligible adult population covered, Fiji’s covid-19 vaccine rollout for teenagers is gaining pace.

The Health Ministry said 28,965 children aged 15 to 17 had received a first vaccine dose — and 3892 teenagers had received a second.

The rollout was recently extended to this age bracket after vaccination rates covered almost all of Fiji’s eligible adult population aged 18 and over — 95.9 percent of them have received their first vaccine dose, and 84.4 percent have had a second.

Daily reports on new cases of covid-19 in Fiji continue to show numbers are well down on the peak from late July.

The Health Ministry on Thursday reported 25 new covid cases, taking the total number of cases to date to almost 52,000.

Health Secretary Dr James Fong said in the past seven days, 285 cases had been reported, around two-thirds of which were in the central division.

But the rolling daily average is in the dozens, well down on the peak of late July when hundreds and sometimes over a thousand cases were reported.

Dr Fong said there had been 663 deaths due to covid, all but two of them in the outbreak that started in April.

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

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Fiji’s Ministry of Health’s clinical scoping team on the remote southern island of Kadavu has begun to put together a response plan to help escalate its response to an expected wave of severe covid-19 infections and deaths.

On Friday, a total of 47 cases were recorded outside the main island of Viti Levu — 46 on Kadavu, and one at Nabouwalu, Bua, on the second largest island Vanua Levu.

More villagers on Kadavu have tested positive and were among 303 new cases in Fiji reported for the 24 hours to 8am yesterday.

The government also confirmed five people had died, bringing the death toll to 438 – 436 of them from the outbreak that began in April this year.

A key part of the Kadavu response plan is to identify people vulnerable to severe covid and to “pre-emptively engage them in a care plan that allows early identification of danger symptoms and signs and access to clinical care in a timely manner”.

Health Secretary Dr James Fong said the situation in Kadavu remained a major concern and they anticipated their plan would be a challenging exercise.

“Another important part of the response to mitigate severe disease will be community-wide engagement to establish specific plans that help maintain oversight over vulnerable persons, and facilitate their timely transfer to a health care facility when required,” Dr Fong said last night.

Screening continues
He said the public health team was also continuing with screening and isolation protocols.

Dr Fong has also reiterated calls for maritime islanders to refrain from engaging in any unauthorised travel to and from Viti Levu.

All the current protocols to regulate domestic movements must be adhered to in order to prevent spread of the virus beyond Viti Levu, he said.

“We repeat our call to all village leaders and elders to support our current efforts to protect our maritime islands and to immediately report any suspicious movements into your community.”

Timoci Vula is a reporter with The Fiji Times. Republished with permission.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

More than 800 cases of covid-19 have been reported in Fiji for the last 48 hours to 8am on Monday and the first case in the north has been reported.

The Fiji government also confirmed 26 deaths, bringing the toll to 394.

That compares with 958 cases and 23 deaths in the previous 48-hour period.

Health Secretary Dr James Fong said 817 new cases were confirmed in both the Western and Central DivisionS on the main island of Viti Levu.

He said of the latest cases, 500 were from the west and the rest from the central.

Dr Fong said 350 new cases and 23 deaths were confirmed yesterday while 467 cases and three deaths were reported on Sunday.

He said all the victims died between August 11 and 15, and aged 43-86 years.

“We have 23 covid-19 deaths to report on Monday – 20 of them from the west and three from the central division. There were three victims from Sunday.

“The 7-day rolling average of covid deaths in the Central Division is five and 3 in the West.”

There are 208 positive patients who died but Dr Fong said their deaths were caused by pre-existing medical conditions and not due to covid-19.

Fiji now has 22,494 active cases in isolation, with more than half of them at home.

There have been 394 deaths reported, with 392 of them from this latest outbreak that began in April.

This came after the country’s second largest island – Vanua Levu – recorded its first case of covid-19 last weekend. As of midnight, movement has been restricted in the area for 14 days, the Health Ministry said.

It said contact tracing teams had identified 33 primary and 70 secondary contacts of the patient who worked at the Nabouwalu Wharf in Bua. All the contacts have tested negative for covid and remain under quarantine.

“As a precaution, an area of restricted movement will be initiated from within Nabouwalu for the next 14 days,” Dr Fong said.

“The containment area will extend from Raralevu-i-Cake to Wainisevu and along the coast of Nabouwalu Village.

“The two checkpoints maintained in the containment will be checkpoint one opposite the Nabouwalu market controlling movement into the main road that runs into the containment area and checkpoint two at Raralevu-i-cake past Nabouwalu village towards Wainunu.

“The objectives of this containment zone protocol is to facilitate heightened community surveillance, conduct more contact tracing, escalate our covid safe community engagement program and to increase vaccination coverage in targeted areas throughout the Nabouwalu containment zone.”

Dr Fong said movement into and out of the containment area would be restricted to facilitate essential service provision and access to groceries and post-office services.

He said the office of the provincial administrator and subdivisional medical teams has been carrying out community awareness on other specific movement restriction protocols.

“They will continue this awareness exercise throughout the next couple of days. The northern health team is setting up clinic sites at the Solevu Immaculate Conception Junior Secondary School, the Bua Nursing Station and the Lekutu Health Centre to cater for the health needs of those living outside the containment area.

“Nabouwalu hospital will also be used by the health teams for emergency care only.”

300 plus covid patients in hospital
There are 309 covid-19 patients admitted to hospital — 118 are at the Lautoka Hospital, 49 at the FEMAT field hospital, and 142 are at the Colonial War Memorial Hospital, St Giles and Makoi hospitals.

Dr Fong said 38 patients are in severe condition and 15 critical.

A total of 652 people have been screened and 179 swabbed in the last 24 hours, “bringing our cumulative total to 456,883 individuals screened and 79,508 swabbed to date.

“As of the 15th August, 41 individuals were screened and seven swabbed. This brings our cumulative total to 790,410 individuals screened and 69,932 swabbed by our mobile teams.

“A total of 308,570 samples have been tested since this outbreak started in April 2021, with 351, 431 tested since testing began in March 2020. 848 tests have been reported for August 15th. The 7-day daily test average is 1538 tests per day or 1.7 tests per 1000 population.”

Fiji’s seven-day average daily test positivity is 29.1 percent. The World Health Organisation (WHO) threshold is at five percent.

Dr Fong said as of 15 August, 533,705 people had received their first dose of the vaccine and 211,496 both jabs.

“This means that 91 percent of the target population have received at least one dose and 36.1 percent are now fully vaccinated nation-wide.

“We are currently doing a mop up exercise of our first dose campaign, which will allow us to specifically target specific communities with low coverage, and subsequently also correct and update the total eligible population for our current vaccination program.

“Fijians can check the Ministry’s vaccine dashboard to find real-time data on first-dose and second-dose numbers at the national, divisional and sub-divisional levels.”

Dr Fong said the average daily new cases is 429 cases per day or 485 cases per million population per day.

He said there had been a drop in cases reported per day recently. But the daily testing numbers had also decreased around the same time due to the change in testing policy in the Suva-Nausori containment zone.

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

Fifty percent of Fijians who died from covid-19 were at home at the time of their deaths.

The Fiji government said it had noted that many people dying of covid-19 had not given healthcare workers a chance to treat them.

The Health Ministry reported 398 new cases of covid-19 and five deaths for the 24 hours to 8am yesterday.

That compares with 568 cases and 13 deaths in the previous 24-hour period.

Health Secretary Dr James Fong said there were enough ventilators in health facilities across the country to accommodate the covid patients.

“We got ventilators but unfortunately many people are dying from coronavirus at home or due to late presentations,” he said.

“Severe coronavirus is a medical emergency and a delay in receiving appropriate medical treatment reduces your chance of recovering from the disease.

Plea to visit healthcare facilities
“If you have severe symptoms of coronavirus, please visit the nearest healthcare facility to get medical treatment. Call 165 if you are unable to travel to a medical facility.”

There have been 345 deaths due to covid-19 in Fiji, with 343 of those victims dying during the outbreak that started in April this year.

There have been 38,742 cases during the outbreak that started in April 2021; and 38,812 cases recorded in Fiji since the first case was reported in March 2020, with 14,301 recoveries.

Of the latest cases, Dr Fong said 254 were from the Western Division and 144 from the Central Division.

Dr Fong said of the five deaths, three were reported from the Central Division and two in the Western Division.

“There have been eight more deaths of covid-19 positive patients. However, these deaths have been classified as non-covid deaths by their doctors,” he said.

“There have been 345 deaths due to covid-19 in Fiji, with 343 of those deaths during the outbreak that started in April this year.”

300 in hospital
“There have been 38,742 cases during the outbreak that started in April 2021; and 38,812 cases recorded in Fiji since the first case was reported in March 2020, with 14,301 recoveries.”

Dr Fong said there are 300 patients admitted to the hospital — 62 at Lautoka Hospital, 67 at the FEMAT field hospital and 171 patients at the CWM, St Giles and Makoi hospitals.

He said 41 patients are considered to be in severe condition, and nine in critical condition.

He said as of August 9, a total of 513, 535 adults in Fiji had received their first dose of the vaccine and 180,722 had received their second doses.

“This means that 87.5 percent of the target population have received at least one dose and 30.8 percent are now fully vaccinated nation-wide,” Dr Fong said.

Drop in daily cases
Meanwhile, the ministry noted a drop in cases reported daily recently.

Dr Fong said the seven-day average of new cases per day is 730 cases per day or 825 cases per million population per day.

This figure fluctuated at least over the past week, Dr Fong said with numbers recorded in four-digits at the height of soaring infections reported largely in the Central Division, and spiking numbers in the West.

Just a week ago, Dr Fong was reporting the following seven-day average of new cases:

• Tuesday, August 3: 1220 new cases reported in 24 hours; Seven-day average of new cases per day – 1085 cases per day or 1226 cases per million population per day
• Wednesday, August 4: 1187 new cases reported in 24 hours; Seven-day average of new cases per day – 1103 cases per day or 1247 cases per million population per day
• Thursday, August 5: 968 new cases in 24-hour reporting period; Seven-day average of new cases per day – 1156 cases per day or 1193 cases per million population per day
• Friday, August 6: 752 new cases in 24-hour period; Seven-day average of 997 cases per day or 1127 cases per million population per day
• Saturday, August 7: 682 new cases in 24-hour period; Seven-day average of new cases per day – 934, or 1056 cases per million population per day
• Sunday, August 8: 657 new cases in 24-hour period; Seven-day average of new cases per day is 938 cases per day or 1060 cases per million population per day
• Monday, August 9: 603 new cases in 24-hour period; Seven-day average of new cases per day is 867 cases per day or 980 cases per million population per day.

Test numbers dropping
Dr Fong said while they had noted a drop in recent cases reported per day, their daily testing numbers had also been dropping around the same time.

He attributed this to the change in testing policy in the Suva-Nausori containment area.

Dr Fong said, as announced on July 21, only persons that have a higher risk of developing severe covid-19 were being tested in Suva-Nausori.”This was done so that resources could be targeted to early detection, monitoring and care of persons with covid-19, who are at higher risk of severe disease, to prevent more people succumbing to severe disease and death,” Dr Fong said in an epidemic outlook of the pandemic in the country.”We are likely seeing the effect of this testing policy change now in Suva-Nausori with the drop in daily reported cases.”This does not mean that the outbreak is on a downward trend in the Suva-Nausori community.”Dr Fong said daily case numbers in Suva-Nausori were not being used as an indicator at present to monitor the progress of the outbreak in Suva-Nausori.Closely monitoring
“The ministry is closely monitoring other indicators such as test positivity, hospitalisations and deaths to track the progress of the outbreak in Suva-Nausori.”Test positivity in Suva-Nausori was between 40-50 percent before the change in testing policy and has remained at this high level, which is above the national average. This is one indicator of the continuing high level of community transmission in this area.”Dr Fong said testing levels in the Western Division remained high with 3.8-4 tests per 1000 population per day at a 7-day average.”We are seeing increasing cases reported in the Western Division with evidence of widespread community transmission in that division.”We are also recording increasing numbers of people with severe disease and deaths in the West.”The World Health Organisation (WHO) test threshold is five percent.Dr Fong urged the people to continue to adhere to covid-19 safety protocols and restrictions put in place.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

Fiji has admitted 240 covid-19 patients to hospital and almost a dozen of them are in critical condition, say health authorities.

This comes amid 657 new cases of the coronavirus for the 24 hours to 8am yesterday.

The government also confirmed three deaths, taking the toll to 299.

That compares with 682 cases and six deaths in the previous 24-hour period.

Health Secretary Dr James Fong said all three victims were not vaccinated.

* An 86-year-old woman from Newtown in Nasinu died at home on August 6.

* A 73-year-old woman from Kinoya, Nasinu, also died at home on August 6.

* A 71-year-old man from Cunningham died at home on August 7.

Dr Fong said that in Suva, 69 patients were admitted at the FEMAT field hospital, and 171 at the CWM, St Giles and Makoi hospitals.

Dr Fong also said that as of August 5, a total of 504,695 adults in Fiji had received their first dose of the vaccine and 170,901 got both jabs.

“This means that 86 percent of the target population have received at least one dose and 29.1 per cent are now fully vaccinated nation-wide.”

Fiji now has 24,138 active cases in isolation, with 299 deaths — 297 of them from this latest outbreak that began in April.

Ministry considers Pfizer vaccine for children
The Health Ministry is exploring the possibility of getting the Pfizer vaccine for children aged 12 to 17, head of Fiji’s Covid-19 vaccination taskforce Dr Rachel Devi said.

Currently, only the AstraZeneca and Moderna vaccines are in Fiji.

Dr Devi said the Pfizer vaccine was being used to vaccinate children in most countries.

“We know Pfizer has been used for 12-17 years of age so we are definitely exploring the possibility of Pfizer,” Dr Devi said.

“These mRNA vaccines are pretty rare like all vaccines right now. The demand is so high but supply is limited.

“We’ve already had two deaths with children, one a 15-year-old and one an 11-month-old toddler.”

No timeline
Dr Devi could not give a timeline on how soon the Pfizer vaccine would be available to Fiji.

She said it was a tough question because “it just depends on supply and availability. It’s a demand and supply issue and being able to access that.

“I know a lot of countries have solely used Pfizer, some are having mixed vaccination programmes going with different vaccines.”

But Dr Devi said she was hoping to secure the vaccine as early as possible because that would “bring our herd immunity to a better state.”

Dr Devi said they were using support from UNICEF and the COVAX facilities to access the Pfizer vaccines for children.

Briefly

• 586 new recoveries reported since the last update
• 19,005 active cases are in the Central Division and 5133 in the West
• 7-day rolling average of deaths per day is 6.
• 158 positive patients died from the serious medical conditions that they had before they contracted the virus; these are not classified as covid deaths.
• 36,909 cases during the outbreak that started in April 2021
• 36,979 cases in Fiji since the first case was reported in March 2020
• 12,384 recoveries since March last year
• 294,860 samples tested since April 2021
• 337,721 tested since March 2020
• 1981 tests reported for 6 August
• 7-day daily test average is 3010 tests per day or 3.4 tests per 1000 population
• 7-day average daily test positivity is 31.3 percent — WHO threshold is at five percent.

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

Fiji has reported 968 new cases of covid-19 and 11 more deaths, including a teenager, for the 24 hours to 8am yesterday.

That compares with 1187 infections and 11 deaths in the previous 24-hour period.

The government also confirmed last night that all but one of the victims were not vaccinated.

Of the latest cases, 292 were from the Western Division while the rest from the Central Division.

More than 23,000 covid-positive people are in isolation, with more than a quarter of them at home.

Health Secretary Dr James Fong said 385 people had recovered from the coronavirus, which means there are now 23,226 active cases in isolation.

He said 18,589 of them are in the Central Division and 4637 in the west.

11 deaths recorded
“All cases that were recorded in the Northern and Eastern Divisions (cases that were imported from Viti Levu) have recovered and there are no active cases currently in those divisions.

“There have been 34,818 cases during the outbreak that started in April 2021. We have recorded a total of 34,888 cases in Fiji since the first case was reported in March 2020, with 11,233 recoveries.”

Dr Fong said the latest 11 deaths were recorded between August 2 and 5, eight of them in the Central Division and three in the west.

• A 15-year-old girl from Tavua presented to a medical facility in respiratory distress and she was transferred to Lautoka Hospital on August 2. Her family reported that she had a fever, cough and shortness of breath two days prior to visiting the health centre. Clinical investigations revealed she had both leptospirosis and covid-19.

“Sadly, her condition worsened at the hospital and she died one day after admission,” Dr Fong said. “Her doctors have determined that she died from severe covid-19 and leptospirosis. Both diseases contributed to her death.

“She was not vaccinated as she was not in the target population of people 18 years and over who are eligible to receive the vaccine.”

Summary of deaths

• A 60-year-old man from Lami near Suva died at home on August 4.
• A 51-year-old woman from Raiwaqa in Suva also died at home on August 4.
• An 85-year-old man from Lautoka was declared dead on arrival by the attending medical officer at the Lautoka Hospital’s Emergency Department.

Dr Fong said this meant that he died at home or on his way to the hospital.

• An 88-year-old man from Sigatoka was declared dead on arrival by the attending medical officer at the Sigatoka Sub Divisional Hospital. This means he died at home or on his way to the hospital.
• An 86-year-old man from Toorak, Suva, presented to the Colonial War Memorial Hospital in severe respiratory distress on August 4. His condition worsened in the hospital and he died on the same day.
• An 85-year-old woman from Tailevu died at home on August 2.
• A 55-year-old man from Tailevu also died at home on the August 2.
• A 70-year-old woman from Tailevu died at home on August 2.
• A 90-year-old man from Raiwai died at home on August 5.
• An 85-year-old man from Naitasiri died at home on August 5.

Four other people who tested positive to covid-19 have died, however Dr Fong said their deaths were caused by serious pre-existing medical conditions and not covid.

He said a total of 146 covid-positive people had died but their deaths were classified as caused by the virus.

311 covid patients in hospital
“There are 311 covid-19 patients admitted to hospital, 63 of them are at Lautoka, 78 patients are admitted at the FEMAT field hospital, and 170 at Suva’s CWM, St Giles and Makoi hospitals. 48 patients are in severe condition, with six in critical condition.”

Almost 6000 people were screened and 636 swabbed at the clinics in the last 24 hours, bringing the total to 411,142 individuals screened and 73,893 swabbed to date.

Dr Fong said as of August 4, the ministry’s teams had screened a total of 1928 individuals and swabbed 91 others.

“This brings our cumulative total to 776,034 individuals screened and 68,462 swabbed by our mobile teams,” he said.

“A total of 287,237 samples have been tested since this outbreak started in April 2021, with 330,098 tested since March 2020. 3352 tests have been reported for August 3.”

Dr Fong said the daily test average was 3401 per day or 3.8 tests per 1000 population. The national daily test positivity was 32.4 percent, almost seven times the World Health Organisation (WHO) threshold which is five percent.

“As of August 4, 498,680 adults in Fiji have received their first dose of the vaccine and 164,974 have received their second doses. This means that 85 percent of the target population have received at least one dose and 28.1 percent are fully vaccinated nation-wide.

Daily average
“The daily average for new cases is 1156 or 1193 cases per million population per day. Daily case numbers remain high and daily test positivity remains high, indicating ongoing widespread community transmission in the Suva-Nausori containment zone.

“The cases are also increasing in the West with evidence of community transmission in the division.

“We are also recording increasing numbers of people with severe disease, and deaths in the West. The Northern and Eastern Divisions currently have no active cases.”

Dr Fong is urging the public to adhere to the covid-safe protocols including the daily curfew from 6pm-4am.

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz