The mass migration of Fiji nurses could soon be curbed after the Health Ministry’s submissions to the government over the crisis.

Health Secretary Dr James Fong said justifications had been established in this submission on ways the ministry could retain nurses.

However, he would not want to preempt any decision by providing an update on this latest development.

• READ MORE: The Fiji nurse exodus

“So we will have to work out ways and means of facilitating retention and I think at the end of the day we have to look at something that’s broad,” Dr Fong said.

“It’s not only about looking at the salary restructure but also at other conditions beyond salary.

“I think that would be more cost effective in the long run than just looking at one aspect of the retention.”

Dr Fong believed the recently submitted submissions justified areas and ways in which the Health Ministry could better improve working conditions and salaries for nurses.

Health Minister Dr Atonio Lalabalavu had also indicated that countries in the region and around the world had been the recipient and benefactor of Fiji’s well-trained, experienced and capable health workforce and civil servants.

“Talk to any international expert in human resource for health and they will inform you that retiring employees early is not the strategy for staff shortage in health,” Dr Lalabalavu said during the Fiji Nursing Association’s 64th annual general meeting last weekend

“In fact, the opposite is true, you keep them longer while you build up the new intakes’ capabilities and skills.”

Siteri Sauvakacolo is a Fiji Times reporter. Republished with permission.

The Fiji government has warned that unvaccinated people in the vaccine-eligible population are 17 times more likely to die if they contract covid-19 than those that are vaccinated.

Health Secretary Dr James Fong said this strongly indicated that many of the unvaccinated deaths were preventable.

He is urging Fijians to get vaccinated against covid-19, including the booster shot, amid a third wave which began last November.

• READ MORE: Latest covid-19 stories in the Pacific
• Other Pacific covid reports

“I strongly urge anyone who hasn’t been vaccinated to get vaccinated now because covid-19 is here to stay, and omicron will not be the last variant,” Dr Fong said.

“And if you are vaccinated, but know someone who isn’t, please also encourage them to protect themselves by getting vaccinated.”

The vaccine rollout for children aged 12 to 17 is also underway, with 43,241 of them already having had both doses.

Meanwhile, Fijians who are unvaccinated against covid-19 are still being refused entry to a number of public spaces.

Health Minister Dr Ifereimi Waqainabete said this included houses of worship, sporting venues and high-risk businesses.

“Those who are in charge of these venues, businesses and houses of worship must ensure that they check the vaccine status of all those who enter their premises,” Dr Waqainabete said.

As of 18 February 2022, 93.1 percent of Fiji’s adult population of 844,000 were fully vaccinated against covid-19.

More than 800 deaths attributable to covid-19 have been recorded in Fiji.

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

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.

• READ MORE: Covid-19: Schools reopen amid third wave in Fiji
• Other Fiji covid outbreak reports

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.

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.

• READ MORE: Omicron variant confirmed in Fiji
• ‘Stay home and don’t attend any gatherings if you have symptoms’, says Fong
• Fiji parents warned about sick children in back-to-school catch-up
• Other Fiji covid-19 reports

“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.

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.

• READ MORE: More covid-19 infections on remote Fiji island
• Other Fij covid reports

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.

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.

• READ MORE: Other Fiji covid crisis articles

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.

Two Fijian pregnant women are among the 21 covid-19 deaths reported within a seven-day period from July 14.

Their babies, however, were saved via a caesarean operation by the obstetric team.

Health Secretary Dr James Fong revealed this in his covid-19 live update last evening as he announced the country’s 1091 positive cases recorded in the last 24 hours that ended at 8am yesterday.

• READ MORE: Nine covid positive cases of among Fiji arrivals to NZ
• Fiji’s covid horror is too late to fix, yet still our leaders stay silent
• Other Fiji covid crisis reports

He said the 21 covid-19 deaths were recorded from July 14-20.

He said both mothers had been unwell with covid symptoms at home before presenting to health facilities in severe respiratory distress.

“In both cases, our physicians made the decision to conduct emergency caesarean operations to rescue the new-borns and assist with the care of the mothers,” Dr Fong said.

“Sadly, despite the best efforts of their attending physicians, both mothers passed away.”

Deaths a tragedy
Dr Fong said maternal deaths at any time were a tragedy and maternal deaths due to covid-19 were a clear indication of the severity of this outbreak.

He said the present outbreak was contained to Viti Levu, and primarily in the Lami-Suva-Nausori corridor.

And over the last week, he added that an increasing number of cases had been reported in the Western Division.

Dr Fong also announced 317 new recoveries with more than 4550 total recoveries from the virus.

“Recovery is possible. In fact, most patients will recover.

“The sooner those most at-risk are identified and treated, the more likely they will be to recover as well. Many of those recoveries will continue to come out of our field hospitals,” he said.

Timoci Vula is a Fiji Times reporter. This article is republished with permission.

Fiji has recorded 1220 new cases of covid-19 as at 8am today — the highest daily record so far — and five more deaths.

Health Secretary Dr James Fong said the five people who had died from the virus were all aged over 60 and were not vaccinated.

He said the first death was a 61-year-old woman from Kinoya who died at home after being sick with generalised body pain, weakness, and sore throat for 10 days.

• READ MORE: Other Fiji covid crisis reports

“The second covid-19 death to report is a 62-year-old man from Tacirua. He presented to the CWM Hospital emergency department in severe respiratory distress,” Dr Fong said.

He died in hospital on the same day (July 13). His family reported that he was unwell with fever, cough, and generalised weakness for three days prior,” he said.

“The third covid-19 death to report is a 66-year-old woman from Nabua who died at home on July 13. Her family reported that she was feeling unwell with a cough and shortness of breath for 3 days.

“The fourth covid-19 death to report is a 60-year-old woman from Verata who died at home on July 13.

Fifth death
“The fifth covid-19 death to report is a 78-year-old woman from Nauluvatu village. She was retrieved from home by a medical team and transferred to a healthcare facility. She was noted to be in severe respiratory distress. She died in the healthcare facility on the same day (July 13).”

The total death count has increased from 69 to 74 since yesterday morning, however, there are eight deaths of covid-19 positive patients that are still under investigation to determine if they had died due to the virus or other medical problems.

There are now 11,033 active cases of people who have been infected with covid-19, either at home or in dedicated facilities around Viti Levu.

Fiji has recorded 13,816 cases of the virus during the outbreak that started in April this year.

Dr Fong said people with severe covid-19 were dying at home or going to a medical facility in the late stages of severe illness.

“Severe covid-19 is a medical emergency, and a delay in receiving appropriate medical treatment reduces your chance of recovering from the disease,” he said.

With 213 people reported to have recovered from the virus, the ministry is more concerned that the daily test positivity rate continues on an upward trend.

Positivity rate 18pc
The country’s daily test positivity rate is at 18 percent — more than three times the World Health Organisation (WHO) threshold of five percent.

This means that there is widespread transmission of the virus.

“Based on available testing numbers, the national 7-day daily test average is 3772 tests per day or 4.3 tests per 1000 population. These numbers are expected to increase once all lab testing number data is received,” Dr Fong said.

“As of July 14, 377,090 adults in Fiji have received their first dose of the vaccine and 73,127 have received their second dose.”

Fiji’s covid-19 case count stands at 13,886 since the first case was reported in March 2020, with 2,748 recoveries.

Josefa Babitu is a final-year student journalist at the University of the South Pacific (USP). He is also the current student editor for Wansolwara, USP Journalism’s student training newspaper and online publication. He is a contributor to Asia Pacific Report.

Fiji health authorities have reported an additional 10 deaths from covid-19 over the past week.

In his daily statement on covid-19 cases, Health Secretary Dr James Fong said there were 634 new cases for the 24 hour period ending at 8am yesterday.

All of the dead were aged from 42 to 90 and nine had not been vaccinated, with the 10th having had one dose of vaccine.

• READ MORE: Other articles about the Fiji covid crisis

Another two deaths of covid positive people are being investigated as they also had pre-existing medical conditions.

There have now been 69 deaths in Fiji from covid 19, 67 of those since the latest outbreak began in April.

Fiji now has 10,033 active cases.

As of Tuesday the government reports that 370,219 people had received their first dose of vaccine and 70,917 had had both doses, meaning just over 12 percent of the population is fully innoculated.

Dr Fong said people are still dying at home or coming into medical facilities in the late stage of severe illness, so reducing the chances of recovery.

Fiji to wear vaccinate jersey
The Fiji rugby team have agreed to wear jerseys supporting covid-19 vaccinations in this weekend’s second test against the All Blacks in Hamilton.

In a statement, Fiji Rugby chief executive John O’Connor said that after “comprehensive and productive discussions” with the Flying Fijian players, the team has agreed to wear the playing jersey featuring the “Vaccinate Fiji” message.

The team were supposed to wear jerseys with the words “Vaccinate Fiji” on the chest in last Saturday’s 57-23 loss to New Zealand in Dunedin, but the idea was ditched because of opposition from some team members.

Flying Fijians coach Vern Cotter said the jersey idea was “sprung” on the players at late notice without the necessary consultation.

“As you can imagine, it’s a delicate subject for some and so it was probably better to just have a clean jersey and then spend some time on how best we want to communicate on this matter and how comfortable the players and everybody are around that communication.”

That discussion has now taken place.

“We have listened to the concerns raised by some members of the squad regarding the message, and the perspective that individuals have different choices when it comes to vaccination,” O’Connor said.

“In turn, we explained FRU’s position and support for the vaccination programme in Fiji, which will help save lives and assist our health authorities in the fight against the Covid-19 outbreak.”

With not all the players fully on board, a compromise was struck.

“The squad has settled on the “Vaccinate Fiji’ jersey, with an additional “It’s Your Choice” message alongside it,” O’Connor explained.

“We thank them for their understanding and participation in this process.”

There will also be “Vaccinate Fiji” signage at the Hamilton game.

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

A 15-year-old girl has become Fiji’s youngest death due to the covid-19 coronavirus pandemic, taking the total of deaths due to the virus to 58.

Health Secretary Dr James Fong has confirmed this after an investigation by medical personnel classified the case as another covid-19 death.

The girl from Colo-I-Suva was declared dead on arrival by the attending medical officer at the Raiwaqa Health Centre last week.

• READ MORE: Fiji covid positive cases spike to 873 overnight
• 873 new cases and three more deaths confirmed in Fiji
• Other Fiji covid crisis reports

“This means that she either died at home or on her way to the health facility. Her family reported that she had been feeling unwell for two days,” Dr Fong said.

“Her symptoms included cough, shortness of breath, and chest pain.

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

Two other covid deaths today
Her case was announced along with two other covid-19 deaths in the past day.

“The first covid-19 death we are reporting today is a 56-year-old woman from Vatuwaqa who died at home.

“The second covid-19 death was an 87-year-old woman from Nasinu. She presented to the FEMAT field hospital in severe respiratory distress. Her condition worsened at the FEMAT field hospital and she died two days after admission.

Both these patients were not vaccinated with the AstraZeneca vaccine, donated by New Zealand and Australia, which the Health Ministry is administering to all eligible people around the country.

This brings the total deaths due to the virus to 58, with 56 of these deaths coming during the outbreak that started in April this year.

Separately, there have been 26 covid-19 positive patients who died from serious medical conditions that they had before they contracted the virus. These cases are not classified by the ministry as covid-19 deaths.

New daily record
A total of 9310 people are battling the delta variant of the virus in the country after it recorded a new daily high record of 873 cases ending at 8 am today while 132 recoveries were made.

“The 7-day average of new cases per day is 696 cases per day or 787 cases per million population per day.

With daily increases in cases, the ministry has seen an increase in severe cases of covid-19 and increasing deaths

The ministry has vaccinated 353,355 adults with their first dose of the vaccine and 66,643 have received their second doses as of July 11.

Percentage-wise, this means that 60.2 percent of the target population have received at least one dose and 11.4 percent are now fully vaccinated nationwide.

“With increasing daily cases, hospitalisations, and deaths, we are asking all Fijians to get vaccinated as soon as possible.”

Fiji’s covid-19 cases stand at 11,385 with only 1991 recoveries since March last year.

Josefa Babitu is a final-year student journalist at the University of the South Pacific (USP). He is also the current student editor for Wansolwara, USP Journalism’s student training newspaper and online publication. He is a contributor to Asia Pacific Report.

Fiji’s FEMAT field hospital at Laucala Bay in the capital Suva has begun its transition into a covid-19 dedicated hospital as the country’s health authorities reported 791 new cases and three deaths in the past day.

Health Secretary Dr James Fong highlighted this in his covid-19 update last night.

Dr Fong said the ministry had set up an emergency number 165 for people with severe covid-19 symptoms to contact if they could not get to a hospital themselves.

• READ MORE: COVID-19 Fiji: 42 deaths to date; over 6000 active cases in isolation
• Fiji government ‘useless’, warns Prasad
• Other reports on the Fiji covid crisis

“Sadly, we continue to see people with severe COVID-19 dying at home or coming to a medical facility in the late stages of severe illness and dying within a day or two,” Dr Fong said.

“Severe COVID-19 is a medical emergency and a delay in receiving appropriate medical treatment may result in a higher risk of death,” he said.

Dr Fong said Fijians need to know the severe symptoms of covid-19, which include:

• Difficulty 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-coloured skin, lips or nail beds.

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

Fiji has reported 522 new cases of covid-19 in the last 24 hours – a record number of daily cases.

The Fiji government has also confirmed three more deaths due to the coronavirus, bringing the toll to 30.

The Health Ministry said that all three were unvaccinated and had died at home or on the way to a health centre.

• READ MORE: Sayed-Khaiyum leading Fiji into chaos, says women’s crisis centre leader
• Other reports on the Fiji covid crisis

Two of the deaths had previously been under investigation to determine if the cause was covid-19.

A fourth under investigation has been found to be caused by a pre-existing illness.

There have now been 30 deaths due to covid-19 in Fiji, with 28 of these deaths during the outbreak that started in April this year.

The ministry issued an official reminder that home therapy was not the right remedy for the coronavirus.

Battled conspiracy theories
As health authorities record 6091 cases since the delta variant outbreak began in mid-April, the country has battled conspiracy theories, alternative treatments and vaccine reluctance.

“Steam therapy and drinking hot water are not the treatment for covid-19 and it does not protect one from contracting covid-19,” a government statement said.

“Inhaling steam (kuvui) and keeping hydrated with warm drinks are commonly used as home therapy to provide relief from a congested nasal passage, and short term instant relief from symptoms of cold or inflamed sinuses.

“They should not be taken as a treatment or protection from covid-19 infection.”

The ministry said getting vaccinated and practising hygiene measures such as wearing a mask when people left home, washing hands frequently or hand sanitising, covering the mouth while coughing or sneezing and social distancing remained the best ways to stay protected against the pandemic.

The measures also helped to stop the transmission of the virus from one person to another.

In addition, the government has also reminded those who have been told to quarantine at home because they have come into contact with someone who is positive that they should do so for as long as they have been told to.

Three deaths reported
Health Secretary Dr James Fong said the three deaths reported today, a 93-year-old woman, a man, 60, and a 56-year-old woman, all from Lami, were unvaccinated and either died at home or on the way to hospital.

Eight people who have died as a result of covid-19 in just over a month either died at home or on their way to hospital, prompting calls from the government urging people to get to health facilities once they experience covid-19 symptoms.

“As expected, with the increasing cases numbers we are also seeing increasing numbers of people with severe disease, and more deaths in the Suva-Nausori containment zone. It remains a serious concern that some people with severe disease come to a medical facility only in the late stages of their illness,” Dr Fong said.

“And we are still sadly seeing people with severe disease die at home or on the way to hospital, before our medical teams have a chance to administer what could potentially be life saving treatment.”

Fijian health authorities are running an average of 3144 tests per day and 10.4 percent of those are positive.

Meanwhile, 317,461 adults have received their first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine and 52,001 have received their second dose. Health authorities still have to reach 91.1 percent of the 650,000 target population.

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

Opposition National Federation Party leader Professor Biman Prasad has accused the Fiji government of “losing the plot” and “meekly surrendering” its citizens to suffer from the impact of the deadly covid-19 pandemic.

His stinging criticism came after health authorities reported this afternoon a record 431 confirmed cases of covid-19 and two deaths related to the coronavirus in the 24-hour reporting period that ended at 8am today.

Health Secretary Dr James Fong said in his daily briefing that the new cases were from the Central and Western Divisions.

• READ MORE: Pleas for Fijians to take covid-19 more seriously with 274 more cases
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Dr Fong said a full breakdown of areas of interest had been published online on the ministry’s covid-19 dashboard and on the Fiji government Facebook page, The Fiji Times reports.

The approximate locations of the new cases are at this link.

“There have now been 24 deaths due to covid-19 in Fiji, with 22 of these deaths during the outbreak that started in April this year,” Dr Fong said.

“We also have recorded 11 covid-19 positive patients who [have] died from conditions that they had before they contracted covid-19.”

‘Care and compassion’ needed
Dr Prasad said in a statement to Asia Pacific Report that the Fiji people needed “care and compassion” at this most critical time in the country’s independent history.

“Instead, this government believes it is okay that people suffer as long as it is able to rake in taxpayers funds through direct and indirect taxes by reopening the economy,” he said.

“It is a matter of wonderment that two different ministries of government totally contradict each other in terms of the so-called mitigation strategy to tackle covid-19.

“The Permanent Secretary for Health [Dr Fong] has repeatedly emphasised the need for people to stay at home and only move around for essential services like purchasing food, medicine, seeking medical treatment or exercise.

“But Trade Minister Faiyaz Koya has revealed they are looking at reopening not only retail business but allowing restaurants, food courts and gymnasiums to be fully operational under ‘covid-safe’ measures.

“This is the height of incompetency in a government whose leader has said in Parliament that ‘nobody gives a damn’ when asked by a NFP parliamentarian to reset their moral compass and show leadership.

“It is clear that this government is shredding the livelihoods of thousands of people, forced the closure of hundreds of small and medium enterprises, brought tragedy and ruin to hundreds of families and cause[d] irreparable damage to the economy, by completely abandoning its moral obligation and responsibility for the health, wellbeing and safety of the citizens.”

‘Worst fears’ confirmed
On Wednesday night, the Health Permanent Secretary’s statement that people who believed they had covid symptoms should find their way to the hospital or covid care facility for testing because health teams were stretched, “confirms our worst fears of collapse of delivery of health and medical services”.

“How does the government expect people, struggling to put food on the table, find their own way to the nearest medical facility?” Dr Prasad asked.

“Worse, what happens during curfew hours when public transport is not available?

“The so–called mitigation strategies will not work. If anything, it is a concession of astronomical rise in the number of cases, tragically resulting in more deaths.

“We know the government is cash-strapped. It has been so for a while. But it has to blame itself for being in this position due to economic mismanagement, waste and pilferage of funds, lack of transparency and accountability and bad governance.

“But the government must not sacrifice its citizens for its own failures. If it doesn’t change course and change its strategy from mitigation to elimination, Fiji is headed for disaster,” dr Prasad said.

“It will be the most painful and tragic legacy left behind by any government since independence. Despite this tragic situation, we urge people to take extra care, observe all covid-safe protocols, get vaccinated and help each other.

Fiji has reported its highest daily total of positive covid-19 infections with 279 cases reported as of 8am today as the outbreak continues to soar.

The ministry has also reported four deaths attributed to the virus.

Health Secretary Dr James Fong announced these figures in the covid-19 update this evening.

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• Other Fiji covid pandemic crisis reports

He said of those cases, 46 are from existing containment zones or quarantine facilities in Nadi.

That includes 22 from Nawajikuma, 8 from Tramline, and 16 are close contacts in quarantine facilities.

He said the remaining 233 cases are from the Lami-Nausori Containment Zone, and 196 cases of which are from existing areas of concern.

“That means they are either from known clusters or they have a potential link to an existing case,” Dr Fong said.

“All 279 of these new patients are currently in isolation at home or in a facility.”

Details on four deaths
For the four deaths, Dr Fong said the first two deaths were announced yesterday as being under investigation to determine if they were caused by covid-19.

He said the first was a 57-year-old male who was admitted to the Colonial War Memorial Hospital (CWMH) for a pre-existing non-covid medical condition, and he tested positive during his admission.

“The second was a 66-year-old female who was declared dead on arrival to the emergency department at CWM Hospital. In accordance with protocol, she was swabbed, and tested positive for covid-19.

“Their doctors have now confirmed that covid-19 caused the deaths of both these individuals,” Dr Fong said.

The third death, he said was a 62-year-old male from Nausori who was referred to the CWM Hospital yesterday from Nausori Health Centre in severe respiratory distress.

“He had obvious signs and symptoms of severe covid-19 and he tested positive later in the day.

“Despite the efforts of the medical team at CWM Hospital, he died late yesterday afternoon.

Fourth death
“The fourth death is a 77-year-old female who had been admitted at CWM Hospital for a pre-existing non-covid medical condition.

“She tested positive during her admission and died today. Her doctors have confirmed that she died due to covid-19.”

Dr Fong said there were nine other patients admitted at CWM Hospital with severe cases of covid-19, and one of those patients was a 30-year-old with no pre-existing illness.

Republished from The Fiji Times with permission.

Fiji’s covid-19 cases continue to escalate as medical authorities have recorded another record breaking 166 new people now infected with covid-19 and a death at the Colonial War Memorial (CWM) Hospital in the capital Suva.

The Fiji government has stopped providing information about where the case increases are and the Health Secretary Dr James Fong admitted that community transmission was now “broad”.

The latest death is a 77-year-old man detected by a CWM screening team at his home where he had been bed-ridden for several months.

• READ MORE: Other Fiji covid pandemic crisis reports

Despite that he had pre-existing medical conditions, doctors assessing clinical data have attributed the cause of death to covid-19. He represents the seventh to die from the virus, the fifth in this outbreak alone.

Cases in the small township of Lami just outside the capital continues to increase and so measures to ensure safe passage of people from affected containment zones to safe areas on the main island Viti Levu and to other islands is a focus of the government.

“The current priority is therefore to prevent the export of cases into the other non-containment zones. As such any request to move outside of the Central Division to other areas of Viti Levu and from Viti Levu to Vanua Levu and the Maritime zone needs to be strictly regulated,” Dr Fong said.

“Pre-departure swab tests and Quarantine capability are being expanded and strengthened to reduce the risk of spread within and beyond the main island, Viti Levu.”

Dr Fong said the majority of the weekend’s new cases were linked to existing clusters so the government would post heat maps on its digital platforms “to delineate case distribution within the Central and Western divisions.”

He added everyone should practise Covid Safe measures when they left their homes irrespective of where they lived or were going.

Vaccination roll-out continues
The Ministry of Health vaccination teams continue to roll out as another 50,000 doses of Astrazeneca arrived in Fiji on Saturday night as part of the Australian Government Support.

Vaccination now moves onto the outer islands of the Northern and Eastern Divisions of the country.

Fiji’s vaccine of choice remains AstraZeneca despite the fact that the Australian government, from which it receives the majority of its supply, has recommended the discontinued use of the vaccine for its under 60-year-olds.

Australian Health Minister Greg Hunt announced earlier this week the AstraZeneca vaccine would be recommended for use in people over 60 and those under 60 would now be offered the Pfizer shot.

The Australian federal government accepted advice from the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) after two women died from an extremely rare blood clotting disorder and 60 Australians out of the 3.8 million who got the shot developed blood clots.

Meanwhile the Australian government has provided Fiji with 250,000 Australian-manufactured AstraZeneca vaccines as part of its commitment of 1 million vaccines to its Pacific neighbour.

In response to concerns about Australia’s change of vaccine policy, the World Health Organisation Representative Office in the Pacific and the Ministry of Health Fiji put out a joint statement to say that after vaccinating 256,018 people (44 percent of the adult population) with one dose of AstraZeneca and administering two doses to 17,990 people, there were no confirmed cases of serious adverse effects.

Effective response measure
The WHO/MOH said covid-19 vaccination remains one of Fiji’s most effective response measures.

“Australia’s decision does not change the approach for us here in Fiji. Given the current community transmission and Covid-19 variant, all unvaccinated individuals are at risk from the virus.”

“It is also important to remember that serious adverse events following immunization with the AstraZeneca vaccine remain rare events.”

Further, the WHO continues to recommend Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines “for individuals aged 18 years and over. These vaccines have undergone the strictest safety and quality control trials and have reached the exacting standards of safety, purity, and effectiveness. Nothing is left to chance,” the statement said.

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

Ten people have died in Fiji after testing positive for covid-19 — but only four had their deaths attributed to the coronavirus.

The Health Ministry said six other patients had died from existing chronic conditions they had while being admitted at the country’s main hospital in Suva.

This has raised some concern among Fijians who are calling for an explanation over what constitutes a covid-19 death.

• READ MORE: 105 more covid cases in Fiji – 98 linked to existing clusters
• Other Fiji covid crisis reports

Health Secretary Dr James Fong said the four patients had since died with illnesses directly related to their covid-positive status.

Six patients died at the Colonial War Memorial Hospital (CWMH) since an outbreak at the facility was announced on June 1.

Of the 860 covid cases currently in isolation,  more than 150 have been from the CWMH.

Dr Fong said each of the non-covid deaths were due to other serious medical conditions which the patients had been admitted to hospital for.

Covid-19 infection ‘incidental’
The finding of a covid-19 infection was incidental, he said.

On June 8 however, Dr Fong announced the death of a man who had tested positive for the virus upon his admission at the hospital.

But he said the doctors “determined that he died due to complications of his chronic medical condition”.

The inconsistency has led to public confusion and given rise to conspiracy theories as people took to social media to raise their concerns.

Many are calling for an explanation over what constitutes a covid-19 death.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) classifies a death due to covid-19 as one that is “resulting from a clinically compatible illness, in a probable or confirmed covid-19 case, unless there is a clear alternative cause of death that cannot be related to the covid disease (e.g. trauma).

There should be no period of complete recovery from the virus between illness and death, the WHO said.

Comparative definition
“A death due to covid-19 may not be attributed to another disease (e.g. cancer) and should be counted independently of pre-existing conditions that are suspected of triggering a severe course of covid-19.”

By comparison, Public Health England changed its definition of covid deaths in August 2020 as being anyone with a “laboratory-confirmed positive covid-19 test and died within (equal to or less than) 28 days of the first positive specimen date will now be reported.”

Fiji’s Head of Health Protection and the person in charge of covid-19 testing in the country, Dr Aalisha SahuKhan, confirmed Fiji’s case count per day was now higher than both Australia and New Zealand.

“So we are now at about 60 cases per day, which is if you’re looking at our population, that’s about 68 per million population, which is a high number. To put that in context, neither Australia nor New Zealand got to this level of cases per day.”

Dr SahuKhan said authorities had also noticed that despite the high number of cases per day, there has not been a corresponding increase in severe cases and deaths yet.

“I’m saying yet, because what we do expect from what we see around the world is that we will see that wave come in,” she said.

“So far during this outbreak, we have reported two deaths that we’ve attributed to covid-19.

“So as everyone in Fiji knows that our largest hospital, the CWM Hospital has been affected by this virus, we’ve had an outbreak there.

“Unfortunately, the first wards that covid-19 hit were the acute medical wards. So these were where the people were managed.

Long standing chronic conditions
“They are already very sick, they have long standing chronic conditions that they were admitted for and because there was an outbreak in the hospital, they also tested positive for covid.”

Dr SahuKhan said Fiji’s testing capabilities, enhanced with donations of equipment from Australia, New Zealand and the European Union had made it possible for them to track the alarming increase of the current outbreak.

“Our test positivity per day, looking at over an average of seven days, is a better measure to see what the trend is.

“So we started very low, it was about 0.2 percent of our all our tests per day were testing positive, and now we’ve come up to 2 percent which is high. The thresholds we’re using is a WHO-base threshold.”

Dr SahuKhan said that while high test positivity per day in a country could mean that authorities are not testing enough or testing only in high risk communities, Fijian authorities are confident their testing samples are an accurate illustration of the situation in Fiji.

“We have a very broad category, a spectrum of testing, and we’re still seeing that test positivity is increasing. So that indicates that we are seeing increasing cases of community transmission, but we’re still keeping up that high level of testing,” she said.

Fiji now has over 1100 covid-19 cases since April, including 89 new cases confirmed last night.

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

Fiji’s Health Ministry has announced 105 new covid-19 cases as the pandemic crisis worsens.

Health Secretary Dr James Fong said 98 of the cases recorded yesterday were linked to existing clusters, while links to seven more cases were still under investigation.

He said new cases recorded at Grantham Rd and Tacirua were under investigation to determine whether they had links to other cases.

• READ MORE: NFP leader Prasad warns against Fiji ‘catastrophe’ by stubborn government
• Other Fiji covid-19 crisis reports

He confirmed two patients admitted at the Colonial War Memorial Hospital (CWMH) for pre-existing severe illnesses had died.

“With the ongoing outbreak at the hospital, both patients tested positive for covid-19 during their admission,” he said.

“However, their doctors have determined that their causes of death are related to the pre-existing illnesses for which they were admitted and receiving treatment for at the hospital.

“These are not covid-19 caused deaths.”

Review of cases
Meanwhile, a review of cases from Nadi found that one case tested positive twice.

Fiji has recorded 1048 cases since the outbreak in April this year, with eight recoveries.

There are now 796 active cases in isolation.

Fiji has recorded a total of 1118 cases since the first case was reported in March, 2020.

There have been 312 recoveries and 4 deaths because of covid-19 and a total of 6 COVID-19 positive patients have died from pre-existing non-covid-19 related illnesses.

New cases — CWMH-21; Nawajikuma, Nawaka, Nadi-16; Tramline, Nawaka, Nadi- 6; Kinoya- 1; Navosai- 2; Tacirua- 2; Waila- 11; Navy- 11; IMT- 8; Grantham Rd- 5; Muanikoso- 15; and Nasinu Police Barracks- 7.

Arieta Vakasukawaqa is a Fiji Times reporter. Republished with permission.

Fifty-one cases of covid-19 have been confirmed in Fiji tonight, with 35 of them from the fastest-growing cluster at Nadi.

This takes the total number of infections since the outbreak started in April to 900, with 684 active cases currently in isolation.

The Health Ministry said two cases were from the Lami-Nausori containment zone and their links to other cases are unknown.

• READ MORE: Five police officers among 39 new covid cases in Fiji as strategy unveiled

Health Secretary Dr James Fong said the rest of the cases were linked to existing clusters: Colonial War Memorial Hospital (CWMH) – 6; Nawaka, Nadi – 35; Vunimono – 2; the government’s Covid-19 Incident Management Team (IMT) – 4 and Waila – 1.

Dr Fong said another case was a primary contact of an active case, and the connection to a cluster was being determined by the contact tracing teams.

He said the two unknown cases were from Raiwai in Suva, and Nakasi in Nausori.

Dr Fong also announced the death of an individual who was admitted at the Colonial War Memorial Hospital and then tested positive for covid-19.

Medical complications
He said the patient’s doctors had determined that he had died because of complications of the serious medical condition that led him to his admission in hospital.

“The ministry expresses our condolences to his family,” Dr Fong said.

Thirty nine cases were reported on Thursday, and Dr Fong said the outbreak remained primarily centred in the Lami-Suva-Nausori Containment Zone.

He said 22 patients had recovered with 684 active cases in isolation while 900 cases were recorded during the current outbreak that started two months ago.

There have been 970 cases recorded in Fiji since the first case was confirmed in March 2020, with 278 recoveries and four deaths.

Four other covid-19 positive patients have died from pre-existing illnesses and are non-related to the virus.

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

Forty six people from Fiji’s central division where the capital Suva is located, have covid-19 taking the national total to 195 active cases.

Fiji has had 360 cases in total since the first case was reported in March 2020, with 161 recoveries and 4 deaths.

Health Secretary Dr James Fong said two patients were in the intensive care unit of the Colonial War Memorial Hospital in Suva.

• READ MORE: Other Fiji covid pandemic reports

“Today has not been an easy day, nor do I expect that the days ahead will get any better. Many of you have questions. I hope to answer some now and I am assured that a press conference will be organised soon to answer more questions,” Dr Fong said.

Funerals seen as spreader events
Calling attention to what he described as the troublesome nature of final rites, Dr Fong said funerals were the spreader events of the current outbreak of the B1617 variant of Covid-19.

The health head called on Fijians to adjust funerals and while he acknowledged it was a difficult time for all involved, he asked that people adjust activities to suit the current situation.

Authorities have restricted funerals to graveside services with only 10 people in attendance at the cemetery and lead up events.

“Everyone should recall that this latest outbreak gained momentum when one person who contracted the virus in the border quarantine area attended a funeral, yet funeral gatherings continue to be sources of spread,” he said.

“The deceased must be buried, and we must pay our respects and accompany them during their last hours on earth, but we must temporarily find new ways to do this.

“Families are urged to limit graveside services to 10 people and to limit gatherings before or after the burial to 10 people or less. Our investigations indicate that in some instances, funeral gatherings of 100 were split up into 5 so-called “bubbles” of 20 people.”

Existing clusters
Meanwhile, forty-three of the new cases are linked to existing clusters which had been under investigation and were detected through contact tracing and targeted screening.

Of the 43 new cases, 28 are from Nadali in Nausori town and 3 are from Navosai near Nausori which are linked to the Narere funeral cluster. Two are from the Muanikoso cluster which stems from a staff of Extra Supermarket in Suva city where an outbreak occurred a fortnight ago.

Meanwhile, nine more naval officers are confirmed positive, nine of whom are from Kinoya in Nasinu town and 1 is from Nadonumai in Lami which had previously been covid-19 free.

One cluster is linked to a Samabula household where a funeral had taken place a week ago.

The remaining three new positive cases are not yet linked to other cases and were still being investigated.

The Nadali red zone is 29 into a targeted lockdown while Muanikoso is on day 6.

“It is important to note that the majority of these cases have been found as a result of our extensive contact tracing effort and are linked to known clusters. This increase was not unexpected, but it should serve to show how easily this virus is transmitted and why restrictions are in place,” Dr Fong said.

Testing aggressively
“We expect the number of cases to rise because we are testing aggressively in areas where we know the virus is spreading. We have a number of prominent locations under investigation including Government buildings and Kadavu House.”

The permanent secretary said covid-19 had spread within containment zones but assured medical authorities would be “exercising extra vigilance to ensure that there is no spread outside those containment zones”.

Enforcement of covid-safe restrictions including restrictions on movement and gatherings will be strengthened along with enforcement of mask-wearing, physical distancing among other measures, Dr Fong added.

The MOH has in the past week administered 19,348 AstraZeneca vaccines in the Suva-Nausori corridor and 24,042 in all of Fiji.

“To date, 18.5 percent of the targeted population have received at least one dose and 3117 individuals have had 2 doses.

“An additional 50,000 doses are due to arrive in the country by the end of the week. Once these doses are deployed, at least 260,000 persons will have got their first dose,” Dr Fong said.

Restrictions in West and North
Dr Fong said the information from the Western Division where gateway town Nadi and port city Lautoka was good but authorities would exercise caution and continue surveillance work.

Restrictions in the Western division are being reviewed and changes to the containment measures there and in the Northern Division would be announced soon.

“We will need to maintain restrictions on movement from Viti Levu to Vanua Levu in order to ensure that Vanua Levu remains transmission-free. We will be exploring and announcing soon protocols of movement that will allow persons who have not been home for long to return home.

“This virus has kept families apart and has caused undue social suffering. Our response has been firm and has proven successful in the western division and in specific locations in the Central Division,” he said.

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

Fiji has recorded its second death from the current outbreak of covid-19 while reporting four more new positive cases – three of them administration staff of the Fiji Centre for Disease Control (CDC).

The death is of a woman from the recent Makoi cluster who was entered into intensive care last night after her condition rapidly deteriorated.

Health Secretary Dr James Fong said the woman’s family had been informed of her death before the national announcement tonight.

• READ MORE: Other Fiji covid pandemic reports
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The first of the four new cases is from Makoi and presented to Oceania Hospital with symptoms.

“At this early stage of the investigation, this case has no known links to other cases,” Dr Fong said.

“The Oceania Hospital outpatients department was temporarily closed yesterday for contact tracing and decontamination. Anyone who potentially had contact with this case at the hospital has been quarantined.”

The second case is also from Makoi and he is an administration staff member of the Fiji CDC.

Tested after annual leave
Dr Fong said that according to Fiji CDC protocol the man was tested after returning this week from annual leave.

He said the next two cases were also administrative staff at the Fiji CDC who had tested negative during routine testing earlier this week but tested positive as part of contact tracing for this new case.

He added that the three staff members who had tested positive for the virus had been transferred to isolation facilities.

“Our investigations so far indicate that this cluster originated outside of the Fiji CDC and the virus was then brought in – as would be an expected consequence of community transmission,” Dr Fong said.

“Apart from these three cases, all other Fiji CDC staff have tested negative so far, including all of the laboratory and medical staff in the centre.”

Timoci Vula is a Fiji Times reporter.

Fiji’s Lautoka Hospital is now closed to members of the public after a new positive case announced last night was that of a patient who was admitted for a surgical procedure at the hospital.

Health Secretary Dr James Fong said all medical services would now be re-routed to a network of back-up hospitals in Nadi, Ba, Sigatoka, as well as the Punja and Kamikamica health centres in Lautoka.

“We’ve activated the entire government machinery to ensure these critical services remain accessible to our people,” Dr Fong said.

• READ MORE: Fiji records third death from coronavirus
• Other Fiji covid-19 reports

The Fiji Times reports that a 53-year-old patient at Lautoka Hospital had died – the third death from covid-19 in Fiji.

Fiji has recorded four more new cases, and among these are two returning peacekeepers from the Golan Heights.

As announced before, he said the borders of the containment areas were open to those travelling for medical emergencies.

“Given we expect more cases, and more severe cases, sections within the Lautoka Hospital are being converted into intensive care units which will house additional beds and ventilators,” he added.

Staff accommodated in hospital
Dr Fong said the staff of Lautoka Hospital would be accommodated and work within the hospital while contact tracing continued.

“Remember, our staffing capacity was already stretched due to quarantine of the close contacts of our two doctors,” he said.

“Those who are working will operate on high-alert, fully-equipped in the proper personal protective equipment.

“They will be screened regularly and tested often.

Patient 125 dead: #COVID19Fiji
A 53yo man has succumbed to #COVID19 in Lautoka. Originally admitted for surgery, the patient is also the suspected origin of 2 infections at Lautoka Hosp.
The hospital w over 400 staff & patients has been closed in by military&police. #FijiNews

— Lice Movono (@LiceMovono) May 5, 2021

“We are going to provide them with any and all support that they need. Food, supplies, bedding, whatever they require, we will provide.”

Earlier last night, Dr Fong said some staff who had left the hospital had been called back in, and Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF) personnel and police officers had ring-fenced the entire hospital. They would strictly manage who was allowed onto the premises.

“More than 400 patients, doctors, nurses, and other staff have been sequestered and will be effectively quarantined within the hospital until we can determine who else may or may not have had contact with this patient,” Dr Fong said.

Timoci Vula is a Fiji Times reporter.