19/07/2021
Media Release
COVID-19 Daily Update
Monday, July 19, 2021
Transmission Update
We have 784 new cases of COVID-19 to report for the 24 hour period that ended at 8am today. A full breakdown of areas of interest will be published online tonight on the Ministry’s COVID-19 dashboard and on the Fijian Government page. You will also be able to view the approximate locations of the new cases on the dashboard tomorrow at the following link: http://bit.ly/3vE2ZBb.
We also have 15 new COVID-19 deaths to report for the period of 12th July to 19th July.
The first COVID-19 death to report is a 65-year-old woman from Laucala Beach. She presented to the CWM Hospital Emergency Department in severe respiratory distress. She died 7 days after admission (18/07/2021). She received the 1st dose of the vaccine in early June. She had not received the 2nd dose of the vaccine. This means that she was not fully vaccinated.
The second COVID-19 death to report is a 77-year-old man from Valelevu who died at home on 18/07/2021. He was not vaccinated.
The third COVID-19 death to report is a 47-year-old man from Lami who died at home on 12/07/2021. He was not vaccinated.
The fourth COVID-19 death to report is a 67-year-old woman from Nasinu who died at home (17/07/2021). Her family reported that she was unwell with COVID-19 symptoms for one week prior. She was not vaccinated.
The fifth COVID-19 death to report is a 51-year-old man from Colo-I-Suva who died at home on 17/07/2021. He was not vaccinated.
The sixth COVID-19 death to report is a 40-year-old man from Lami. He presented to the FEMAT field hospital in respiratory distress. He died 6 days after admission (17/07/2021). He was not vaccinated.
The seventh COVID-19 death to report is a 72-year-old man from Nabua. He presented to a medical facility in severe respiratory distress. He was retrieved by a medical team to the CWM hospital. He died one day later in hospital (18/07/2021). He was not vaccinated.
The eighth COVID-19 death to report is a 65-year-old man from Suva who died at home on 18/07/2021. He was not vaccinated.
The ninth COVID-19 death to report is an 81-year-old woman from Samabula. She presented to the CWM Hospital emergency department in severe respiratory distress. She died in hospital on the same day 19/07/2021. She was not vaccinated.
The tenth COVID-19 death to report is a 63-year-old man from Delainivesi who died at home (17/07/2021). He was not vaccinated.
The eleventh COVID-19 death to report is a 79-year-old woman from Cunningham who died at home (17/07/2021). She was not fully vaccinated.
The twelfth COVID-19 death to report is a 73-year-old woman from Suva. She presented to the FEMAT field hospital in severe respiratory distress. She died in hospital one day later on 18/07/2021. She was not vaccinated.
The thirteenth COVID-19 death to report is an 83-year-old man from Nasese. He presented to the FEMAT field hospital in severe respiratory distress. He died four days after admission on 17/07/2021. He was not vaccinated.
The fourteenth COVID-19 death to report is a 65-year-old man from Suva. He presented to the CWM hospital in severe respiratory distress. He died in hospital on 18/07/2021. He was not vaccinated.
The fifteenth COVID-19 death to report is a 50-year-old woman from Dakuibeqa. She presented to the CWM hospital in severe respiratory distress and she died in hospital on 16/07/2021. She was not vaccinated.
There have been 7 more deaths of COVID-19 positive patients. However, their deaths have been classified as non-COVID deaths by their doctors. Doctors have determined that these deaths were caused by serious pre-existing medical conditions and not COVID-19.
There have now been 113 deaths due to COVID-19 in Fiji, with 111 of these deaths during the outbreak that started in April this year. We also have recorded 48 COVID-19 positive patients who died from the serious medical conditions that they had before they contracted COVID-19; these are not classified as COVID-19 deaths.
There have been 125 new recoveries reported since the last update, which means that there are now 14,247 active cases. There have been 18,228 cases during the outbreak that started in April 2021. We have recorded a total of 18,298 cases in Fiji since the first case was reported in March 2020, with 3,890 recoveries.
There are 17 more deaths currently under investigation. These will be discussed once investigations (including test results) and classifications are complete.
Screening Update
A total of 1,246 individuals were screened and 611 swabbed at our stationary screening clinics in the last 24 hours, bringing our cumulative total to 323,960 individuals screened and 56,019 swabbed to date. Our mobile screening teams screened a total of 2,536 individuals and swabbed 273 in the last 24 hours. This brings our cumulative total to 719,501 individuals screened and 62,029 swabbed by our mobile teams to date.
Testing update
A total of 229,237 samples have been tested since this outbreak started in April 2021, with 272,098 tested since testing began in March 2020. 3871 tests have been reported for July 17th. The national 7-day daily test average is 3875 tests per day or 4.4 tests per 1,000 population. The national 7-day average daily test positivity is 26% and continues on an upward trend.
Vaccination Update
As of the 17th July, 393,095 adults in Fiji have received their first dose of the vaccine and 78,624 have received their second doses. This means that 67% of the target population have received at least one dose and 13.4 % are now fully vaccinated nationwide.
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. You can access the live dashboard at http://bit.ly/3h2JfCZ
Epidemic Outlook
The 7-day average of new cases per day is 988 cases per day or 1116 cases per million population per day. With the high numbers of new daily cases, we are also seeing increasing cases of severe disease and deaths.
Advice to the public
COVID-19 infections are widespread across the Suva-Nausori containment zone. This means that if you develop any of the symptoms of COVID-19 you should assume you have COVID-19 and isolate yourself at home. Do not wait for a positive test result to self-isolate. Isolating yourself will help to stop the spread of COVID-19 to others.
The symptoms of COVID-19 include any of the following:
Cough, runny nose, nasal congestion, sneezing, fatigue/extreme tiredness, loss of taste or smell, headache, aches and pains, sore throat, fever, diarrhoea, red eyes, skin rash.
If you have any of these symptoms please do the following:
1) Immediately ISOLATE from others including other members of your household. Stay at home. And, as much as possible, maintain a physical distance of 2m between yourself and other members of your household.
2) Where possible, visit the nearest screening clinic for a COVID-19 swab and advice. Ensure to wear a mask that covers your mouth and nose and keep a safe physical distance of 2 meters from others.
2) Where possible, visit the nearest screening clinic for a COVID-19 swab and advice. Ensure to wear a mask that covers your mouth and nose and keep a safe physical distance of 2 meters from others.
3) Please avoid using public transport to travel to the screening clinic. If you cannot avoid using public transport, please ensure to wear a well-fitting mask that covers your mouth and nose at all times and maintain at least 2 meters physical distance from others.
Severe COVID-19 is a medical emergency, and a delay in receiving appropriate medical treatment reduces your chance of recovering from the disease. You do not need to have a positive test result to watch out for these symptoms. We need all Fijians to know the severe symptoms of COVID-19, which include the following:
• Difficulty breathing
• Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
• Severe headache for a few days
• New confusion, inability to wake or stay awake
• Pale, gray, or blue-colored skin, lips, or nail beds
In the Suva-Nausori Containment zone, we have identified health facilities specifically designated to receive people with symptoms of severe COVID-19. If you or a loved one live in the Suva-Nausori Containment Zone and have any of these severe symptoms please go immediately to the designated health facilities listed below.
- Colonial War Memorial Hospital (CWMH)
- FEMAT Hospital, Vodafone Arena
Individuals in Nausori with severe symptoms should go to:
- Nausori Health Centre
-Wainibokasi Hospital
Call 165 if you are unable to travel to a medical facility.
