55% of the target Fijian population has received at least one dose of the AstraZeneca and 9.3% are now fully vaccinated

Permanent Secretary for Health, Doctor James Fong says 324,462 adults in Fiji have received their first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine and 54,737 have received their second doses.

This means that 55% of the target population has received at least one dose and 9.3% are now fully vaccinated nationwide.

Meanwhile, Doctor Fong stresses that steam therapy is not a treatment for severe COVID-19.

He says severe COVID-19 is a medical emergency, and relying completely on home remedies can delay urgent medical treatment. Doctor Fong says the severe symptoms of COVID-19 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.

The 7-day average of new COVID-19 cases per day has increased to 429 cases per day or 485 cases per million population per day.

Doctor Fong says as expected with the increasing case numbers we are also seeing increasing numbers of people with severe disease and more deaths in the Suva-Nausori Containment Zone.

He says they 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.

The Permanent Secretary stresses that severe COVID-19 is a medical emergency and a delay in receiving appropriate medical treatment may result in a higher risk of death.

He says steam inhalation therapy (kuvui) is commonly used as a home remedy to provide relief from congested nasal passages, and symptoms of cold or inflamed sinuses, or other mild COVID-19 symptoms, not for severe cases.