Fiji has recorded the highest number of COVID-19 cases as Permanent Secretary for Health, Doctor James Fong has confirmed 46 new cases that are all from the Central Division.
Doctor Fong says 43 of these cases are linked to existing clusters that were under investigation and detected through contact tracing and targeted screening.
28 cases are from Nadali in Nausori, 3 are from Navosai in Narere and are linked to the Narere funeral cluster, 2 are from Muanikoso, 9 from the navy cluster - (8 from Kinoya and 1 from Nadonumai in Lami), and 1 case is from the Samabula funeral cluster.
This means there is now a confirmed case in the Lami Containment Zone as Nadonumai is past the Tamavua-i-Wai Bridge.
Doctor Fong says 3 new cases are currently not linked to other cases and are under investigation.
He says the Nadali community is now on day 29 of lockdown while Muanikoso is on day 6.
It has also been confirmed that 2 of the active cases are now in the Intensive Care Unit at CWM Hospital in Suva.
The Permanent Secretary also says there has been a very significant increase in daily cases reported from the Suva-Nausori area.
He says it is important to note that the majority of these cases have been found as a result of their extensive contact tracing effort and are linked to known clusters.
Doctor Fong says this increase was not unexpected, but it should serve to show how easily this virus is transmitted and why restrictions are in place.
They also expect the number of cases to rise because they are testing aggressively in areas where they know the virus is spreading.
Meanwhile, 2 patients have recovered, which means there are now 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.
Permanent Secretary for Health, Doctor James Fong urges families to limit graveside services to 10 persons and to limit gatherings before or after the burial to 10 persons or less.
Doctor Fong says activities surrounding funerals appear to be the most troublesome spreader events, and this is an alarming situation.
He says their investigations indicate that in some instances, funeral gatherings of 100 were split up into 5 so-called bubbles of 20 persons.
Doctor Fong says many of you will understand that this does not make sense.
He says we need to stop twisting and turning the COVID safe directives to suit our purposes.
He also says we need to treasure the memory of those we have lost and when more normal times return we can plan memorial events in which our loved ones are commemorated in a suitable way.
Doctor Fong says 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.
Doctor Fong says the death of a loved one is a difficult time for everyone, but people must adjust to the current situation and avoid funeral gatherings.
He says 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.
The Permanent Secretary says they will strengthen enforcement of COVID-safe restrictions such as restrictions on movement and gatherings, mask-wearing, physical distancing, and the other measures designed to prevent people from coming into contact with the virus.
19,348 people have been vaccinated in the Suva-Nausori corridor and 24,042 in all of Fiji since Monday.
Permanent Secretary for Health, Doctor James Fong says to date, 18.5 percent of the targeted population have received at least one dose, and 3,117 individuals have had 2 doses.
Doctor Fong says an additional 50,000 AstraZeneca doses are due to arrive in the country by the end of the week.
He says once these doses are deployed, at least 260,000 people will have got their first dose.
The COVID-19 restrictions in the Western Division are being reviewed and announcements will be made by the Health Ministry soon.
Permanent Secretary for Health, Doctor James Fong says they are doing the same with the Northern Division, where there is no evidence of transmission.
He says the data for the Western Division is good but they need to be cautious.
Doctor Fong says while they have been conducting an appropriate number of tests and have uncovered no new cases, they will need to maintain the escalated community surveillance.
The Permanent Secretary also says they will need to maintain restrictions on movement from Viti Levu to Vanua Levu in order to ensure that Vanua Levu remains transmission-free.
He says they will be exploring and announcing soon protocols of movement that will allow persons who have not been home for long to return home.
Doctor Fong says this virus has kept families apart and has caused undue social suffering.
He says their response has been firm and has proven successful in the Western Division and in specific locations in the Central Division.
Doctor Fong urges all Fijians to stay the course and follow the practices that are necessary to contain this outbreak and get us back to normal.
Head of Health Protection, Dr Aalisha Sahukhan says the 7 day average daily test positivity in the Central Division is increasing and is currently at 1.1 percent, and she also urges people to adhere to the health restrictions in place as the teams in the Central Division have been working almost 24/7, in all weather conditions to do contact tracing.
Dr. Sahukhan says the daily test positivity is still below the 2 to 5 percent threshold that they have adding that this upward trend is also indicative of the increasing number of cases reported daily in the Central Division despite high levels of testing.
Dr Sahukhan says the health teams have been doing a remarkable job and they do need the public’s help.
She adds the majority of the new cases from the Central Division are linked to existing clusters and these clusters are large because they are associated with mass gathering events such as funerals, large work groups or large households.
Dr.Sahukhan says Fiji has had 360 cases since last year, 161 recoveries and 4 deaths.
She also says they have done over 58,000 lab tests since April.
Dr.Sahukhan adds the most recent data shows 3.2 tests per 1,000 population are being conducted in the Central Division which is above their target and says this is comparable to Australia and New Zealand.
The Fiji Emergency Medical Assistance Team Field Hospital in Lautoka will be moved to CWM Hospital on June 6th.
This has been confirmed by the Health Ministry's Chief Medical Advisor Doctor Jemesa Tudravu who says that over the weekend they will move patients from the FEMAT Hospital to the Lautoka Hospital.
Doctor Tudravu says the whole operation of the Fiji Emergency Medical Assistance Team will be brought to take up a supporting role for CWM.
Lautoka Hospital has completed 21 days of isolation and it has also been 21 days since the last case was recorded from within Lautoka Hospital, with 4 rounds of testing completed for all patients and staff.
Doctor Tudravu says today is Day 20 of the operations of FEMAT Field Hospital in Lautoka and 1,328 people have gone through triage, 152 admissions, 93 discharges together with 58 operations which include 39 operations done at the MV Veivueti Hospital Ship.
Doctor Tudravu says at the moment there are 13 community and hospital isolation facilities activities.
He says six community and seven health facilities are now used as isolation wards and is accommodating 197 positive cases.
Doctor Tudravu also calls on people to temporarily amend their last rites without dishonoring their family members.
He says funeral gatherings set the perfect stage for a super spreader event. Doctor Tudravu says he has also done some amendments on performing the last rituals for family members.
He says today is the 40th day of the current outbreak and people should expect more mass screening and contracting.
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