Fiji has recorded 1,220 new cases of COVID-19 and seven deaths Tuesday, increasing the total number of cases in the island nation to 32,663 since the outbreak that started in April.
Fiji’s permanent secretary for Health, Dr James Fong said 464 cases are from the Western division and 756 cases are from the Central division in Vitilevu, Fiji’s main island.
Dr Fong said there have been 1113 new recoveries reported since the last update, which means that there are now 22,689 active cases. 18,506 active cases are in the Central division and 4,183 in the Western division.
He said the seven new COVID-19 deaths to report for the period of 31July- 02 August. Six of the deaths were in the Central division, and one death was from the Western division.
“The first COVID-19 death to report is a 24-year-old man from Tailevu. He presented to a medical facility in severe respiratory distress. A medical team retrieved him from the facility and on the way to the CWM hospital his condition worsened. He sadly died before reaching the CWM hospital (01/08/2021). His family reported that he was experiencing shortness of breath one week prior to his presentation. He was not vaccinated.
“The second COVID-19 death to report is a 78-year-old man from Kalabu who died at home on the 01/08/2021. He was not vaccinated.
“The third COVID-19 death to report is an 85-year-old woman from Nasinu who died at home on the 02/08/2021. She received the 1st dose of the vaccine in early August. She did not receive the second dose of the vaccine. This means that she was not fully vaccinated.
“The fourth COVID-19 death to report is a 67-year-old woman from Nabua who died at home on the 01/08/2021. She received her 1st dose of the vaccine in mid-July. She did not receive the second dose of the vaccine. This means that she was not fully vaccinated.
“The fifth COVID-19 death to report is a 65-year-old man from Sigatoka. He was declared dead on arrival by the attending medical officer at the Sigatoka Sub-Divisional Hospital. This means that he died at home or on his way to the hospital. He was not vaccinated.
“The sixth COVID-19 death to report is a 48-year-old woman from Nabena Village who died at home on the 02/08/2021. Her family reported that she had a cough, fever, shortness of breath and chest pain for one week prior. She was not vaccinated.
“The seventh COVID-19 death to report is a 54-year-old man from Cunningham who died at home on the 31/07/2021. He was not vaccinated,” said Dr Fong.
He said there have been 3 more deaths of COVID-19 positive patients.
“However, their deaths have been classified as non-COVID deaths by their doctors. Doctors have determined that their deaths were caused by serious pre-existing medical conditions and not COVID-19.
“There have now been 261 deaths due to COVID-19 in Fiji, with 259 of these deaths during the outbreak that started in April this year.
“The 7- day rolling average of COVID-19 deaths per day is 8. We also have recorded 139 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,” said Dr Fong.
He said there are currently 295 COVID-19 patients admitted in Fiji hospitals.
“23 patients are admitted at Lautoka hospital. In Suva, 80 patients are admitted at the FEMAT field hospital, and 191 admitted at CWM hospital, St Giles, and Makoi. 50 patients are considered to be in severe condition, and 12 are in critical condition.
He said the 7-day average of new cases per day is 1,085 cases per day or 1,226 cases per million population per day.
“Based on available data the national 7-day daily test average is 3372 tests per day or 3.8 tests per 1,000 population. The national 7-day average daily test positivity is 30.0 percent.
“Daily cases numbers remain high, and daily test positivity remains high, indicating ongoing widespread community transmission in the Suva-Nausori containment zone. Cases are also increasing in the West with evidence of community transmission in that division. We are also recording increasing numbers of people with severe disease, and deaths in the West,” Dr Fong said.
As of 02 August 491,056 adults in Fiji have received their first dose of the vaccine and 151,866 have received their second doses. This means that 83.7 percent of the target population have received at least one dose and 25.9 percent are now fully vaccinated nationwide.
SOURCE: PACNEWS
