Fiji has recorded 290 new cases of COVID-19 and eight new deaths Wednesday, increasing the total number of cases in the island nation to 46,936 and 502 deaths since the outbreak in April.
Permanent Secretary for Health, Dr James Fong said 128 cases are from the Western division, 137 cases are from the Central division in Vitilevu, Fiji’s main island and 25 cases are from the Eastern division on the island of Kadavu.
“There are 25 new COVID-19 positive cases in Kadavu. This means there are now 257 active cases of COVID-19 in Kadavu. All these individuals have been isolated.
“There have been 2,306 new recoveries to report since the last update, which means that there are now 17,124 active cases. 6,182 active cases are in the Central division, 10,680 active cases in the Western division, five active cases in the Northern division (Nabouwalu and Macuata) and 257 active cases in the Eastern Division (all in Kadavu).
“There have been 46,936 cases during the outbreak that started in April 2021. We have recorded a total of 47,006 cases in Fiji since the first case was reported in March 2020, with 29,067 recoveries,” Dr Fong explained.
He said the eight new COVID-19 deaths reported from 27 August- 01 September 2021. Seven deaths were reported from the Western division and one death was reported from the Central division.
“There have been three more deaths of COVID-19 positive patients. However, these deaths have been classified as non-COVID deaths by their doctors. The doctors have determined that these deaths were caused by a serious pre-existing medical condition and not COVID-19.
“There have now been 504 deaths due to COVID-19 in Fiji, with 502 of these deaths during the outbreak that started in April this year. As of 27 August the national 7 day rolling average of COVID-19 deaths per day is six. The 7-day rolling average for COVID-19 deaths per day in the Central division is two and in the Western division is four.
“We also have recorded 311 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,” Dr Fong said.
He said there are currently 241 COVID-19 patients admitted to hospitals in Fiji.
“106 patients are admitted at the Lautoka Hospital, 18 patients are admitted at the FEMAT field hospital, and 117 admitted at CWM hospital, St Giles, and Makoi.
“15 patients are considered to be in severe condition, and 14 are in critical condition,” Dr Fong said.
He said a total of 333,386 samples have been tested since this outbreak started in April 2021, with 376,247 tested since testing began in March 2020.
“1435 tests have been reported for 31 August. The 7-day daily test average is 1384 tests per day or 1.6 tests per 1,000 population. Weekly testing is at 8.8 tests per 1000 population, which remains above the WHO recommended level of 4 per 1000 population per week.
“The national 7-day average daily test positivity is 23.9 percent, which is on a downward trend but still indicating a high level of community transmission,” Dr Fong explained.
As of 31 August, 560,336 adults in Fiji have received their first dose of the vaccine and 275,072 have received their second doses.
“This means that 95.9 percent of the target population have received at least one dose and 47.6 percent are now fully vaccinated nationwide,” Dr Fong said.
SOURCE: PACNEWS
