Coronavirus

Since April, Fiji's COVID-19 outbreak has escalated to more than 25,000 cases.

However, in June Fiji began distinguishing between COVID-19 deaths and people who tested positive for the disease but died of other medical conditions.

Michael Baker, a professor of public health at Otago University, said Fiji may be downplaying the pandemic's cost.

Earlier today, Sports Illustrated confirmed US pole vaulter Sam Kendricks had tested positive and is out of the Tokyo Olympic games.

As a matter of precaution, Australians and others identified as close contacts will now be tested and will await their results.

Results can be returned in about six hours, but that will be a long six hours for those waiting to have their concerns confirmed or put aside, not to mention the stress of having training cut short.

This is precisely the scenario many had predicted ahead of the games and now the system will be tested in full.

There are no cases of COVID-19 to report in the community today.

Two previously reported historical cases, associated with the Playa Zahara fishing vessel, have now been reclassified as ‘not a case’. Neither case meets the current COVID-19 case definition.

As a result, these cases have been removed from our total cases count and our historical cases tally.

The number of active cases in New Zealand is 46.

Since 1 January 2021, there have been 107 historical cases, out of a total of 694 cases.

Eleven people tested positive for COVID-19 died between 22nd July to 27th July.

There have now been 206 deaths due to COVID-19 in Fiji, with 204 of these deaths during the outbreak that started in April this year.

Another 102 COVID-19 positive patients also died but their deaths were not classified as COVID-19 deaths.

They were reported to have had serious medical conditions before contracting COVID-19.

Sixty of those cases are known to have been in the community while infectious.

A further 19 cases were in isolation for only part of their infectious period and the isolation status of another 32 cases are under investigation.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the main focus of concern had shifted to Western Sydney.

"We are now seeing the virus becoming more prevalent in Western Sydney than south-west Sydney," she said.

There were 1285 new cases reported for the 24-hour period to 8am yesterday.

Ministry of Health’s Permanent Secretary, Dr James Fong said nine people died due to COVID-19 between 23rd and 26th July.

Most of these deaths are of elderly people with an 89-year-old woman being the eldest and 34-year-old man being the youngest.

Eight of the deceased were not vaccinated and one was not fully vaccinated.

202 cases are from the Western Division while 1, 083 are from the Central Division.

Dr Anthony Fauci said the Delta variant of Covid-19 was driving the spike in areas with low vaccination rates.

He said health officials were considering revising mask guidance for vaccinated Americans to curb cases.

Offering booster jabs to vulnerable people was also under review, he said.

The coronavirus situation in the US is becoming "a pandemic among the unvaccinated", Dr Fauci, the chief medical adviser to US President Joe Biden, told broadcaster CNN on Sunday.

The Head of Health Protection, Dr Aalisha Sahukhan said a 44-year-old pregnant health care worker from Suva arrived at a medical facility with shortness of breath and chest pain.

The health worker’s baby was delivered by the emergency cesarean team at the CWM Hospital. She was not vaccinated.

She is one of the nine people that died from the virus from 21st to 25th July.

From the list of deaths, seven others were not vaccinated while one was not fully vaccinated.

Fiji has recorded a total of 626 new COVID-19 cases for the period ending at 8am yesterday.

They are the latest group amongst more than 4000 COVID-positive people to have been turned away from hospitals because there are not enough beds.

Fiji's chief medical adviser, Doctor Jemesa Tudravu, said the health ministry has set up a homecare support system for those isolating on the ships and at home.

This includes delivering food and medical supplies to the ships.

Dr Tudravu said the ministry is also monitoring people at home with follow-up telephone calls.

There are currently 16,061 active cases.

During the 24-hours to 8am yesterday, 468 people were tested positive for COVID-19.

That compares to 918 infections and 15 deaths in the previous 24-hour period. 

 The age range for the 11 people that died are between 40 and 84.

Permanent Secretary for Health, Dr James Fong said seven other COVID-19 positive patients had died, however their deaths were not caused by the virus but due to serious pre-existing medical conditions.

Dr Fong said one death is being investigated.