Coronavirus

The team will work with their Fijian counterparts from the Ministry of Health & Medical Services to bolster Fiji’s fight against COVID-19.

Australia and New Zealand deployed the highly trained joint multi-disciplinary team following a request from the Fijian Government.

The team’s priority over the next 28 days will be creating additional spaces to offer care to non-COVID patients and to strengthen infection control protocols.

The team are fully vaccinated and, following quarantine, will deploy to Suva to support the Fiji Ministry of Health.

This is after the country recorded 166 new positive cases and a death yesterday.

Ministry of Health and Medical Services permanent secretary James Fong admitted that community transmission was now 'broad.'

The latest death is a 77 year-old man detected by a CWM screening team at his home where he had been bed ridden for several months.

Despite that he had pre-existing medical conditions, doctors assessing clinical data have attributed the cause of death to Covid-19.

He represents the 7th to die from the virus, the fifth in this outbreak alone.

The virus continues to spread as President Jair Bolsonaro refuses to back measures like social distancing.

The health institute Fiocruz said the situation is "critical". Only 15 percent of adults are fully vaccinated.

Congress is investigating the government's handling of the pandemic.

Bolsonaro has been heavily criticised for not implementing a co-ordinated national response and for his scepticism toward vaccines, lockdowns and mask-wearing requirements, which he has sought to loosen.

Two locally acquired cases were recorded in the 24 hours to 8pm yesterday - a man in his 30s, which was announced yesterday morning, and the other a household contact of his.

Since 8pm yesterday, NSW Health recorded two additional cases of locally acquired transmission. These two cases will be officially recorded in tomorrow's numbers.

The two new cases, a woman and a man in their 50s, are from the Sutherland Shire and close contacts of previously reported cases. They have both been in isolation.

One hundred and seventeen cases are from known clusters.

Two cases presented to the Fiji Emergency Medical Assistance Team (FEMAT) field hospital at the Vodafone Arena are under investigation and four cases are under investigation from Totogo police.

Dr Fong said the Colonial War Memorial Hospital cluster has 32 new cases.

"A new cluster has been identified at the Nasese Medical Centre with one new case reported today (Saturday), adding to the six cases already in this cluster.

The total number since the second outbreak started in April is now at 1373.

Permanent Secretary for Health Dr James Fong said a new cluster has been identified within the Rewa Emergency Operations Centre, possibly linked to the Vunimono cluster in Nausori.

There are two new cases for this cluster.

A new cluster is also at the Town House Hotel in Suva where Colonial War Memorial (CWM) Hospital and the ministry COVID-19 Incident Management Team (IMT) staff are being accommodated.

Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health Dr James Fong confirmed to the Fiji Times that the infants are in stable condition at the Lautoka Hospital.

The infants and their mothers were from a community in lockdown in Nadi.

They were recently assisted by the non-governmental organisation - Foundation of the Rural Integrated Enterprises and Development (FRIEND) Fiji.

A post on the FRIEND Fiji official social media page said they responded to a request for assistance from the community in lockdown in Nadi.

NSW Health said the Bondi man, in his 60s, worked as a driver and that international flight crew had been among his passengers.

The man visited the Bondi Junction shopping centre in the city's east several times in recent days.

Visitors to Bondi Junction's Event Cinemas on Sunday, 13 June between 1.30pm and 4pm for a screening of Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard which started at 1.45pm were asked to contact NSW Health, self-isolate for 14 days, and get tested.

The man took a saliva test yesterday, which came back positive today.

The Health Ministry said six other patients had died from existing chronic conditions they had while being admitted at the country's main hospital in Suva.

This has raised some concern among Fijians who are calling for an explanation over what constitutes a COVID-19 death.

Health Secretary James Fong said the four patients had since died with illnesses directly related to their COVID-positive status.

Six patients died at the Colonial War Memorial Hospital since an outbreak at the facility was announced on June 1.

Part of a series of ‘festival days’ – where the Pacific community is vaccinated together in a welcoming environment – today’s event was the first in the region to be held in a place of worship.

Capital & Coast DHB worked with Tū Ora Compass Health PHO and the church community on the event last week.

“It was wonderful to see so many of our older Pacific members there today, and we look forward to more events like this supporting better health outcomes for our vulnerable communities,” said Tū Ora Pacific Director of Health Henrietta Hunkin-Tagaloa.