Fiji

Joshua Aziz Rahman was arrested after Police found 39 bars of cocaine weighing a total of 39.5 kg in a house rented by Rahman and his father in Caubati, Suva in February 2019.

Justice Daniel Goundar said Rahman had the option to live a good and decent life but he chose a life of crime.

He said rehabilitation is of little value when the offender does not take responsibility for his crime.

Fijivillage reports Rahman was not present in court today.

He appeared via a zoom link from the Remand Centre.

A non-parole period of 14 years has been set.

This was underscored during a recent virtual Japan Market Brief for exporters and stakeholders in the Pacific and facilitated by the Pacific Islands Centre (PIC) and the Pacific Horticultural and Agricultural Market Access Plus Program (PHAMA Plus).

The Brief was attended by PHAMA Plus partners and stakeholders from industry working groups, government agencies and business associations.  It provided insight into doing business in Japan, market opportunities, market access information and service offering for interested exporters.

But the Health Ministry said the death was caused by a pre-existing medical condition and not by the delta virus.

The Ministry said several HIV patients, diagnosed with Covid-19 in Fiji, were among 36,724 people who had recovered from the coronavirus since March last year.

Fiji received $US272,000 worth of anti-retroviral medicine from the Atlanta Medicare Company Ltd of Thailand on Tuesday.

The UNAIDS agency contributed $US37,000 in air freight costs.

Australia also donated paediatric HIV drugs and freight worth about $US5000.

But the Health Ministry said the death was caused by a pre-existing medical condition and not by the delta virus.

The Ministry said several HIV patients, diagnosed with Covid-19 in Fiji, were among 36,724 people who had recovered from the coronavirus since March last year.

Fiji received $US272,000 worth of anti-retroviral medicine from the Atlanta Medicare Company Ltd of Thailand on Tuesday.

The UNAIDS agency contributed $US37,000 in air freight costs.

Australia also donated paediatric HIV drugs and freight worth about $US5000.

 Both deaths are from the Central Division.

The Ministry of Health’s Permanent Secretary, James Fong said the deaths are being reported now due to the delay in the issuance of the official death certificates.

The death toll from the COVID-19 pandemic is 592 and 590 of these deaths are reported during the outbreak that started in April this year.

Dr Fong added there have been 17 new recoveries to since the last update, which means there are now 13,045 active cases.

There have been 50,737 cases during the outbreak that started in April 2021.

The Ministry of Health organised the vaccination drive for students between the ages of 15 to 17.

The roll out for students began on Monday.

Permanent Secretary, Doctor James Fong said they are overwhelmed with the turnout as they continue to track vaccine coverage rate.

The second jab will be administered at an interval of 28 days.

The Ministry of Health’s Permanent Secretary, Doctor James Fong said there were 32 new recoveries which means that there are now 12,982 active cases.

There were 50,200 cases during the outbreak that started in April 2021, with 36,290 recoveries.

Doctor Fong said three people died from COVID-19 on the 15th and 16th of July.

All three were from the Central Division and were unvaccinated.

Three more positive patients died from serious pre-existing medical conditions.

This is compared to 50,128 cases during the outbreak that started in April 2021.

The Ministry of Health has recorded 118 new cases of COVID-19 for the 24-hour period that ended at 8 am yesterday.

Permanent Secretary, Doctor James Fong said there have been 113 new recoveries.

He said one new COVID-19 death has been recorded.

The deceased is a 59-year-old man from Nadi.

There have been four more deaths of COVID-19 positive patients.

However, these deaths have been classified as non-COVID deaths by their doctors.

The country recorded 49,889 cases as of last Sunday.

The minister told Parliament that the next task is to identify people who remain unvaccinated.

“This process has commenced in the greater Suva, Nausori, Sigatoka, Nadi corridor and they have already picked up segments of the population with some in the vulnerable categories who missed out during the initial trial”.

Dr Waqainabete added they want to ensure every Fijian is safe.

The Ministry had earlier said they will not make it mandatory for children to be vaccinated.

Two districts in the Yasawas, west of the country, have sought help for households in isolation that have no access to basic food supply.

Tourist hotspots Naviti and Nacula are both experiencing an increase in Covid-19 cases, are seeking assistance for households in isolation that have no access to basic food supply.

The Government confirmed a total of 121 new cases and nine deaths in the last 24 hours.

This takes the total of cases to 12,948, with the death toll at 575.