Three more children, all from the North, including a 10-day old baby, are among 12 new COVID-19 deaths reported by Fiji’s Ministry of Health.
MOH Permanent Secretary Dr James Fong said the female infant was born to a COVID-positive mother without complications, but died at home before she could be taken to hospital. A post-mortem COVID test was noted to be positive.
The older children, aged 8 and 13 years, Dr Fong said had congenital medical conditions from birth which contributed to the severity of their illness and ultimately their deaths. The eight-year-old girl died at home whilst the teenage boy died nine days after his admission at the Nabouwalu Hospital. He was not vaccinated as well.
Their deaths bring to five the number of children who have died due to COVID-19 in the third wave, seven days apart, following the deaths of a 4-month-old baby in the West on 13 January and a 15-year-old boy from the central division on 19 January.
The deaths of the children in the North also bring to 22 the number of people who have died in the current wave in the division which has also recorded the highest rate of death when adjusted for population.
Analysis of deaths in the third wave (Provided by MOH)
Northern Division has highest rate of death
| Division | Total COVID Deaths | Deaths per 100,000 |
| Central | 40 | 9.9 |
| Western | 29 | 8.2 |
| Northern | 22 | 15.7 |
| Eastern | 3 | 7.8 |
An analysis of the first 94 deaths recorded in the third wave has shown that, while the Central Division has the highest absolute number of deaths, the Northern Division has the highest rate of death when adjusted for population. Note that there are deaths currently being investigated from the Western Division for the same time period, therefore the rate for that division may increase.
By Age Group
| Age Group | Total Deaths | Deaths per 100,000 population |
| 0 – 19 | 5 | 1.5 |
| 20 – 29 | 3 | 2.1 |
| 30 – 39 | 1 | 0.7 |
| 40 – 49 | 3 | 2.9 |
| 50 – 59 | 16 | 17.7 |
| 60 – 69 | 19 | 36.6 |
| > 70 | 47 | 164.7 |
For the first 94 deaths in the third wave, the rates of death, when adjusted for population, have been highest in the age groups beginning from age 50 and upwards. The 5 deaths in the under 19 group were for children with significant underlying medical conditions present since birth.
By Vaccination Status
Unvaccinated adults in Fiji have been dying from COVID-19 at a rate 14.7 times higher than fully vaccinated adults during this third wave
| Age Cohort | Total COVID deaths | Total Vaxxed/Unvaxxed | Deaths per 100,000 Vaccinated Population | Deaths per 100,000 Unvaccinated Population |
| >18 | 89 | 35/41 | 6.1 | 90.2 |
| 12 – 14 | 1 | 0/1 | 0 | 2.5 |
| 15 – 17 | 1 | 0/1 | 0 | 6.5 |
An analysis was done for the first 91 deaths in the vaccine eligible population during the third wave. When adjusted for population in the fully vaccinated (received 2 doses) and unvaccinated (received 0 doses) adults in Fiji, we can see that death rates per 100,000 population are 6.1 deaths per 100,000 for fully vaccinated adults and 90.2 deaths per 100,000 for unvaccinated adults.
This means that unvaccinated adults in Fiji have been dying from COVID-19 at a rate 14.7 times higher than fully vaccinated adults during this third wave. The 2 individuals in the 12-17 age group who died were not vaccinated. There have been no deaths in individuals who have received a booster dose (3rd dose) of the vaccine.
Details of other newly reported 9 Deaths (PS Statement 26/01)
The fourth COVID-19 death to report is of a 70-year-old male from the Northern Division, who died at home on 14/01/2022. He was not vaccinated.
The fifth COVID-19 death to report is of a 98-year-old female from the Western Division, who died on arrival at Lautoka Hospital on 16/01/2022. She was fully vaccinated.
The sixth COVID-19 death to report is of an 81-year-old female from the Western Division, who died at home on 16/01/2022. She was fully vaccinated.
The seventh COVID-19 death to report is of a 74-year-old male from the Western Division, who died on arrival at Tavua Hospital on 18/01/2022. He had pre-existing medical conditions and was not vaccinated.
The eighth COVID-19 death to report is of a 75-year-old female from the Western Division, who died at home on 20/01/2022. She was fully vaccinated.
The ninth COVID-19 death to report is of a 72-year-old female from the Central Division, who died at home on 21/01/2022. She had pre-existing medical conditions and was fully vaccinated.
The tenth COVID-19 death to report is of a 46-year-old female from the Western Division, who died at home. She was not vaccinated.
The eleventh COVID-19 death to report is of a 78-year-old male from the Eastern Division, who died at home on 21/01/2022. He was fully vaccinated.
The twelfth COVID-19 death to report is of a 79-year-old male from the Central Division, who died on arrival at CWM Hospital on 22/01/2022. He was fully vaccinated.
There has been a total of 791 deaths due to COVID-19 in Fiji.
