Two additional cases reported in the North were of positive individuals from the central division, but who had recovered before travelling, Fiji’s Permanent Secretary for Health Dr James Fong confirms as Nabouwalu marks day three since becoming a containment zone.
“Please note that the two repatriation cases from Suva who tested positive in a repatriation quarantine facility in the Northern Division, and announced yesterday, are not active cases, as they had previously tested positive in Suva, were counted in Central cases, and recovered, before travelling North,” Dr Fong said.
Thus, active cases in the North remains at one, being the wharf worker whose primary contacts, except two, returned negative resultse. Results for two of the worker’s primary contacts are pending.
Dr Fong also outlined work done and intended to be done within the Nabouwalu containment zone as part of containment efforts. These include screening and swabbing within the area in three phases and ramp up vaccination of eligible individuals.
In the first phase of screening, 367 persons were swabbed. All tested negative. A second round of swabbing for 217 people was conducted with results pending.
Over 1000 swabs have also been collected for people outside the containment zone in the villages of Nasavu, Naviqiri, and Nawailevu. The ministry is also carrying out COVID-safe awareness programs within the zone.
“Meanwhile, the health service set up at the Immaculate Junior Secondary School is working well. Health teams from Labasa Hospital are travelling daily to Bua Nursing Station and Lekutu Health Centre to provide health services to the community outside the containment zone, and border controls at Nabouwalu and all other Northern ports have been reinforced.”
