A 46-year-old female Suva-based healthcare worker is the youngest of 11 people who recently died from COVID19 in Fiji where 715 new coronavirus infections have also been reported.
According to the Ministry of Health, the CWM-based staff who was not vaccinated was seen at the hospital’s emergency department five days after she started experiencing symptoms. She died on Monday 26 July, two days after her admission.
She was one of nine COVID19 victims who were not vaccinated, the others were partly vaccinated having received their first dose of the vaccine.
There was one other death reported on the same night but was attributed to a pre-existing condition. The 12 total deaths and 128 recoveries mean active cases stand at 18,512 of which 89 per cent reside in the central division and the rest in the West.
Of the 715 new coronavirus cases, 618 are from the central division and 97 in the West. Total cases since the April outbreak comes to 25,069 and a cumulative total of 25,139 cases since March 2020. Close to 74 per cent of coronavirus infections recorded since the April outbreak remains active.
Deaths (11 others including non-COVID – 22-27 July)
22 July
- 79-year-old woman, Lami
- Died at home on 22 July.
- She was not vaccinated.
25 July
- 75-year-old man, Samabula.
- Presented to the CWM Hospital emergency department in severe respiratory distress.
- Died on the same day 25 July.
- He was not vaccinated.
26 July
- 65-year-old man, Makoi
- Died at home on 26 July.
- Partly Vaccinated
- 69-year-old man, Nadera.
- Presented to the FEMAT field hospital in severe respiratory distress.
- Retrieved from the FEMAT field hospital and taken to the CWM hospital.
- Died on 26 July, two days after admission
- Partly vaccinated, having received first dose in mid-June
- 74-year-old woman, Lami
- Died at home on 26 July.
- She was not vaccinated.
- 71-year-old woman, Davuilevu Housing
- Died at home on 26 July.
- She was not vaccinated.
- 66-year-old woman, Caubati
- Died at home on 26 July.
- She was not vaccinated.
- 62-year-old woman, Suva.
- Presented to the CWM Hospital emergency department in severe respiratory distress.
- Died on 26 July, two days after admission
- She was not vaccinated.
- 67-year-old man, Korovisilou.
- Presented to the CWM Hospital emergency department in severe respiratory distress.
- Died in the hospital on 26 July, four days after admission
- He was not vaccinated.
- 63-year-old woman, Nausori.
- Presented to a medical facility in severe respiratory distress.
- Retrieved from the health facility and taken to the FEMAT field hospital.
- Died at the FEMAT field hospital on 27 July, six days after admission
- She was not vaccinated.
There have been 206 deaths due to COVID-19 in Fiji, with 204 of these during the outbreak that started in April this year. The 7-day rolling average of COVID-19 deaths per day is seven.
Total non-COVID-19 deaths increase by one to 102, showing all COVID19 positive patients but whose deaths have been attributed to pre-existing medical conditions.
Screening Update
6,811 individuals were screened and 1,147 swabbed at the stationary screening clinics in the last 24 hours, bringing the total individuals screened to 365,736 and 67,586 swabbed to date.
As of 25 July, mobile screening teams screened a total of 5,542 individuals and swabbed 586. This brings cumulative total to 747,412 individuals screened and 66,354 swabbed by our mobile teams.
Testing update
A total of 256,776 samples have been tested since this outbreak started in April 2021, with 299,637 tested since testing began in March 2020. 2831 tests have been reported for Sunday 25 July. Testing numbers for 25 July are below the average as the laboratory at Fiji CDC was closed for essential maintenance work on the morning of Sunday 25 July. The national 7-day daily test average is 3401 tests per day or 3.8 tests per 1,000 population. The national 7-day average daily test positivity is 26.3 %.
Vaccination Update
As of 26 July,449,934 adults in Fiji have received their first dose of the vaccine and 103,742 have received their second dose, at 76.7% and 17.7% of the target population respectively.
Epidemic Outlook
The 7-day average of new cases per day is 827 cases per day or 934 cases per million population per day. Daily cases numbers remain high, and daily test positivity remains high, indicating ongoing widespread community transmission in the Suva-Nausori containment zone. Cases are also increasing in the Western Division. The Northern and Eastern Divisions currently have no active cases.
