COVID-19

The move marked a sharp turnaround from as recently as last week, when some officials were still insisting they could organise the Games safely with some fans.

It all but strips the global sporting showpiece, which is due to start on 23 July and run until 8 August, of its last vestiges of pomp and public spectacle.

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said it was essential to prevent Tokyo, where the highly contagious Delta variant of COVID-19 variant was spreading, from becoming a flashpoint of new infections.

Of this total, around 11,500 groceries and essential packs have been given to people in targeted lockdown and home isolation.

Another round of household delivery packs was carried out yesterday (Wednesday).

The Ministry of Economy’s Data Entry Team together with the Police Force is continuing the electronic registration of household information.

The team is also registering the needs of the households that are going into isolation.

 The Minister of Education, Rosy Akbar said four schools were currently being used as isolation centres with other schools earmarked to be used by the Ministry of Health as quarantine facilities, emergency operation centres and accommodation for frontline workers.

“Since some of these schools need to meet the Health Ministry’s requirements, the Ministry of Rural and Maritime Development and the Ministry of Infrastructure have identified improvements to these schools to meet those purposes,” she said according to a Fiji Times report.

The Ministry of Health confirmed that two of the victims were unvaccinated while the third had received one dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

Three more people, who tested positive to the virus, died but their deaths have been classified as non-COVID-19 related and caused by serious pre-existing medical conditions, instead.

Permanent Secretary, Dr James Fong said a 61-year-old man from Qauia Village in Lami near the capital Suva was brought to the Colonial War Memorial Hospital's emergency department in severe respiratory distress.

The death toll in a day has also risen to six.

The youngest deceased is a 43-year old woman and the others are aged between 60 and 80.

According to the Ministry of Health, three people were not vaccinated and the remaining three had received their first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

There have now been 39 deaths due to COVID-19 in Fiji, with 37 of these deaths during the outbreak that started in April this year.

All the South Africa players are self isolating after close contact with De Jager and will remain cloistered in their hotel rooms until a new round of tests are conducted, SA Rugby said.

The second such incident in a week in the Springbok camp could force a cancellation of the second test, scheduled for Johannesburg's Ellis Park on Friday.

Ministry of Health’s Permanent Secretary, Dr James Fong said five of the new cases are contacts of cases who are undergoing 14 days of quarantine in facilities in Nadi, adding that the rest of the cases are from the Suva-Nausori containment zone.

Dr Fong said the first death from COVID-19 is a 66-year-old woman from Valelevu who was declared dead on arrival by doctors at the emergency department at CWM Hospital.

He further clarified that this means the woman died at home or on the way to hospital.

Ministry of Health’s Permanent Secretary Doctor James Fong said the new cases are mainly from the Central and Western Divisions.

There are two cases that have been identified at the Malau Quarantine Facility in Labasa.

Doctor Fong said these two cases are noted to be repatriates from the Central Division and are in quarantine.

The Ministry of Health said there have also been five deaths of COVID-19 positive patients since the last update.

The premier said it was "a cause for concern" that half of the new cases had been out in the community while infectious.

"If we want the lockdown to succeed, all of us have to minimise our movements," she said.

"In too many examples we are seeing workers who are leaving the house with symptoms or going to work with symptoms.

"Then inadvertently as they are going about shopping or other activity, they are passing it onto others."

Ministry of Health’s Permanent Secretary, Doctor James Fong said the first death is a case that was previously announced as under investigation to determine if COVID-19 was the cause.

The deceased is an 82-year-old woman from Qauia in Lami and was not vaccinated.

She had pre-existing medical conditions, was bedridden, and died at home.

According to protocol she was swabbed and tested positive for COVID-19.

The elderly woman was declared dead by the attending medical officer and after investigation, it has been determined that the cause of death was COVID-19.