Fiji’s second wave caused by COVID-19 Indian variant/Delta Plus

Health authorities have confirmed that the COVID-19 Indian variant (B-1-617-2) is now in Fiji, as more cases are recorded.

The Permanent Secretary for Health James Fong said Fijians have become too "complacent and wishful thinking" in their response to the second wave of the virus.

He said positive samples sent to a Melbourne laboratory had confirmed that the Indian variant of the virus is circulating in Fiji.

The Indian variant was first detected in India last October and has since spread to more than 40 other countries.

The variant is now referred to as Delta Plus after the World Health Organization introduced new name labels for all coronavirus variants, to avoid stigmatization and victimization of any nation where the variant and its mutant strains was first identified.

The WHO’s chief scientist, Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, told the Wall Street Journal that the B.1.617 spreads quickly.

“The pattern now is that one person in the family gets it, the whole family seems to get it. This is unlike the first wave. And so I think what we’re seeing is more transmissible,” he said.

 

Photo Caption: Fiji Police checkpoints in Suva.      Source: The Guardian