COVID-19

Fijian health worker succumbs to COVID-19 as death toll increases

The Head of Health Protection, Dr Aalisha Sahukhan said a 44-year-old pregnant health care worker from Suva arrived at a medical facility with shortness of breath and chest pain.

The health worker’s baby was delivered by the emergency cesarean team at the CWM Hospital. She was not vaccinated.

She is one of the nine people that died from the virus from 21st to 25th July.

From the list of deaths, seven others were not vaccinated while one was not fully vaccinated.

Fiji has recorded a total of 626 new COVID-19 cases for the period ending at 8am yesterday.

102-year old woman in Fiji among latest COVID-19 deaths

The death of the centenarian is one of 15 deaths recorded between 19 July and 21 July.

Fiji has recorded a total of 918 COVID-19 cases in the 24 hour period ending at 8am yesterday.

According to the Ministry of Health, of the 15 new deaths, 11 people were over the age of 60 while the other four were in their 40s and 50s.

161 people have died from COVID-19, with 159 of these deaths during the outbreak that started in April this year.

There have been 179 new recoveries reported since the last update.

There are now 16,403 active cases.

South Africa captain to start against British and Irish Lions

Kolisi leads a side which includes 11 of the players who started the World Cup final win over England in 2019.

Handre Pollard will win his 50th international cap after being selected at fly-half.

"We know what the players selected can do," said head coach Jacques Nienaber.

"The fact that most of the players participated in the Rugby World Cup means they know one another well on and off the field."

Kolisi, 30, played in the win over Georgia on 2 July, but only joined up with the squad in Cape Town on Monday after having to self-isolate for 10 days.

Anger as half of Australians in lockdown again

A third state went into lockdown on Tuesday. Stay-at-home orders are now in place in South Australia, Victoria and parts of New South Wales.

Many people have expressed frustration at being back in highly policed lockdowns 18 months into the pandemic.

And re-openings in the UK and the US have put pressure on the government.

Fewer than 14% of people are vaccinated - the worst rating among OECD nations.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has been heavily criticised over the slow vaccination rate, but has resisted calls to apologise.

Olympics chief Toshiro Muto doesn't rule out cancelling Games if Covid-19 cases spike

Asked at a news conference if the global sporting showpiece might still be cancelled, Toshiro Muto said he would keep an eye on infection numbers and liaise with other organisers if necessary.

"We will continue discussions if there is a spike in cases," Muto said.

"We have agreed that based on the coronavirus situation, we will convene five-party talks again. At this point, the coronavirus cases may rise or fall, so we will think about what we should do when the situation arises."

SA locks down, Victoria extends and NSW reports 78 new cases

NSW recorded 78 new locally acquired cases of Covid-19 in the 24 hours to 8pm yesterday, with Premier Gladys Berejiklian saying 21 were infectious while in the community and eight were in isolation for part of their infectious period.

The isolation status of 12 cases remains under investigation.

Some 63,000 tests were done in the past day and they picked up cases in people who were not symptomatic, something the premier said was good news.

Fiji records 1,043 new cases off COVID-19

The Ministry of Health’s Permanent Secretary, Doctor James Fong confirmed 13 new COVID-19 deaths for the period of 14th July to 17th July.

Most of these deaths are elderly people, the eldest being 88-year-old woman who was not vaccinated. The youngest was a 49-year old man who was not fully vaccinated.

From this list of new deaths, seven were women and six were men.

There have now been 98 deaths due to COVID-19, with 96 of these deaths during the outbreak that started in April this year.

Fiji to roll out Moderna COVID-19 vaccines on Wednesday

Due to the increasing widespread transmission of COVID-19 disease across Viti Levu, pregnant women are at a higher risk of contracting the virus which may cause severe illness, the ministry said.

“As a result, these women are prioritised for receiving the Moderna vaccines that provide earlier protection against the disease due to its shorter interval period of 28 days between the first and the second dose.”

Covid-19 cases at Olympic Village 'no surprise' says Rob Waddell

Waddell confirmed no Kiwi athletes were being considered close contacts.

New Zealand's presence in the Olympic Athletes Village in Tokyo has swelled by more than 150 following the arrival of swimmers, boxers, rowers and hockey players yesterday.

It coincided with a second case of Covid-19 being identified elsewhere in the village.

Games organisers won't say who has contracted the virus, other than that both cases are from the same team and sport.

Fiji records 1,180 new COVID-19 cases

There have been five new COVID-19 deaths for the period of 13th July to 16th July.

There have now been 85 deaths due to COVID-19 in Fiji, with 83 of these deaths during the outbreak that started in April this year.

We also have recorded 34 COVID-19 positive patients who died from the serious medical conditions that they had before they contracted COVID-19; these are not classified as COVID-19 deaths.

There have been 159 new recoveries reported since the last update, which means that there are now 12,975 active cases.