Fiji

Welcome Home to Fiji which is 'Open For Happiness'. That is the message Tourism Fiji and its stakeholders are selling to holiday makers in its Travel Partner Countries.

There are four flights into Fiji, 2 from Sydney, one in the morning and the other in the afternoon. A flight from Melbourne will arrive get in just after midnight and a large flight from Los Angeles early on December 2.

Despite fears the new Covid-19 variant Omicron has spread into the community in New South Wales where the first flight of tourists come from, Fiji said it is ready to receive visitors.

The decision was made following the authorization of the use of Moderna vaccine for booster doses in more than 30 countries including the United States, the UK, Israel, Singapore, and France.

The Health Ministry said they want to ensure full protection against Covid-19 for those who will deal directly with incoming travellers when the borders reopen tomorrow.

The booster is also for those who will be at high risk of severe disease when exposed to the virus.

Ratu Inoke is joined by Ali’ioaiga Feturi Elisaia, High Commissioner of Samoa to Fiji.

The Committee will be supported by the Forum Secretary General, Henry Puna, and staff of the Fiji Government and Forum Secretariat.

The committee was deployed by the Pacific Islands Forum to observe New Caledonia’s third and final independence referendum under the 1998 Noumea Accord on December 12.

Both cases are from villages in the Serua/Namosi provinces, just outside the capital Suva.

The Health Ministry said on Friday a child was presented to the Korovisilou Health Centre on November 17th.

The child was then transferred to the Colonial War Memorial Hospital.

Tests carried out by the Centre of Communicable Disease confirmed it was measles.

Both patients and their families are in isolation.

The Ministry of Health’s Permanent Secretary, Doctor James Fong said the baby was referred to the Vunidawa Hospital about 50km out of Suva late last month with acute history of cough and fast breathing.

Dr Fong said the baby was then taken to the Colonial War Memorial Hospital in Suva where he was tested positive for Covid-19 and died two days after admission.

Fiji’s Covid-19 death toll now stands at 695.

The Government also confirmed eight of the latest cases were recorded in the 24 hours to 8am Thursday.

There are no deaths to report and the toll remains at 694.

Health Secretary James Fong said 17 Covid patients are in hospital, eight in the central division and nine in the west.

"We have recorded 596 Covid-19 positive patients who died from serious medical conditions they had before they contracted Covid. These are not classified as Covid-19 deaths."

This brings the total number of active cases to 821 since this outbreak began in April this year.

There were no deaths reported in the latest update on Monday with the toll still at 679 since March 2020, 677 of them from April.

Fiji's Health Ministry says a total of 52,326 cases were recorded, with 71 percent from the Central Division, 28 percent from the west and 1 percent of the cases from the eastern and northern divisions.

Fiji's daily average is 17 cases.

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Seven of the total were recorded on Saturday, five on Sunday and 20 in the last 24 hours ending at 8am yesterday.

Permanent Secretary, Doctor James Fong said the Ministry of Health recorded an additional 14 Covid-19 deaths between August 6th and September 19th, 2021.

All deaths were reported in the Western Division and no of the cases were vaccinated.

An analysis of the 14 deaths shows the individuals were aged between 46 to 84-years.

A team from the Fiji Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Team began dispatching the vaccine around Viti Levu yesterday in order for all vaccination centres to be ready for launch today.

Minister for Health Doctor Ifereimi Waqainabete while receiving the Pfizer vaccine from the New Zealand High Commission reiterated the need for children to get vaccinated.

Permanent Secretary Doctor James Fong said this will also protect children who have not yet been vaccinated and are below that eligible age group.

With Fiji leading 13-7, wing Eroni Sau was sent off for a reckless swinging arm on Johnny Williams in the 25th minute.

The visitors also picked up two yellow cards.

Hooker Ryan Elias scored twice with Kieran Hardy, Alex Cuthbert, Louis Rees-Zammit and Liam Williams also scoring as Wales finished strongly.

Wales host Australia next Saturday to end their autumn series, having lost to New Zealand and South Africa before overcoming Fiji.