Fiji

Minister for Economy Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum announced this in his 2021-22 Revised National Budget address in Parliament last night.

He said after weeks of establishing private testing facilities nationwide, Fiji is ready to remove the three-night stay requirement upon entry into Fiji.

Sayed-Khaiyum said fully-vaccinated visitors, residents and citizens will only need to conduct a rapid antigen coronavirus test within 24 hours of arrival in the country at an approved testing facility.

He said a full list of the locations will be published online.

The Ministry of Health confirmed that 24 of the total cases were recorded on Tuesday and 11 new cases in the last 24 hours ending at 8 am yesterday.

MOH said of the 35 Covid-19 cases recorded, 10 were in the Central Division; three were recorded in the Western Division, four cases were recorded in the Northern Division, and 18 were recorded in the Eastern Division.

The Permanent Secretary for Health Doctor James Fong said the public should be wary of efforts to remove all public health measures too soon.

In the Western Division, 162 positive cases were recorded.

There have also been 110 cases in the Central Division, 67 in the North, and 8 cases in the Eastern Division.

The Ministry of Health’s Permanent Secretary, Dr James Fong said the increasing hospitalizations and deaths caused by Leptospirosis in the Western Division are of great concern.

Dr Fong added there have been 108 leptospirosis admissions in the West this year.

Fiji Medical Association President, Doctor Basharat Munshi said the bacteria that cause leptospirosis is spread through the urine of infected animals, which can get into sources of water or soil.

Doctor Munshi added that people relying on boreholes, wells, and creeks for water are most at risk of being infected with leptospirosis.

“If you don’t boil this water- the magic thing about boiling water it kills bacteria and pathogens. So if you drink non-boiled water from these sources which are potentially contaminated with the bacteria then you will get the disease.”

Permanent Secretary for Health, Doctor James Fong said there have been four deaths in the West from Bukuya, Tavua, and Rakiraki and one in the Northern Division from Macuata.

He said this brings to a total of 19 deaths nationally due to leptospirosis, with 16 deaths in the West, one in the Central Division, and two in the North this year.

Dr. Fong added that Fiji now has an outbreak of leptospirosis in the West and the Central Division, an increasing trend of leptospirosis in the North, and dengue fever in the Western Division.

Tonga Cable Limited chief executive Samuiela Fonua said it will be ready later today but needs time for tests from the repair ship.

The handover to Tonga Cable will be done tomorrow afternoon.

The cable was damaged last month during the volcanic eruption and tsunami that wreaked havoc in Tonga, cutting most communications via phone and internet lines.

The Government earlier announced that 14 people had died from leptospirosis this year including a six year old boy.

Health Secretary Dr James Fong also confirmed 179 cases of Leptospirosis this year.

Dr Fong said of the typhoid cases, 11 were from the Central Division, 14 in the west and five in the north of the country.

But he said case numbers of typhoid fever were below the expected numbers for this time of year.

The Ministry of Health said there are now 14 leptospirosis deaths, with 12 in the Western Division, one in the Central Division, and one in the Northern Division.

The ministry said the case numbers for leptospirosis are above the expected figure for this time of the year in the West and Central Division.

There are 65 cases in the Central division, three in the Eastern Division, 38 cases in the Northern Division, and 73 cases have been reported from the West.

 Minister of Education, Premila Kumar said there is no need to test the knowledge of students as they are too young and there needs to be space to allow the students to learn and grow.

The Minister also said they will review all subjects for these students with a view to remove some.

“And focus only on numeracy, literacy, civic and moral education. We want to focus on things like gardening, sports, vernacular, that’s all want to focus so that we are able to teach other things through civic and moral education.”

     The Ministry of Health said there are now 141 active cases and only another 17 new cases were reported until 8am yesterday.

There is also one new Covid-19 death, who is a 91-year-old woman from the Central Division.

The woman died at her home on Thursday and was not vaccinated.

There have been a total of 820 deaths due to Covid-19 in Fiji.

Overall, there have been 63,406 cases of Covid-19 recorded.

The ministry said 91,414 people have received Moderna booster doses, and 60 people have received the Pfizer booster Covid-19 vaccine.