Fiji has announced another four new cases of COVID-19 and includes two more health workers testing positive for the virus.
The first case is a border quarantine case – a 22-year-old Tongan national returning from Guyana and he had travelled with another border quarantine case announced earlier – a soldier returning from international peacekeeping duties.
The other three are local cases – two of which are nurses.
Of the two nurses, one is a 47-year-old nurse at the Raiwaqa Health Centre.
Ministry of Health permanent secretary Dr James Fong said the nurse was swabbed after she reported a slight cough.
He said after her positive result registered today, the ministry immediately closed the Raiwaqa Health Centre to the public.
“A contact tracing investigation has been launched, all relevant personnel and patients are being quarantined. Her household contacts have also been swabbed,” Dr Fong said.
He said the nurse’s 51-year-old husband had also tested positive for COVID-19, and he was now the focus of a contact tracing investigation.
“We only identified these two cases late today, and we do not yet have a clear link of transmission for either case,” he said.
The other local case is a 25-year-old nurse working within the Lautoka hospital.
“This nurse was sequestered within the hospital last night along with the rest of the hospital’s personnel and patients.
“Since her positive test results, she has since been entered into isolation.
“Investigations are ongoing into how she might have caught the virus.”
Last night, four positive cases were announced – two of whom were returning peacekeepers from the Golan Heights, and two were local cases – a 27-year-old Narere resident and a 53-year-old patient of the Lautoka hospital who passed away yesterday evening.
Quick facts provided this evening:
- 4 new cases of COVID-19
- 42 active cases in isolation
- 9 border quarantine cases
- 20 locally transmitted cases
- 4 are under investigation to determine their source of transmission – these are Case 116 in Ra, Case 120 who is the 25-year-old doctor, Case 126 – the 25-year-old nurse at the Lautoka hospital, and Case 127 – the 47-year-old nurse at the Raiwaqa Health Centre
- The source of transmission for the 53-year-old deceased is also being investigated
- Fiji now has 125 cases of COVID-19 since the first case was detected on March 19, 2020
- 84 recoveries and 3 deaths
- 60,054 COVID-19 lab tests conducted since testing began last year
- 1437 average daily tests
- 5995 weekly average tests
- 1723 tests conducted yesterday
Source: Dr Alisha Sahu-Khan, COVID-19 daily press briefing, May 6, 2021
