Fiji has recorded two more confirmed cases of COVID-19 which have low risk of further transmission, says Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama.
The first new case is the wife of the 57-year-old man from Labasa — case number 9 — who recently returned from a large religious gathering in New Delhi, India.
Mr Bainimarama confirmed the woman was taken into isolation two days before being diagnosed positive to the virus yesterday.
Chief medical adviser Dr Jemesa Tudravu revealed the woman was elderly and had chronic diseases.
The second new case is the mother of the 14-month-old nephew of Fiji’s COVID-19 case from Lautoka.
“This was a case we have long been expecting,” Mr Bainimarama said.
“She is the young mother of an existing case – the COVID positive one-year-old baby boy – and she chose to stay in isolation with her child to continue to breastfeed and care for him. She has been in isolation since March 19, when our first case tested positive.
“Both cases are close contacts of previous patients and both were already in isolation when their symptoms developed and they tested positive. So, luckily, the risk of further transmission is very low.”
Mr Bainimarama also said the result of the second testing of the daughter-in-law of the man who recently returned from India had also returned positive.
She was Fiji’s 12th case of COVID-19.
Fiji now has 14 confirmed cases of COVID-19.
Mr Bainimarama has once again pleaded with Fijians to stay at home because it saves lives.
“I know it’s not always easy, but staying at home is the best way we can beat this virus. It is also the best way all of us can honour the sacrifices of our officers and our healthcare heroes serving on the frontlines of the war against coronavirus in our hospitals, fever clinics, contact tracing teams and isolation wards.”
(Editor’s note: This article was published in The Fiji Times on Tuesday, April 07, 2020)
