Bula vinaka everyone.
Here is another edition of some basic information you may need to know for today.
First, here is your weather forecast for today:
Weather
- An active trough of low pressure lies over the group.
- Associated cloud and rain is expected to affect the group till later
- Meanwhile, abnormal high tides are expected over Fiji from 18th to 22nd February which may lead to sea flooding of coastal areas of southern parts of Fiji.
- Forecast to midnight tonight for the Fiji group: Periods of rain, heavy at times and few thunderstorms over most places.
- Localised heavy falls may lead to flash flooding of low lying areas.
- Fresh to strong northwesterly winds with speeds up to 45km/hr and gusts up to 60km/hr over Yasawa and Mamanuca groups, northern and western Viti Levu [Rakiraki trough to Ba, Lautoka, Nadi to Lomawai], Kadavu and nearby smaller islands, Lau and Lomaiviti groups from later today.
- Rough seas.
- Outlook for Saturday: Risk of sea flooding especially during high tides over coastal areas of Yasawa and Mamanuca groups, southwestern Viti Levu [Natadola to Coral Coast], southern parts of Vatulele, Kadavu and nearby smaller islands, Lau and Lomaiviti groups, southern parts of Vanua Levu [southern Bua and Cakaudrove provinces].
- Rain and thunderstorms continuing over most places.
COVID-19 daily press briefing
- The Permanent Secretary of Health and Medical Services will issue updated statements – this can be accessed via the Fijian Government FB page.
COVID-19 vaccination
- Stay alert and monitor radio announcements and check the Government’s Facebook page to get the updated schedule of the mobile vaccination teams in your communities.
General information
- Parliament of Fiji sitting – Responses to the President’s speech at 9.30am
Editor’s movie picks:
- Shehzada 11:00am, 2:10pm, 5:25pm, 8:30pm at Life Cinema Lautoka; 11:00am, 1:50pm, 5:55pm, 8:45pm at Life Cinema Nadi; 11:00am, 2:10pm, 5:50pm at Life Cinema Nakasi; 11:00am, 2:00pm, 5:15pm, 8:30pm at life Cinema Labasa
- Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania – 12pm, 3pm, 5pm, 8pm at Village 6, Suva
COVID-19
Health Ministry advice:
- People with severe COVID-19 are still dying at home, or are coming to a medical facility in the late stages of severe illness.
- Severe COVID-19 is a medical emergency, and a delay in receiving appropriate medical treatment reduces your chance of recovering from the disease. You are at higher risk of developing severe COVID-19 if you are over the age of 50 or have a non-communicable disease or chronic disease like diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, kidney disease, or if you are obese or pregnant.
- If you are at high risk of severe disease and have any symptoms of COVID-19 such as a cough, runny nose, fever, sore throat, body ache, headache, loss of taste/smell – please come to your nearest screening clinic to be checked and tested by our medical teams.
- The severe symptoms of COVID-19, include the following: – Difficulty breathing; – Persistent pain or pressure in the chest; – Severe headache for a few days; – New confusion, inability to wake or stay awake; – Pale, gray, or blue-coloured skin, lips or nail beds.
Source: MOHMS
On 26 November 2021, WHO designated the variant B.1.1.529 a variant of concern, named Omicron, on the advice of WHO’s Technical Advisory Group on Virus Evolution (TAG-VE). This decision was based on the evidence presented to the TAG-VE that Omicron has several mutations that may have an impact on how it behaves, for example, on how easily it spreads or the severity of illness it causes. Here is a summary of what is currently known.
Current knowledge about Omicron
Researchers in South Africa and around the world are conducting studies to better understand many aspects of Omicron and will continue to share the findings of these studies as they become available.
Transmissibility: It is not yet clear whether Omicron is more transmissible (e.g., more easily spread from person to person) compared to other variants, including Delta. The number of people testing positive has risen in areas of South Africa affected by this variant, but epidemiologic studies are underway to understand if it is because of Omicron or other factors.
Severity of disease: It is not yet clear whether infection with Omicron causes more severe disease compared to infections with other variants, including Delta. Preliminary data suggests that there are increasing rates of hospitalization in South Africa, but this may be due to increasing overall numbers of people becoming infected, rather than a result of specific infection with Omicron. There is currently no information to suggest that symptoms associated with Omicron are different from those from other variants. Initial reported infections were among university students—younger individuals who tend to have more mild disease—but understanding the level of severity of the Omicron variant will take days to several weeks. All variants of COVID-19, including the Delta variant that is dominant worldwide, can cause severe disease or death, in particular for the most vulnerable people, and thus prevention is always key.
Source: WHO
