Fiji has reported 506 new cases of COVID-19 and one death in the 24 hours to 8am on Saturday.
Health Secretary James Fong says the 55-year-old woman from Nabua was attended to by a ministry response team at a medical facility.
The woman was transferred to the Colonial War Memorial Hospital after she reported having severe symptoms of COVID-19.
"Her condition worsened in hospital and she died two days after admission. She was not vaccinated," Dr Fong said.
He said there had been two more deaths of COVID positive patients.
"However, their deaths have been classified as non-COVID related by their doctors who have determined that their deaths were caused by serious pre-existing medical conditions."
On Friday, the ministry announced 860 positive cases and three deaths.
All three patients were not vaccinated against the virus.
A 56-year-old man from Davuilevu in Nausori was admitted to the Colonial War Memorial Hospital in Suva with Covid-19 symptoms (cough, fever and generalised body pains).
Dr Fong said the man had been unwell for two weeks and his condition worsened in hospital. He died three days after admission.
"The second COVID-19 death is a 68-year-old man from Suva who was referred to the CWM Hospital from the Samabula screening clinic," Dr Fong said.
"He was noted to be in severe respiratory distress and his condition worsened in the hospital."
He died one day after admission.
Dr Fong said a 69-year-old woman from Nabua was referred to the CWM Hospital from the Samabula Health Centre.
"She presented in severe respiratory distress. Her condition worsened in hospital and she died on the same day.
Dr Fong said another death, a 15-year-old who had tested positive to COVID, is being investigated to determine the cause.
Transmission, vaccination update
As of the 9 July, 349,396 Fijians have received their first dose of the vaccine and 65,618 have received their second dose.
Dr Fong said this means 59.6 percent of the target population have received at least one dose and 11.2 percent are now fully vaccinated nation-wide.
"192,536 samples have been tested since this outbreak started in April 2021, with 235,397 tested since testing began in early 2020. 3447 tests have been reported for July 8.
"Testing number data for all labs for July 8 are still being received and so the testing number is expected to increase once updated.
"Testing numbers for July 6 and 7 from more labs has now been received and total test numbers for those days have now been updated."
The national seven-day daily test average is 3617 tests per day or 4.1 tests per 1000 population. The national seven-day average daily test positivity is 16.8 percent and continues on an upward trend.
The seven-day average of new cases per day has increased to 627 cases per day or 708 cases per million population per day. With daily increases in cases we are also seeing increasing cases of severe COVID-19 and increasing deaths.
There are two drive-through vaccination centres within the Suva-Nausori corridor (Albert Park and the Fiji National University - Nasinu Campus at Valelevu) and open from 9am- 2pm.
Fijians can check the ministry's vaccine dashboard to find real-time data on first-dose and second-dose numbers at the national, divisional and sub-divisional levels. You can access the live dashboard here.
Fiji now has 8256 positive people in isolation with 52 deaths reported, 50 from this latest April outbreak.
COVID-19, Coronavirus, group of viruses in a worldwide pandemic concept.
Fiji facts
- 506 new cases
- 52 deaths - 50 of these deaths recorded during the outbreak that started in April this year
- 21 positive patients died from the serious medical conditions that they had before they contracted covid
- 1 death of a positive patient remains under investigation
- 179 new recoveries reported since the last update
- 8256 active cases
- 9957 cases recorded during the outbreak that started in April 2021
- 10,027 cases recorded in Fiji since the first case was reported in March 2020, with 1697 recoveries.
RNZ
