There is confirmation now that there is community transmission throughout Fiji of the Omicron and Delta variants of the COVID-19 infection.
Ministry of Health and Medical Services permanent secretary Dr James Fong said these were confirmed after results of positive samples were sent to the Doherty Institute in Melbourne for genomic sequencing.
He said this was to be expected.
“Omicron is vastly more infectious than Delta. As such, in keeping with what we see in other countries, the Omicron will become the dominant variant,” Dr Fong said last night.
“As Omicron spreads very fast, you should assume you are infected, and self-isolate, if you develop any cold/flu-like symptoms such as runny nose, sneezing, nasal congestion, sore throat, cough, body ache, fever.
“If you have any of these symptoms, please stay home to prevent infecting others, especially those who may be more at risk of severe disease.
“You should get tested if you can, but especially if you are at higher risk of severe disease. You are at higher risk of severe disease if you are over the age of 50, or have any significant chronic disease like heart disease, kidney disease, lung disease, diabetes, hypertension or you are obese or pregnant.
“If anyone in your home is at higher risk of developing severe disease, please try to isolate yourself away from them.”
Dr Fong said Omicron had shown to escape immunity from infection induced by previous infection or vaccination.
He said that meant that people who had been previously infected by other variants or had been fully vaccinated with two doses of the vaccine, could get infected with Omicron.
However, he said Omicron was more likely to cause milder disease, with data from the UK and South Africa showing that the risk of hospitalisation with Omicron compared with Delta was reduced by as much as 80 percent.
“… And, once in hospital, the risk of severe diseases with Omicron was reduced by as much as 70 per cent.”
Dr Fong said COVID-19 cases were increasing rapidly globally, especially in Australia, and the European and Americas region, and throughout Africa.
And he added that the new-highly transmissible variant Omicron was contributing significantly to that increase.
“As such, we anticipate an increasing number of cases from border quarantine facilities. Increased and sustained surveillance and testing at our borders, communities, and maritime islands are vital to monitor and detect COVID-19 cases for early intervention.”
Dr Fong reported 580 new cases last night – since the last update was reported on December 1, 2022.
Of that, 146 cases were recorded in the Northern Division, 111 cases were recorded in the Western Division, 303 cases in the Central Division, and 20 cases in the Eastern Division.
Two COVID-19 deaths were also reported.