Fiji has received the results from 7000 backlogged swab samples sent to Australia for testing.

The country’s Ministry of Health and Medical Services confirmed this in its 4pm COVID-19 update, stating all were negative except for one inconclusive sample from Lautoka that will be retested.

It stated that the high number of negative results “was not unexpected” because majority of samples that were backlogged, and then shipped to Australia in this batch of 7000, were from outside the containment areas.

That included a large number of samples from the Northern Division.

“We are awaiting results from another 4000 swab samples undergoing testing in Australia,” the ministry stated.

“The majority of samples in this second batch are from the containment areas of Suva, Nasinu, Nausori, Nadi and Lautoka.”

The ministry has now conducted 576,050 screenings and 24,855 swabbings with its community mobile screening program, in addition to the health facility, fixed screening clinics and the contact tracing screenings conducted for positive cases.

Fiji recorded five new cases as of 4pm today.

Four of those cases are in Muanikoso and are from two separate households.

The other case is from Samabula and is an employee of a catering group that was providing food after a funeral gathering held at the Samabula cluster household.