New COVID infections and deaths in Fiji have dropped to a low in the last 24 hours ending 8am today for cases – 198, and one death on Monday, August 16.
And 516 new recoveries since last night’s COVID-19 update have also been reported.
Ministry of Health permanent secretary Dr James Fong said 52 new cases were reported from the Western Division and 146 from the Central Division.
The death, however, was reported from the Eastern Division, which he said was previously under investigation; and determined a COVID-19 death after a detailed investigation by the ministry’s clinical team.
He said the 63-year-old woman from Rakiraki Village in Yale, Kadavu, was declared dead on arrival by the attending medical officer at the Vunisea Hospital in Kadavu on Monday, August 16, 2021.
“Her family reported that she had symptoms of cough, fever, and shortness of breath. She was swabbed as per protocol and tested positive for COVID-19 (on Tuesday, August 17, 2021). She was not vaccinated.”
Dr Fong said there had been two more deaths of COVID-19 positive patients, however, were classified as non-COVID deaths by their doctors.
With the 516 recoveries since yesterday, there are now 20,271 active cases – 11,684 active cases in the Central Division; 8540 active cases in the Western Division; one active case in the Northern Division (Nabouwalu); and 46 active cases in the Eastern Division (Kadavu).
Dr Fong said they were reviewing and reconciling the active case database with recoveries, and the numbers are expected to increase in the coming weeks.
There have been 43,224 cases recorded during the outbreak that started in April, 2021; and 43,294 cases recorded in the country since the first case was reported in March 2020; and 22,341 recoveries.
