The Ministry of Health and Medical Services still offers COVID vaccination for members of the public, however, it is entirely up to the person to get vaccinated, says Minister Dr Atonio Lalabalavu.
He said while the vaccination program was in effect, Government had repealed the previous policy which made it mandatory.
“Again, it’s up to the public if they want to receive the COVID vaccine or not,” he said.
“Some have still been calling and asking when can they receive the COVID vaccine, simply for the fact that in some other countries that they do go to, they still have that requirement. But within Fiji we’ve relaxed most of them (laws) and tourists can come in.
“Speaking to the public, should they ever need to get a COVID vaccination. Please do reach out to the Health Ministry and we can direct you where you can get not only your COVID vaccination, but other vaccinations as well.”
He added that Fiji had learnt a lot from the pandemic and its own CDC and Health Protection Unit served to build capacity.
“We’ve also got equipment and we’re planning to, with the partnership of one of our development partners, extend the lab, extend the service that is provided with each CDC.
“Again, as the ministry progresses, we are getting new technology, information on how we can monitor and probably in the end, can predict future trends of diseases and how we can go about dealing with it. So, it’s a way of being proactive, rather than reactive.”
