Fiji's education minister is encouraging families to get their children vaccinated against Covid-19 to keep them safe as they resume school, despite it not being mandatory.
Children and teens being vaccinated in Fiji in September. Photo: Supplied/ Fijian government
Premila Kumar said the 'safest and easiest way' to fight the deadly virus is to vaccinate.
"We understand the safety of our children. We understand the safety of our teachers. But the situation is such that, no one can guarantee for how long this Covid situation is going to last."
Year 12 and 13 students in Fiji returned to school last week, and the education ministry said 99 percent of teachers in Fiji are fully vaccinated.
Health authorities said more than 44,127 eligible children and teens have now received at least one dose of the vaccine.
More than 24,000 in the 12 to 17 years age groups are fully vaccinated, while 10,500 aged 12 to 14 in Fiji had received their first dose.
With 90 percent of the adult population fully vaccinated, the government said they were happy to see more parents opting to protect their children against the virus.
Fiji's Delta outbreak by the numbers
Officials said 52,398 people have been infected with Covid-19 and 693 people have died since the second wave of the pandemic began in Fiji in April.
Of the Covid-19 cases recorded, 71 percent were from the Central Division, 28 percent from the west and one percent each were from both the eastern and northern parts of Fiji.
Health secretary Dr James Fong said 598 Covid-19 patients had also died but their deaths were not caused by the virus.
He says these Covid patients had died due to serious medical conditions they already had before they contracted Covid-19.