Five corrections officers in Fiji are among 241 new Covid-19 cases recorded in the 24-hour period ending at 8am today.
Photo: NOBEASTSOFIERCE/Science Photo Library via AFP
Two people have died - a 50-year-old from Newtown in Nasinu and a 62-year-old from Raiwaqa, Suva.
The Health Ministry said the deaths of both men had been under investigation to determine if they were caused by covid.
Health Secretary James Fong said another death is being investigated if it was caused by the virus.
He said the 50-year-old is believed to have died at home and was declared dead by doctors on arrival at the Valelevu Health Centre.
He was reported to be in severe respiratory distress before death, Dr Fong said.
"According to protocol, he was swabbed at the health centre, and tested positive. His death has been classified as a Covid-19 death by the doctors at the health centre.
"He had received the first dose of the vaccine early this month. He was not fully vaccinated."
Dr Fong said the 62-year-old from Grantham Rd was presented to the FEMAT field hospital with respiratory distress and died on the same day.
He had been having respiratory symptoms, including shortness of breath, for at least a week before presenting to FEMAT, he said.
"He was also swabbed and tested positive for Covid-19. He was not vaccinated."
Dr James Fong. Photo: Fiji govt
Wardens test positive
The prison officers, who tested positive, are from Suva and were undergoing quarantine at the Sugar Corporation compound (FSC) in Rakiraki Town.
The officers are close contacts of existing cases.
"They were undergoing 14 days quarantine at the FSC compound as part of the essential movement from the red zone to the green zone when they tested positive," Dr Fong said.
He said the remaining 236 new cases are from the Lami-Suva-Nausori containment zone.
There are 106 cases from existing areas of interest and 17 from the following new clusters: Fiji Times, Food City Suva, Matanisivoro Settlement, National Kidney Centre-Nadera, Suva City Council and
Tamavua-i-Wai.
"The remaining cases are contacts of known cases, cases that were seen in screening clinics and were swabbed, and cases under investigation to determine possible sources of transmission," Dr Fong said.
He said a full breakdown of areas of interest has been published online on the Health Ministry's Covid-19 dashboard and on the Fijian Government Facebook page.
Fiji has had 17 deaths since March 2020, with 15 from this latest outbreak in April this year.
There are 3,027 active cases in isolation.