Pacific / Fiji

22 naval officers among latest Fiji Covid victims

20:55 pm on 26 May 2021

Fiji's latest Covid-19 cases include 22 members of the Fijian Navy who were in contact with a colleague who was announced on Tuesday, health authorities announced this evening.

Lautoka Hospital. Photo: Supplied/Fiji MOH

This, on a day when 27 new Covid-19 cases were identified, taking the country's tally to 286 with four deaths.

Meanwhile at the Lautoka Hospital in the country's western division, all staff and patients have tested negative to Covid-19 after 21 days in isolation.

Earlier today some of its staff were sent home and tomorrow patients will be too, health Permanent Secretary Dr. James Fong said.

"Lautoka Hospital has completed 21 days of sequestration. It has also been 21 days since the last case was recorded from within Lautoka Hospital, with 4 rounds of testing completed for all patients and staff. Tomorrow the patients who were sequestered in the hospital will be discharged home, as will the staff," Dr. Fong said.

"Only emergency services will be operational at the hospital from tomorrow, and the plan is to open the hospital to the public by June 1st. FEMAT will also wrap up operations in Lautoka once the hospital is open next week."

Dr James Fong. Photo: Fiji govt

Apart from the sailors, today's other cases are linked with the Waila cluster, the Muanikoso cluster and another from Kinoya near Nasinu Town.

One was also a day patient at Suva's CWM Hospital, where she was tested as part of a pre-admission screening programme.

Meanwhile vaccinations restarted on Monday with 9069 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine administered, 7121 in the Suva-Nausori area and 1948 as second doses for frontliners across the country.

.. Photo: Facebook/Fiji govt