Drop in Infected Numbers - Is This Light at End of Tunnel?
There have now been 113 deaths due to COVID-19 in Fiji, with 111 of these deaths during the outbreak that started in April this year.
We are now tracking below 1000 daily positive cases of COVID-19 - 784 on Monday. Is this the beginning of the downward spiral we have been hoping to see or is it only temporary?
As more of us get fully vaccinated and follow the rules the number will peak and then dip. This will be the positive sign that we are well on the way to containing the killer virus.
As the death toll continues to climb steadily this is to be expected because of the high infection rate.
There have now been 113 deaths due to COVID-19 in Fiji, with 111 of these deaths during the outbreak that started in April this year.
We also have recorded 48 COVID-19 positive patients who died from the serious medical conditions that they had before they contracted COVID-19; these are not classified as COVID-19 deaths.
Since April 18, 298 Fijians have tested positive, 14,247 are active cases. So the chances of death are still high.
Once we decrease that number, there will be corresponding drop in deaths. These figures were expected to change last night.
There are 17 more deaths currently under investigation to determine whether they were COVID-19 related or caused by pre-existing conditions.
Forty-eight people who died and tested positive were ruled by doctors to have died from serious medical conditions. There is a fine line here. The determination is based on whether the virus enhanced early death.
But one thing is consistent. Most of those who died were not vaccinated at all or not fully vaccinated, meaning they received only one jab.
The figures will gradually come down as we comply with the rules and get vaccinated.
Vaccination Update
As of 17th July, 393,095 adults in Fiji have received their first dose of the vaccine and 78,624 have received their second doses.
This means that 67 percent of the target population have received at least one dose and 13.4 percent are now fully vaccinated nationwide.