43 cases from new areas

FORTY-THREE of the 262 new COVID-19 cases recorded yesterday are from new areas of interest.

Health Ministry permanent secretary Dr James Fong said the new cases were from Jittu Estate, MV Liahona shipping, Milverton Rd, Natogadravu, Waikete, Nauluvatu Village in Tailevu.

He said 113 cases were from existing areas of interest in this zone.

Dr Fong said five cases were known contacts of cases from the Nawakalevu containment zone that have been undergoing 14-day quarantine in facilities in Nadi.

He said three were contacts from within the existing Korovou cluster, while the remaining 254 cases were from the Lami-SuvaNausori containment zone.

The remaining cases were contacts of known cases identified at screening clinics and were swabbed, and cases under investigation to determine possible sources of transmission.

There have been 17 new recoveries with 2813 active cases in isolation.

Two of the 15 COVID-19 related deaths are still under investigation.

Meanwhile, the 7-day average of new cases per day has increased to 234 cases per day or 264 cases per million population per day.

Dr Fong said Fiji’s daily testing numbers had remained at a high level.

“All the evidence is that there is widespread community transmission in the Lami-Suva-Nausori containment zone,” he said.

“This means the outbreak is not confined to specific areas and everyone should take the necessary precautions and prevent themselves and their loved ones getting infected.”

There are clusters of active cases in Naitasiri and one in Korovou. Cases in Nadi are from within the containment zone in the Nawajikuma, Nawakalevu, and Tramline containment areas.

Lautoka has three active cases.