Fiji doctors plead for Kiwi vaccines
Fiji’s health system is straining under the weight of a coronavirus outbreak and health professionals say infections are spiking to such an extent the only way out of the crisis is vaccinating the population quickly.
Although doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine have arrived from Australia, New Zealand’s promised contribution of 250,000 courses of the double-dose jab could be some time away. New Zealand medical regulatory body Medsafe is yet to approve AstraZeneca, and the vaccines don’t yet have a scheduled arrival date on Kiwi shores.
Fiji’s government has not implemented a wide lockdown to stop the latest coronavirus wave, which started in April, instead preferring to isolate clusters of the highly contagious Delta strain.
Economic considerations were partly behind the government’s decision, but it has allowed coronavirus to spread after Fiji survived the first year of the pandemic mostly unscathed, with two deaths.
The situation has taken a dramatic turn for the worse, with the daily infection rate approaching 300.
Since the latest outbreak began, 22 people had died and by Thursday the country had recorded more than 4700 cases. Fiji’s population is just under 900,000.
Fiji Medical Association president Dr Basharat Munshi said public hospitals were inundated and this was taking a toll on medical professionals, who typically worked many days in a row before heading into quarantine hotels for a few days before returning to the wards without seeing their families.
‘‘You can visibly see [workers] are waning a little bit. It’s human nature. You get tired, and you are not as alert as before. We have doctors and nurses run off their feet. They are tired.’’
AstraZeneca vaccines have been arriving from Australia in good numbers. Fifty per cent of over-18s have received their first dose and about 8 per cent their second.
In April the New Zealand Government promised 250,000 courses of the vaccine for the third quarter, July to September, along with other help.
A spokeswoman for the office of Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia
Mahuta said the vaccines were on target to be delivered but would not be shipped until they were approved by Medsafe.
Christchurch-based doctor Prabal Mishra, who has family in Fiji, said the vaccines were needed urgently. He and other New Zealand doctors with links to the Pacific nation wanted Medsafe to speed up its approval process.
‘‘Lockdowns are not going to be able to cure this. Because of the economic outlook for Fiji, people are not going to be able to stay at home, and compliance with lockdowns is a major issue. The only real way to save lives at the moment is by vaccinating as quick as possible.’’
Mishra couldn’t understand why New Zealand hadn’t approved the vaccine, yet Australia had. ‘‘Fiji is meant to be part of our Pacific family. The more that we can do to help them out is ideal, and I’m sure New Zealand and Australia want to be able to look after our Pacific neighbours.’’
A statement from the Health Ministry said it acknowledged concerns about getting vaccines to Fiji quickly.
‘‘Medsafe’s assessment of the application for AstraZeneca’s vaccine is well under way. It’s likely that a decision on whether to approve it will be made in early July, prior to the expected delivery schedule.’’
Delivery of AstraZeneca to New Zealand was scheduled for the July-September period, at a time yet to be confirmed.
‘‘You get tired, and you are not as alert as before. We have doctors and nurses run off their feet.’’ Dr Basharat Munshi