Fiji is facing a serious crisis, reporting 83 new cases of Covid-19 in the last 24 hours - the highest daily record in the island nation.
Eleven of the positive cases are of an unknown origin sparking fears the virus, which is the quick-spreading Delta variant, which originated in India, is moving faster than medical authorities are able to contain it.
Speaking at a media conference last night, Secretary of Health Dr James Fong says the cluster of greatest concern is at the main hospital in Suva where medical teams are going to great lengths to provide critical treatment without exposing themselves and patients to Covid-19.
He says the hospital is to become a full-time Covid-19 care facility with movement in and out to essential areas like the laboratories and paediatric units tightly controlled.
1 NEWS’ Pacific Correspondent Barbara Dreaver had the latest. (Source: Other)
“A field hospital for the treatment of non-Covid patients in the vicinity of the CWM Hospital is being established in conjunction with our partners from Australia,” he said.
The escalating number of cases include several outside the containment areas which have been set up to restrict movement.
New clusters in Naitasiri, north of Suva, have today forced the lockdown of several villages and the area’s own containment response team have had to stand down due to exposure to a positive case.
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