COVID-19 in Fiji

Abstract. With the implementation of strict quarantine and adjunct health measures, Fiji was largely spared from the
COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. In April 2021, the arrival of the delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 resulted in a major outbreak that is only now under control. The country enacted swift countermeasures to reduce population movement, but the delta variant gained a foothold in the peri-urban areas of the largest city, Suva, and from there spread to other major urban centers of the
largest island, Viti Levu. A very effective vaccination campaign has since been implemented resulting in a rate of two-dose
vaccination, above 70%, that exceeds many higher income countries and, as of late October 2021, the numbers of
COVID-19 cases were in decline. Fijian life, especially in rural settings, is based on hierarchical but supportive community
structures and the responsibilities that flow from community membership, for example, attending large funerals, mitigated
against the organized and systematic control response instituted by the Fijian Ministry of Health and Medical Services,
including vaccination, and the other Government agencies. A positive consequence of the outbreak has been the development of new capabilities, and the distribution of molecular diagnostic technologies that can be exploited to help control other infectious diseases.