The pacific nation of Fiji on Friday announced that it is coronavirus-free. The nation’s last-known patient was given an all-clear, keeping in stride with the island nation’s remarkable record of success against the virus.
Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama wrote on Twitter: “And even with our testing numbers climbing by the day, it’s now been 45 days since we recorded our last case. With no deaths, our recovery rate is 100%.”
Fiji reported its first case of coronavirus in mid-March, which stirred panic among its citizens.
But, strict isolation measures and border controls kept a lid on infections, which peaked at 18 confirmed cases.
According to Bainimarama, “answered prayers, hard work, and affirmation of science” helped the nation fight COVID-19. “Fiji has just cleared the last of our active COVID-19 patients,” he tweeted.
Fiji, with a population of 930,000 imposed quick lockdown measures in early April and restricted border travel.
Pacific islands like Palau, Tonga, the Solomon Islands, Samoa, the Marshall Islands, Vanuatu, the Cook Islands and Micronesia were considered to be among the world's most vulnerable to the virus because of under-resourced health infrastructure and high rates of health conditions such as diabetes and heart disease.
There were also fears that geographic isolation could turn the islands into infection incubators. But, as a result of quick measures on part of the governments, not a single case of the virus was recorded in these islands.
“They went beyond the strategy of elimination and aimed for exclusion— they lifted the drawbridge,” epidemiologist Michael Baker from Otago University told AFP.
Fiji’s government, however, fearing a second wave has insisted on following social distancing.
