There are 33 new community cases of Covid-19 being reported today, the Ministry of Health has confirmed.
Photo: RNZ / Dom Thomas
In a statement, the ministry said there were also three new cases in managed isolation facilities.
All the new cases are in Auckland, bringing the total number of community cases in the current outbreak to 955.
The ministry said 32 of today’s cases have been epidemiologically linked. The one case yet to be linked is a person who presented to Middlemore Hospital on Saturday. There are seven others in their household. All seven are included in today’s 33.
There are eight epidemiologically linked sub-clusters. The two largest subclusters are the Māngere church group – 381 and the Birkdale social network cluster – 76. There are nine epidemiologically unlinked sub-clusters, the ministry said.
In hospital, there are 21 cases – four in North Shore, seven in Auckland and 10 in Middlemore. There are also four cases in ICU or HDU.
That brings the total of cases since the pandemic began to 3593.
On historical cases, there have been 137 out of 1775 since 1 January 2021. Four previously reported historical cases now have an ‘active’ health status and have been removed from the tally, which is why the number has reduced, the ministry said.
So far, 36,681 contacts have been identified and 87 percent of them have received an outbound call from contact tracers. At least 92 percent have had at least one test result.
On testing, there have been 8657 Covid-19 tests in the last 24 hours – 4250 of them in Auckland, bringing the total number of tests to date to 3,148,945.
There have been no unexpected wastewater detections in past 24 hours.
On vaccines, 20,490 people had their first dose yesterday and 13,376 had their second. To date 2,862,765 people have had their first and 1,462,725 have had their second.
There are now 3,209,541 people registered to the Covid-19 tracer app.
Four remote islands in Fiji have recorded over 700 Covid-19 cases since the virus spread to the maritime zone, health authorities said.
A Red Cross volunteer shares a message about Covid-19 transmissions through a window to a family in Uciwai Settlement, Nadi. Photo: Fiji Red Cross
Kadavu in the east, Macuata, Vanua Levu, in the north and Malolo and Naviti, both to the west of the country, have all reported a total of 703 Covid-19 cases with the majority of infections, 465 of them, from Kadavu alone.
The Government also confirmed 143 new cases and one death on Friday.
That was compared with 179 cases and five deaths on Thursday.
In Friday’s update, a 36-year-old man from Lautoka presented to the Lautoka Hospital in severe respiratory distress on 24 August but died later on the same day.
Health Secretary James Fong said the deaths of four other Covid-positive patients have been classified as non-Covid deaths by their doctors.
He said the doctors had determined that these deaths were caused by a serious pre-existing medical condition and not Covid-19.
“A four-day interval is given to calculate the 7-day rolling average of deaths, based on date of death, in order to help ensure the data collected is complete before the average is reported.
“As of September 5th, the national 7-day rolling average of Covid-19 deaths per day is 3 – 1 in the Central Division and 2 in the Western Division.
“We also have recorded 363 Covid-positive patients who died from the serious medical conditions that they had before they contracted the virus; these are not classified as Covid-19 deaths.”
Dr Fong said of the latest cases reported on Friday, 76 were from the west, 59 from the Central Division and eight cases from the east and all on Kadavu.
There have been 93 new recoveries to report since the last update, Dr Fong said, which means that there are now 13,407 active cases – 2238 in the Central Division, 10,871 in the west, five in the Northern Division (Macuata) and 293 active cases in the east (all on Kadavu).
.. Photo: Fiji govt
“We are currently reviewing and reconciling our active case database with recoveries and as a result we expect the recovery numbers to intermittently change markedly as verifications are made,” Dr Fong said.
“There have been 48,645 cases during the outbreak that started in April 2021. We have recorded a total of 48,715 cases in Fiji since the first case was reported in March 2020, with 34,411 recoveries.”
Dr Fong said there are 142 Covid-19 patients hospitalised: 60 of them are admitted at the Lautoka Hospital, seven are at the FEMAT field hospital, and 75 are at the Colonial War Memorial, St Giles and Makoi hospitals.
He said 13 patients are in severe condition, with five critical.
“A total of 6139 individuals were screened and 526 swabbed at our stationary screening clinics in the last 24 hours, bringing our cumulative total to 562,053 individuals screened and 93,106 swabbed to date.
“Our mobile screening teams screened a total of 1,527 individuals and swabbed 21. This brings our cumulative total to 826,503 individuals screened and 73,394 swabbed by our mobile teams.
“A total of 344,769 samples have been tested since this outbreak started in April 2021, with 387,630 tested since testing began in March 2020. 1430 tests have been reported for September 9th.
“The 7-day daily test average is 1172 tests per day or 1.3 tests per 1,000 population. Weekly testing is at 10.3 tests per 1000 population, which remains above the WHO recommended level of 4 per 1000 population per week.”
Dr Fong said the national seven-day average daily test positivity is 16.2 percent, which is on a downward trend, but still indicating a high level of community transmission.
As of 9 September, 568,246 adults in Fiji have received their first dose of the vaccine and 329,849 have received their second doses, he said.
“This means that 96.9 percent of the target population have received at least one dose and 56.2 percent are now fully vaccinated.
“Fijians can check the Ministry’s vaccine dashboard to find real-time data on first-dose and second-dose numbers at the national, divisional and sub-divisional levels,” Dr Fong said.
“The 7-day average of new cases per day is 172 cases per day or 195 cases per million population per day.”
Dr Fong said the daily case numbers in the Suva-Nausori corridor are not being used as the sole indicator to monitor progress of the outbreak.
He said the Ministry is closely monitoring other indicators such as test positivity, hospitalisations and deaths to track the progress of the outbreak.
“With the decrease in testing numbers, testing remains above the WHO recommended rate of 4 per 1000 population per week (or approx 3500 tests per week).
“We will be transitioning to community surveillance testing as severe disease numbers and positivity rates approach the containment phase levels.”
Meanwhile, Dr Fong said the lockdown of Namara Tiri Area in Vanua Levu has been lifted after day 1, 4 and 12 testing for primary contacts and 181 secondary contacts all returned results for Covid-19.
He said a total of 692 surveillance swabbing was conducted both inside and outside the containment area which also returned negative test results.
“The three remaining active cases are stable. Vaccination coverage in the Namara Tiri containment area is 98 percent and residents have been reminded to get their second dose which is due eight weeks after the first dose.
“The curfew hours for Labasa moves back to 11pm-4am, effective Friday 10th September 2021.”
Fiji now has 13,407 active cases in isolation with the death toll at 534 – 532 of theses from the latest outbreak that began in April.
A major horticulture group wants more countries added to the visa scheme for seasonal orchard and vineyard workers.
The RSE scheme will allow quarantine-free travel from three countries from next month. Photo: RNZI / Johnny Blades
One-way quarantine-free travel by workers from Samoa, Tonga and Vanuatu will start from next month, under the ‘recognised seasonal employer’ or RSE scheme.
Up to 14,400 people will be allowed in for the 2021-22 harvest.
Apples and Pears chief executive Alan Pollard said the industry is ready, and wanting to bring in as many people as possible.
“We’d also obviously like to see the scheme expanded beyond just these three countries, in the end we have a very long and close association with the Solomons for example and we’d like to see work being done to add them to the list at some point.”
Pollard said it is not just good news for growers.
“For the Pacific Islands it’s just great news, they’ve been suffering for a long time with the impact of the pandemic and workers not being able to come to New Zealand to earn the very much needed money, so this is great news for them also to repatriate funds to their families and communities.”
Pollard said although there’s a lot to sort out, the month’s notice that has been given is enough to prepare for the workers’ arrival.
The total number of cases in the current community outbreak is 922.
There were also three new cases in managed isolation.
Eighteen people are in hospital. Four are in ICU.
Dr Bloomfield said no staff or patients have returned a positive test following the three community cases announced last night.
The person who tested positive at Middlemore Hospital last weekend has nine other family members who have tested positive, providing a clear link to the wider outbreak, Dr Bloomfield said.
“I just want to emphasise the importance of anyone who needs care for any reason to seek that care,” Dr Bloomfield said. “I want to reassure people that our hospitals are safe.”
Dr Bloomfield said the total number of unlinked cases in the outbreak is 34, with eight of those among today’s cases.
There are 16 subclusters in the current outbreak, and seven are considered contained. Six are contained among family and household transmission. Of yesterday’s 23 cases, 11 are household contacts of other cases.
Cabinet is meeting tomorrow to consider any changes to alert levels with Auckland currently at alert level 4 until 11.59pm on Tuesday and the rest of New Zealand at alert level 2.
The Ministry of Health issued a statement last night stating that three people who presented to Middlemore Hospital this week have tested positive for Covid-19. Those cases follow two other cases that were connected to the hospital in recent days.
Church leaders from various dominations which have large numbers of Tongan followers have launched a campaign urging people to get their COVID-19 vaccinations.
They were concerned about misinformation about Covid-19 vaccines being spread on social media amongst their communities.
The Methodist Church New Zealand said in a statement: “Our research satisfies us that the ethical and safety questions surrounding the vaccine are far outweighed by the potential risk to those we serve”.
The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sent the following message to Church members around the world:
Dear Brothers and Sisters:
“We find ourselves fighting a war against the ravages of COVID-19 and its variants, an unrelenting pandemic. We want to do all we can to limit the spread of these viruses. We know that protection from the diseases they cause can only be achieved by immunizing a very high percentage of the population.
“To limit exposure to these viruses, we urge the use of face masks in public meetings whenever social distancing is not possible. To provide personal protection from such severe infections, we urge individuals to be vaccinated. Available vaccines have proven to be both safe and effective.
“We can win this war if everyone will follow the wise and thoughtful recommendations of medical experts and government leaders. Please know of our sincere love and great concern for all of God’s children.”
The Wesleyan Methodist Church New Zealand said in a statement published on its official website the church is encouraging our people to lead the way in receiving the blessing of a COVID-19 vaccine here in New Zealand.
“Our unique position in the world offers Aotearoa-New Zealand the very real opportunity to be COVID-free over coming months. Whether that occurs will largely depend on the nation-wide take-up of the COVID-19 vaccine.
“The vaccine ensures the ongoing safety of those who are vulnerable and will enable us to reopen to the rest of the world over time. This opportunity is available because of the God-given talents of the experts who have led the way in responding to this global crisis.
The Wesleyan Methodist Church is encouraging our people to lead the way in receiving the blessing of a COVID-19 vaccine here in New Zealand. We are doing so because:
We are committed to loving our neighbours, many of whom are vulnerable to the effects of COVID-19 should it gain a foothold in New Zealand;
We serve communities in vulnerable parts of the nation especially in the southern and western areas of Auckland City;
The ongoing social and economic harms arising from the pandemic need to be addressed as soon as possible;
A ranking of an institution of higher education by Times Higher Education (THE) is the ultimate recognition of excellence that an institution can aim for.
The University of the South Pacific (USP) has achieved two accolades by being ranked for 2022 and secondly being the only institution of higher education in the Pacific to gain this recognition.
All USP graduates of the 12 member country states can look back and appreciate the wisdom of the decision to establish the USP with the main campus at Laucala.
Fiji as the host of the main campus continues to be the largest beneficiary in terms of graduates and financial income and has much to be grateful for.
I am an alumni and a grateful Fijian!
This kind of recognition takes a team and every team has a captain.
Vice-chancellor and president Professor Pal Ahluwalia is the captain that took the university across “the finishing line” that won us “gold”.
In this journey he has acknowledged the contribution of the many who played a part in this achievement that is about all of us Pasefikans.
Congratulatory messages have been received from alumni, current and former staff members, stakeholders and generous donors inclusive of messages from the member governments of Nauru, Samoa and Tuvalu to date.
The silence from the leadership of the country hosting the largest campus that also leads the Pacific Islands Forum is deafening to say the least!
Should we live in hope?
Nevertheless this will not detract from USP’s status as the most successful example of regionalism in the Blue Pacific as it continues to “Shape Pacific Futures”.
Long live USP!
Dr Elizabeth Reade Fong is chief librarian at the University of the South Pacific. This letter was first published in The Fiji Times on 10 September 2021.
There have been 23 new cases of Covid-19 in the community reported in New Zealand today, more than double the amount reported yesterday.
There was no media conference today. In a statement, the Ministry of Health said some volatility in the case numbers was likely at this stage as “we expect some changes in the numbers as day 5 and day 12 tests for contacts of cases are due, and we do further investigations of any new unlinked cases”.
“This does serve as a strong reminder of the importance of following the Covid-19 alert level rules wherever you are, and to get tested if you have any symptoms or have been at a location of interest at the specified times.”
All of today’s cases were in Auckland and 14 of them have been epidemiologically linked to previous cases.
There are now 19 people in hospital, with four in ICU or HDU.
The total number of cases linked to the community outbreak is now 902.
There was also one new case reported at the border today.
There have now been a total of 3534 cases of the coronavirus in New Zealand since the pandemic started.
In other news today, an MIQ worker at the Holiday Inn facility in Auckland has tested positive for Covid-19 during routine testing, and more than a dozen new Covid-19 locations of interest have been added to the list today.
Primary schools in Auckland were among many institutions across the country taking up the call by the Ministry of Pacific Peoples to embrace Tongan language week online.
Aupito William Sio. Photo: RNZ / Dom Thomas
This year’s Uike Lea Faka-Tonga or Tongan Language week was a virtual affair because of the nation-wide lockdowns for Covid 19 said Minister Aupito William Sio.
The theme is Fakakoloa ‘o Aotearoa ‘aki ‘a e Ako Lelei, which in English, it means, Enriching Aotearoa New Zealand with holistic education.
“Of course, right now, learning the traditional way – such as attending school or university – was on hold due to the current Covid-19 restrictions.
“Alert Level 4 and 3 means students must learn from home, and follow the golden rules,” Sio said.
Aupito said education is highly valued in the Kingdom of Tonga and this year’s Tonga Language Week explores the importance of education and how Aotearoa can benefit.
“Holistic education completes the picture for many people – this knowledge gives them a sense of wholeness, and confidence in their own identity,” he said.
Glenbrae Primary School Principal Christina Patea Photo: Supplied
Glenbrae Primary School in Glen Innes is a part of the Manaiakalani Education Trust – a community of learners, whānau and educators in the Auckland suburbs of Glen Innes, Pt England and Panmure (collectively known as Tāmaki) who embarked on a project to raise student outcomes and build capacity and engagement through the combination of media and digital technologies and effective teaching practice.
Its principal Christina Patea said that meant the transition to move Tongan language week online was smooth and the students adapted extremely well.
“It’s just great to see our students who are proud of their culture and heritage be able to share this with our community even if it’s not face to face,” she said.
“Our Tongan whānau have really gone all out with decking out their lounges with the colour red, doing their Tongan dances and singing hymns with pride.
Glenbrae Primary School is predominantly Māori and Pasifika with a high percentage of Tongan families and Patea explained that it was very important for the school to acknowledge the Tongan culture.
“Part of the theme this year is about learning from the home and lockdown has done that, we’ve learnt a lot from the Tongan families who shared the culture with us in the virtual way.
“It is a tough time being in lockdown, and so this week of celebrating a culture has helped bring smiles to a lot of people in our community,” Patea said.
Valerie & Lisa Adams celebrating Tongan Language Week 2021 with Nga Iwi School Photo: Supplied
Nga Iwi Primary School in Māngere have been hosting daily Zoom every day this week at midday and on Wednesday’s video conferencing session the students had a surprise New Zealand celebrity guest join in.
“We were very honoured to have the presence of Valerie Adams and her sister Lisa jump on our Zoom this week to celebrate Tongan language week with us,” Principal Michelle Fepuleai said.
She explained that Valerie is the niece of one of their Tongan staff members and they were grateful she made time for them while she was in managed isolation quarantine.
“She spoke first about her upbringing in Māngere, being an Olympian and representing New Zealand, but also carrying the Tongan flag close to her heart and her inspiration, which she said was her late mother,” she said.
Stanhope Road Primary School in Mt Wellington has over 60 cultures in their community, with a third being Pasifika and Tonga being the largest ethnic group in the school.
Leilani Salesa is a teacher at Stanhope Road, and she said because the celebration of the Tongan language has moved online, the staff decided to get students into positions of leadership and expertise and lead the content that was shared online on their Facebook page.
“We had our juniors doing activities like spelling out Tongan words using resources they found at home.
“We were getting multi-generational videos where grandparents and parents support their children to participate in learning new Tongan words,” she said.
Salesa shared that the staff members participated in the fun too by sharing a video of them all attempting the language in their bubbles.
“We have no Tongan teachers in Stanhope, but that didn’t stop us from researching into the culture, so that we can lead by example for our students.
“As part of the action plan for Pacific Education, we want to enable every teacher at our school to do their best by Pacific learners,” Salesa said.
Valerie Adams joined in on Nga Iwi School’s celebration online for Tongan Language Week 2021 Photo: Supplied
Tongans make up 1.7 percent of New Zealand’s population, with our Pacific population expected to reach 414,000 this year.
A mother has made an emotional plea for forgiveness for those involved in an alleged attack of his son in Australia earlier this week.
Paea Tome (L), Siaki Tome
Paea Tome said what had happened to her son was so heartbreaking because he was asking for money to buy some food before the attack happened.
“Let’s move on and forgive each other,” she said during a Facebook livestream this afternoon from Tonga.
Her son Siaki Tome was subjected to what appeared to be an unprovoked attack on Monday night in Australia.
As Kaniva News reported last night, a man, Sini Piu claimed Siaki was asking for some money from his pay.
Siaki’s mother said today, her son was asking Piu if he can pay him his two-day working hours in advance because he wanted to buy some food.
A livestream video clip released by Piu on the night of the attack, showed he was talking to Tome.
It appeared Piu was having a party with another friend.
The livestream video clip, which was seen by Kaniva News, came to an abrupt halt after what appeared to be an altercation while Piu was trying to break it up.
An apology
Piu later posted an apology to Facebook and attempted to clarify the situation. He claimed the livestream was cut off after he was trying to stop a friend from allegedly attacking Tome.
Siaki’s mother said today she has forgiven the accused.
“I am the mother and I can tell you it was so devastating when I saw on Facebook to what had happened to my son,” Paea said in Tongan.
She pleaded with the community to keep the peace.
Fundraisings
Footage of the alleged attack spread rapidly online, where Tome has received an outpouring of support.
It is understood other groups including the PTOA Kolope Foundation were fundraising for Tome and they are expected to release the details soon.
Tome is adopted by her maternal grandmother. She has received donations in Tonga from Tome’s supporters and former high school classmates.
Two days after the Go Fund Me page was set up well-wishers have donated more than TOP$26,200 (NZ$16,400) accompanied with heartfelt sentiments from the Tongan community and beyond.
One supporter wrote that while he didn’t know Tome they wished their small donation can help.
“No human is supposed to be treated the way you have been,” they wrote.
Others sent condolences to him and his mother who is in Tonga.
“We support you and hope you find justice and new hope for a better future.”
The Pope has joined his voice to those of Bishops across North and South America to urge people to get jabbed against Covid-19.
In a video message produced in conjunction with the Ad Council, Pope Francis praised the work of researchers and scientists in producing safe and effective Covid-19 vaccines.
“Thanks to God’s grace and to the work of many, we now have vaccines to protect us from Covid-19,” he said in the video released on Wednesday.
He added that vaccines “bring hope to end the pandemic, but only if they are available to all and if we collaborate with one another.”
Vaccination is an act of love
Pope Francis went on to say that getting a Covid jab that is “authorized by the respective authorities” is an “act of love.”
Helping other do the same, he said, is also an act of love. “Love for oneself, love for our families and friends, and love for all peoples. Love is also social and political.”
The Pope noted that social and political love is built up through “small, individual gestures capable of transforming and improving societies.”
“Getting vaccinated is a simple yet profound way to care for one another, especially the most vulnerable,” he said.
Pope Francis then prayed to God that “each one of us can make his or her own small gesture of love.”
“No matter how small, love is always grand,” he said. “Small gestures for a better future.”
Listen to our report
‘Strength of faith’
The Pope was joined in the video by several Cardinals and Archbishops from across the Americas.
Archbishop Jose Gomez, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Archbishop of Los Angeles, lamented the suffering and death the pandemic has wrought across the globe.
He prayed that God might “grant us the grace to face it with the strength of faith, ensuring that vaccines are available for all, so that we can all get immunized.”
Mexican Cardinal Carlos Aguiar Retes linked Covid-19 jabs to a better future for all.
“From North to South America, we support vaccinations for all,” said the Cardinal.
Safe, effective vaccines
Honduran Cardinal Rodriguez Maradiaga said the world has much to learn from the coronavirus.
“But one thing is certain: the authorized vaccines are effective, and are here to save lives,” he said. “They are the key to a path of personal and universal healing.”
Brazilian Cardinal Claudio Hummes praised the “heroic efforts” of health professionals in developing “safe and effective” jabs.
He also repeated the Pope’s affirmation that “getting vaccinated is an act of love”.
Salvadorian Cardinal Gregorio Rosa Chavez said vaccination helps protect the most vulnerable.
“Our choice to get vaccinated affects others,” he said, adding that it is a moral responsibility.
Unity across the Americas
Peruvian Archbishop Miguel Cabrejos rounded out the testimonies contained in the video with an appeal to unity.
“We are united—North, Central, and South America and the Caribbean—to promote and support vaccination for all,” he said, encouraging everyone to “act responsibly, as members of the great human family, seeking and protecting our integral health and universal vaccination.”
