![Permanent Secretary for Health, Doctor Fong. [image: Fijian Government]](https://www.fijivillage.com/news_images/345204222611399c346b3304e02905.jpg)
Permanent Secretary for Health, Doctor James Fong says three of the 13 people who have died from COVID-19 had received the second dose of the vaccine before they died however two of these individuals were infected with the virus before they got the second dose of the vaccine and one died within two weeks of the second dose.
Doctor Fong says we must understand that there is a difference between cure and prevention.
He says the vaccine is not a cure for COVID-19, which means it will not help if you get vaccinated when you are already infected and sick with the virus.
Doctor Fong stresses the vaccine helps to prevent you from getting COVID-19 and dying from it.
Two doses of the vaccine help to lower your risk of getting infected with the virus, and greatly reduces your risk of severe disease and death.
You also must have two doses of the vaccine and wait at least two weeks after the second dose to be considered fully vaccinated.
Doctor Fong says this is because your immune system needs at least two weeks to react to the vaccine and form a protective response.
So, to be considered fully-vaccinated, you need to receive both doses and wait two weeks after the second dose for the full protection to take effect.
He says no one in Fiji has died from COVID-19 after they have been fully-vaccinated against COVID-19. Over the past 24 hour period, Fiji had 568 new cases of COVID-19.
Of this, 262 cases are from the Western Division and 306 cases are from the Central Division.
He says this should not be misinterpreted as a true reduction of COVID-19 cases in these two divisions.
Doctor Fong says over the last few weeks they have had to shift and re-strategize the COVID-19 testing strategy to address the significant pressure on the laboratories and health services.
He says this includes being more targeted with the testing so they can provide rapid turnaround of results for those most at risk of severe COVID-19.
Doctor Fong says they can anticipate that these shifts have an impact on the daily reported case numbers and this is why it is critical that we use various data to inform our understanding of the current situation in these divisions.
He says they do know that the risk of exposure to the virus in both Central and Western divisions remains extremely high with significant community transmission of the virus.
