Fiji Health Ministry trains staff for COVID-19 vaccination

Fiji's health ministry is prepared to securely handle the COVID-19 vaccine from its procurement to the vaccination process and is training staff to administer it.

According to Fiji Broadcasting Corporation (FBC), Fiji's Minister for Health Ifereimi Waqainabete said on Friday they have completed the training of the staff that will be carrying out the groundwork.

Waqainabete said they will start the registration process to ensure the right people get vaccinated, which will also help the health ministry track Fijians intending to travel overseas.

"If that person decides to go overseas after the vaccination program, then we can say you have the right person coming," he said.

Waqainabete said the COVID-19 vaccination will come in batches, therefore the ministry will categorize the priority groups.

Fiji is working to register all receivers planned for the first phase of vaccination.

Fiji's Permanent Secretary for the Health Ministry James Fong said earlier that the priority group in phase 1 will include frontline workers and people aged 60 years and above.

Fiji, an island nation with a population of around 900,000, recorded its first confirmed case of COVID-19 on March 19, 2020, and 53 cases in total with two deaths so far.

It maintains a strict travel restriction to date for foreign visitors alongside a nationwide curfew effective from March 30 last year. (/Xinhua)

( With inputs from ANI )