Fiji has received 22,000 Covid-19 testing kits which the government says will help make testing faster and more convenient.
.. Photo: Facebook/Fiji govt
The government said the testing kits come ahead of the arrival of the Astra-Zeneca vaccine in Fiji this weekend.
Health Minister Ifereimi Waqainabete said Fiji was expecting the Astra-Zeneca vaccine.
"This is actually good for us because Astra-Zeneca utilises the current cold-store mechanism that we have in place that we are very familiar with," he said.
"Pfizer is the next cab off the ranks and we are also ready as we have looked internally and we have the mechanisms to be able to ensure that we can meet the cold-chain requirements."
Waqainabete thanked the Asian Development Bank and the UN Children's Fund for the $US443,000 donation.
Fiji now has seven active Covid cases but they are all in border quarantine.
The latest four cases were confirmed on Wednesday by the Health Ministry.
Waqainabete said continuous testing was done in quarantine facilities and within the communities to maintain Fiji Covid-contained status.
The minister said the timely donation of Cepheid GeneXpert testing kits by the ADB and UNICEF would ensure increasing surveillance throughout the communities across Fiji.
"It will also boost confidence among our neighbours on the safety of our shore as a tourist destination going forward," he said.
"Since our first case and our last border case, we continue to have 32 fever clinics operating around the country and the receivable of this GeneXpert test kits will further empower our screening capacity."
The UNICEF's Pacific representative, Sheldon Yett, said testing was key to ensuring people were safe from the virus.
The ADB's Pacific Sub-regional Director, Masayuki Tachiiri, said the distribution of the kits were part of the bank's financial support to Fiji.
Meanwhile, Fiji has secured funding from Japan to buy two cooler trucks to transport medicines around the country.
The Japanese government has committed more than $US182,000 for nine-tonne trucks.
Dr Waqainabete said the donation is timely as Fiji gears up for the roll-out of the Covid-19 vaccines.
From left, ADB's Pacific Sub-regional director Masayuki Tachiiri; Fiji's Health Minister Dr Ifereimi Waqainabete and UNICEF Pacific's Sheldon Yett. Photo: Facebook/Fiji govt
