With Fiji’s COVID cases skyrocketing, Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama has encouraged the nation to get jabs and taken a swipe at those opposed to vaccinations.
“The Astra Zeneca vaccine which we are administering in Fiji does very well, it has been shown to offer 92 percent protection against hospitalisation from the delta variant of the Covid 19 present in the country,” Mr Bainimarama said.
Fiji had a record 860 new cases in the 24-hour period to Friday morning which brought the total to 9521 cases and 51 deaths, most since the second wave of the virus with the delta variant three months ago.
In a message to anti-vaxxers and conspiracy theorists, the Prime Minister said, “I can tell you I have not been magnetised nor microchipped by the vaccine, I have not received the mark of the beast or any other creature.”
“The vaccine does not do that to anyone, not me nor to any of the 335,000 Fijians who have already received one or both doses.
“That include the church leaders, our Olympians, business leaders and every ordinary Fijian who want to keep their nation safe.
“The foolish few who sow doubt about the vaccine are speaking lies in defiance of faith, of facts and the duty of care that every Fijian owes to themselves and each other.
“Their lies can only lead to preventable death from covid 19.”
Mr Bainimarama also announced new measures taken in enforcing the ‘no jab, no work’ policy adopted by the Fiji First Party government.
“No jabs no job, that is what the science tells us is the safest, and that is now policy of government enforced through law,” he said.
“(There will be) extensions to time frame granted for employers and employees located in areas where vaccines are not yet available.”
Mr Bainimarama told civil servants that the Constitution stipulated that they must adhere to the guidelines issued by the Government or be dismissed from work.
“Under the Fijian Constitution guidelines can be issued by government to which all civil servants must adhere.
Civil servants who have not received their first dose of vaccine must go on leave from Monday next week. They cannot come back to work unless they receive at least their first dose of the vaccine, which must be by August 15, after which they may return to work as long as they become fully vaccinated by November 1, 2021.
“If they do not adhere to these guidelines they will be dismissed from work,” the Prime Minister said.
Mr Bainimarama said the government had worked hard to provide the means for everyone to get vaccinated.
“For the majority of Fijians being vaccinated can happen very soon and very easily,” he said.
“We have vaccinations centres open throughout the country, even drive through vaccination centres where you can be vaccinated in the comfort of your car.”
“Australia, India and New Zealand have supplied enough vaccines to protect every adult in Fiji,” he explained, adding that the Government has been deploying vaccines as quickly as they have arrived, administering a steady average of 40,000 vaccines every week.
Mr Bainimarama shot down the possibility of lockdowns to slow down the spread of the virus as advocated by several leaders.
“(A lockdown) would not kill off the virus but it kills jobs. It would kill our country’s future,” he said.
My dad lives in the united States and he said the vaccine is killing people there in the states and covid-19 is not a deadly virus is 99.9% curable and a small nation like us we are forcing people to get vaccinated because of money… If people don’t wanna get vaccinated let them be it’s there choice it’s there life….how long will you treat us like this how long imagine if you were in our position how would you feel… Remember when you die this nation won’t go with you it stay’s Right here and someone else will lead us so make the best of now…VINAKA