Covid 19 coronavirus: Request to move patient from Fiji to New Zealand for treatment declined

A formal request to receive a patient from Fiji for treatment in New Zealand has been declined on clinical grounds. Photo / Fiji Government, Facebook

A bid to have a Covid-positive patient in Fiji transferred to New Zealand has been declined.

The Ministry of Health confirmed tonight it had received a formal request for a person in Fiji to be moved to New Zealand for treatment, but declined the request on clinical grounds.

"A planned air transfer of a patient with Covid-19 requiring hospital-level care has been declined following advice from the Intensive Care Unit directors of the three Auckland metro DHBs that, given other commitments, there is not sufficient capacity to currently take the patient."

The decision had been communicated to the appropriate Fijian authorities.

Fiji recorded nine deaths and 1285 new locally acquired cases of Covid-19 in the 24 hours to 8am yesterday, RNZ reported.

That compared to 626 infections and nine deaths in the previous 24-hour period.

Fiji's main island of Viti Levu has been issued with new curfew hours amid the worsening crisis.

Fiji now has more than 18,000 active Covid cases in isolation.