SUVA, April 15 (Xinhua) -- Fiji's Health Ministry is working to administer all available COVID-19 vaccines in the island nation by Saturday, local media reported on Thursday.

According to Fiji Broadcasting Corporation (FBC), Fiji's health minister Ifereimi Waqainabete said that based on the current projections, they should complete administering the full batch in two days, having covered 50,000 Fijians.

"We are likely and we are hoping to finish it by Saturday. As we do, we are hoping to have the ability to have eight to 12 weeks to make sure that there are benefits from the second doses."

Currently, more than 27,705 Fijians have received the first dose of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. The target for the current phase of the vaccination campaign is to vaccinate 50,000 people.

Fiji, a Pacific island nation with a population of around 900,000, aims to vaccinate over 650,000 Fijians through the vaccination.

The country has planned to get 1.2 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. It has so far received 112,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine through the World Health Organization-led COVAX facility. The island nation hopes to get another shipment of 90,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine by the end of April but this has been delayed.

Since its first case of COVID-19 was reported on March 19 last year, Fiji has now had 68 cases, with two active case, 64 recoveries and two deaths.

Fiji maintains strict travel restrictions to date for foreign visitors alongside a nationwide curfew effective from March 30 last year to ensure safety on the island nation. Enditem

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