The majority of senior citizens in government care homes have received their first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

Adi Litiana Baleinabuli, the representative from the Senior Citizens Unit of the Ministry of Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation says these Fijians are vulnerable and efforts to protect them are being taken.

Baleinabuli says while vaccination is not mandatory, close to 200 residents have agreed to be vaccinated.

She says these also include residents of private homes around the country.

“I can confirm that for the three care facilities in government we’ve vaccinated those ones and in the Central division we have the, Pearce Home, Home of Compassion and its work in progress and that’s the KPI to have them all vaccinated.”

Baleinabuli says seeing these senior citizens voluntarily receiving their vaccine jab is encouraging.

The Ministry is also encouraging Fijians who have elderly people in their homes to consider protecting their loved ones by having them vaccinated.