Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama.

Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama says government is working to ensure Fiji secures its fair share of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Bainimarama says this is critical in order to ensure our population get vaccinated as soon as possible.

Speaking at the Chinese New Year celebration at the Yat Sen School Hall in Suva, the Prime Minister says Fiji will not just wait in line to receive this shot of life for our economy.

“The vaccines we need are coming out of the laboratory and into the manufacturing phase. Many are already being administered.”

He says the past year has been catastrophic around the globe as laid plans were crushed and it has cost us dearly in human life and economic gain as well.

With this year attributed as a years of the Ox, the Prime Minister says oxen work best in teams, and Fijians will need to work together to rebuild our economy.

The Prime Minister says Fiji has weathered two powerful tropical cyclones recently, but Fijians pulled together to help each other, and are building back better.

“We were slapped with a pandemic, but we stopped it at our border. We have to rebuild our economy back better, but we have protected our people. And we are hard at work to overcome the challenges of climate change.”

He says the Chinese community in Fiji are part of our Fijian community allowing us to celebrate their New Year.

He says the Chinese New Year is a time to reflect on the events of the past and it’s an opportunity to look forward to a better future.