Pacific countries have been at the forefront of adopting digital health technologies to combat COVID-19, with Fiji leading the way by implementing SORMAS (Surveillance Outbreak Response Management and Analysis System). Initiated in March 2020, SORMAS has been pivotal in Fiji’s COVID-19 response, serving as a comprehensive tool for active surveillance and contact tracing. This integration has enabled Fiji, one of the last countries to report a COVID-19 case, to become one of the first to deploy a multi-communicable disease, event-based, and contact tracing solution that facilitates rapid investigation and response to public health events.

SORMAS has been effectively used in conjunction with other digital tools, such as the proximity tracking app CareFiji introduced in June 2020, which enhances contact tracing efforts by using mobile devices to detect and record close proximity interactions among individuals. This combination of digital tools underscores a broader trend among Pacific nations towards integrating innovative technologies into their public health strategies, aiming to improve efficiency and response times in managing COVID-19 and other health emergencies.

By focusing on such digital transformations, these countries are not only able to manage the pandemic more effectively but also improve their overall public health surveillance infrastructure, preparing them for future health crises.

See the full article here: https://phindigitalhealth.org/stories/pacific-countries-adopt-digitals-tool-for-covid-19-surveillance/