Suva, May 27 (IANS) Fiji has conducted COVID-19 test on more than 2,400 people, where 18 of them tested positive for the novel coronavirus, health officials said on Wednesday.

The country reported its first confirmed COVID-19 case on March 19.

Fiji's Health Minister Ifereimi Waqainabete told the parliament that the health ministry has extended its testing facilities in addition to its main Center for Disease Control which started such test from early March, Xinhua news agency reported.

"We have also identified health facilities in the public and private sector division in the country to be sentinel testing sites and they are now testing patients with respiratory symptoms for COVID-19 adding further surveillance capability,"he said.

He said that among the about 2,400 Fijians who have done such test for the virus, 18 cases have been confirmed, 15 of which have fully recovered.

--IANS sdr/