Fiji has dismissed calls for a hard lockdown as Covid-19 cases reached record levels in the Pacific island nation, insisting a “no jab, no job” vaccination push would contain the virus, AFP reports.

The latest official figures revealed there were 1,405 new cases in the last 24 hours, giving the country of 930,000 one of the world's highest per capita infection rates.

Opposition leaders and welfare groups have called for strict stay-at-home orders but the government has resisted, arguing the economic cost would be too high.

Instead, it has introduced a hardline vaccination drive dubbed “no jabs, no job”, which makes inoculations compulsory for all workers.