Health authorities urge Bajans to protect against COVID-19 and flu as cases rise
Health authorities are warning Barbadians to be extra cautious during the busy Christmas season amid a double whammy of a lingering COVID-19 pandemic that has resulted in another death in recent days, and a highly infectious flu virus.
Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr Kenneth George said in a recorded statement on Monday that both viruses were presenting some challenges, as he noted that the true extent of COVID-19 cases may not be known since testing has declined.
He disclosed that just below 20 per cent of COVID-19 tests performed were positive while the RE – the number of people in a population who can be infected by a COVID-19-positive individual at any specific time – was above one.
“And those two metrics together indicate that we are still having COVID spread in our communities. In addition, what we also note is that the number of persons coming to be tested has fallen off and, therefore, the number of persons having COVID in our communities may not be a true reflection of what it really is,” Dr George cautioned, as he urged the most vulnerable groups to “go the extra mile” to protect their health.
“And, therefore, I ask that you be cautious around the Christmas period.”
The CMO noted that while the hospitalisation rate has remained low, and those who were hospitalised were having milder forms of illness, “we, unfortunately, within the last seven days have had a single death”.
We continue to monitor hospitalisation and deaths as a metric to determine how severe the infections are,” the Government’s chief medical advisor said.
“We are indeed facing a double whammy because we have COVID circulating and we also have flu circulating. The flu virus has been typed – it is H3N2 that has been circulating and that has also increased steeply within the last two months. We continue to monitor both for flu and for COVID…. Fortunately…we have not had any hospitalisation or deaths associated with the flu virus,” Dr George added.
He said the Health Ministry would continue to examine the information and report to the public any changes in that trajectory.
“But it is important to note that the flu in some countries does cause significant sickness and even death. The good thing is that there are similar ways to prevent COVID as you can prevent flu,” Dr George pointed out.
“The viruses circulating are certainly not as deadly or causing severe illness as when we were in the throes of Delta. The virus circulating is very infectious, so the likelihood of transmission is high but the outcomes appear to be a bit better.”
The CMO assured the public that the Ministry had not taken its eye off COVID-19.
“We don’t come to the public as often as before, but we continue to run the EOC [Emergency Operations Centre], [and] have several systems in place in the background to make sure that the national response continues,” he assured.
However, Deputy Chief Environmental Health Officer and former head of the now defunct COVID-19 Monitoring Unit, Ronald Chapman promised Barbadians that the Government would not go back to the tight restrictions that were imposed at the height of the pandemic.
The Ministry of Health has no intention at this present time to return to the heavy-handed approach that we had during COVID. You can see that with the relaxation of the protocols and also with the dissolution of the COVID-19 Monitoring Unit. So, we are at a place where we believe that persons can act responsibly, that persons can take stock of their own risks, they can look and see how they can protect themselves as opposed to having persons police every movement that they make,” he said.
“That was important during the period of time because we knew very little about the disease and we had a lot of hospitalisations and we were dealing with highly infectious strains at that point in time. Now we have a better handle on it and it is time that we get a return to some sense of normalcy.”
He encouraged Barbadians to protect themselves from both COVID-19 and the flu.
“As international travel ramps around this time of the year, it is extremely important that we pay attention to our preventive measures which are mask-wearing, which is still probably the best if not the best method of preventing the spread of respiratory illness; continue to ensure your hand hygiene is up to scratch, and if you are not able to wash your hands still use your hand sanitisers,” Chapman stressed.
“The whole idea of physical distancing, those things are still important. However, we recognise that there has been a relaxation in the directives, and because of that relaxation, we expect persons to take responsibility for themselves…. If you are not feeling well, it is wise to put on a mask. You may not have COVID, you may be suffering from the flu, or maybe just a common cold, but all respiratory diseases can be fought by the use of masks,” he suggested.
Data released by the Ministry of Health on Monday showed that the country recorded 528 new COVID-19 cases between November 26 and December 9, this year.
Altogether, 104 944 people contracted the disease since it was discovered here on March 17, 2020, and 568 of those died.
Source-Barbados Today
TURKS AND CAICOS POST CABINET MEETING STATEMENT
Her Excellency the Acting Governor, Anya Williams, chaired the 33rd meeting of Cabinet on Friday 9 December 2022 at the Premier’s Office on Providenciales.
All Members were present, with the exception of the Hon Minister for Health.
At this meeting Cabinet:
· Approved amendments to the House of Assembly Speaker and other Members (salaries and Allowances) (Amendment) Ordinance 2022 Bill and for this to be submitted to the House of Assembly.
· Approved amendments to the Invest Turks and Caicos Islands Agency (Amendment) Bill 2022 around due diligence and Permanent Residence Certificates under the investment category, and agreed next steps required. Members also approved an increase to the number of Board Members and for these to be submitted to the House of Assembly.
· Approved amendments to the Turks and Caicos Islands Statistics Bill and agreed next steps and for submission to the House of Assembly.
· Approved a planning application (PR 16332) for the erection of a radar tower on parcel 60000/649, on North West Point, Providenciales.
· Approved a planning application (PR 16333) for the erection of a radar tower on parcel 61113/380, on Long Bay, Providenciales.
· Approved an application for a licence for BFF Cooper Jack Ltd (the Strand) over Parcels 60720/93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100 & 60721/92, 124, 125, 141, 142, 143, 144 & 145 on Cheshire Hall and Richmond, Providenciales.
· Approved a variation of a lease for Sandy Point Cl on Crown Land Parcel 50104/7, subject to certain conditions.
· Approved the advancing of a draft Cemeteries Bill and Regulations, aimed at improving the management of cemeteries across the Turks and Caicos Islands, for onward passage to the House of Assembly.
· Approved the lifting of a moratorium on the issuing of new gaming machines location licenses and the importation of new machines. Members also approved amendments to the Gaming Machines Ordinance and the Gaming Control Commission Ordinance and for these to be advanced to the House of Assembly.
· Approved the waiver of specified customs duties for the refurbishment of a hotel/resort owned by Greencoat Investment Limited in accordance with the Refurbishment Policy.
· Approved amendments to the Agriculture Ordinance and the Agriculture Policy providing for the establishment of a National Agriculture and Food Security Board and for these to be submitted to the House of Assembly.
· Approved a new lease agreement for the rental of the Laporte Building, Downtown Providenciales as temporary office accommodation for the Informal Settlement Unit, responsible for containing and suppressing the further expansion of informal settlements across the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI).
· Confirmed the earlier approval of an extension to the Customs (Import Duty Exemption) Order 2021 for a further period of six months until 31 May 2023 on the importation of specified breadbasket food items.
· Was updated on the successful outcome of the TCI’s technical compliance re-rating request to the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force and applauded the efforts of the Hon. Attorney General and members of the members of the Anti-money laundering Committee to ensure that the TCI’s financial systems are recognised as meeting established international standards.
· Approved the appointment of Mr. Selvyn Hawkins as the Deputy Chair of the Turks and Caicos Islands Community College.
· Was updated on issues related to the Ministries of:
1. Finance, and
2. AG Chambers
Further information on these matters will be provided by Ministers in due course.
Telecommunications Commission (TCTC) completes its Emergency Preparedness Agreement with stakeholders
The Turks and Caicos Islands Telecommunications Commission (TCTC) has successfully completed its Emergency Preparedness Agreement (EPA) between the Islands' network operators, Digicel and Flow, with support from Cenerva.
The EPA marks the final stage of the TCTC Telecommunications Emergency Preparedness and Response Policy (TEPRP), the aim of which is to mitigate the risk of disruption to communications networks and services in the event of a disaster or emergency.
TCI is located in the Caribbean region, which is frequently affected by hurricanes and has historically experienced significant damage to the telecommunications infrastructure. As a result, the Government of TCI and the Commission have spearheaded the creation of an effective policy that would safeguard the resilience of emergency and other priority calls during times of emergency.
The Emergency Preparedness Agreement (EPA) is a legal document that encompasses an emergency-activated telecommunications network capacity backup plan. It covers implementation measures that will be in place in times of national emergencies, including those resulting from severe weather events.
This Agreement provides a framework to formalize the role of all network operators, specifically, how they will work with other stakeholders and partners to maintain mobile and internet services for specific groups during a declared period of national emergency.
The provisions included in this Agreement are primarily to enable the TCI Government, emergency services, appointed third parties and relief agencies to coordinate appropriate disaster response and humanitarian efforts, disseminate emergency information messages, and manage logistics to help rebuild national infrastructure.
Cabinet approves the extension of the exemption for breadbasket Items
On the November 30th 2022 sitting of Cabinet, the Misick led Government approved the extension of the exemption for breadbasket Items which was first granted in August 2022 as a relief measure to assist in alleviation of cost of living.
The concession, which exempts certain food and cleaning products from Import Customs Duty (ICD) and Customs Processing Fee (CPF), came into effect on Friday, 1st December 2022 for a period of four (4) months to expire the 31st of March 2023.
The Customs ASYCUDA World declaration database is configured to calculate the reductions when the declaration is made. The Customs procedure code (CPC) remains the same which is C547.
The Government and the Ministry of Immigration and Border Services encourage businesses to ensure that the benefits of this exemption is passed on to the consumers.
List of Breadbasket Items Exempt from ICD and CPF
- Rice
- Flour
- Grits
- Bread
- Spaghetti/Instant noodles
- Macaroni and cheese
- Cornflakes/Cereal
- Chicken
- Canned sausage, Vienna
- Fresh and Canned meats
- Cheese
- Evaporated milk
- Eggs
- Cooking oil
- Fruits
- Sugar
- Instant baby food/juice
- Water
- Cleaning supplies (gloves, bleach, isopropyl alcohol (70%), detergent)
- Disinfectants (bleach, hand sanitiser, anti-bacterial soaps)
- Adult and baby diapers
- Protein nutritional shakes (such as Ensure, Boost of Glucerna)
- Tea and Coffee
Scotiabank Turks and Caicos (TCI) has been named Bank of the Year 2022
Scotiabank Turks and Caicos (TCI) has been named Bank of the Year 2022 by internationally recognized UK-based banking publication -The Banker.
The award celebrates the financial institution’s increased product innovation, digital transformation and the widespread recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic and is contested by the leading financial institutions in the world.
The Bank of the Year 2022 award is the third major banking award that Scotiabank TCI has captured this year … Other awards received includes: Global Finance Magazine (New York) Best Bank 2022 that was awarded in July and Best Digital Bank 2022 by the same publication in September.
Across Scotiabank’s global operations, similar Bank of the Year 2022 accolades have also been secured in Canada, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica.
The Banker is the world’s longest-running international banking magazine, providing economic and financial intelligence for the world’s financial sector.
The Banker selects one winning bank for each of the 120 countries judged and ranks them on their ability to deliver results, improve strategic positioning and enhance service to customers. Over 1,000 applications are collected each year and judges select winners based on which bank they believe has made the most progress over the past 12 months.
Brazil hoping to dance past Croatia into World Cup semis
Brazil head into Friday's World Cup quarter-final against Croatia brimming with confidence after Neymar's return inspired a performance laced with swagger and arrogance in the last 16.
Their eye-catching 4-1 victory against South Korea, which featured goals by Vinicius Junior, Richarlison and Lucas Paqueta as well as a Neymar penalty, sent out an ominous message to their rivals in Qatar.
The football, for 45 minutes at least, was free-flowing and full of joy, the players celebrating their goals by showing off their dance moves and even getting Tite, their 61-year-old coach, to join in.
So thrilling were the Selecao at Doha's Stadium 974 that their performance drew comparisons in some quarters with the very best and most entertaining Brazil sides, from the 1970 team of Pele to the 1982 vintage led by Socrates.
Yet it was just one game, and it came after the five-time champions scored just three goals in three group matches and also lost to Cameroon, their first defeat in the opening round at a World Cup since 1998.
Brazil will surely settle for a simple victory without the exhibition football when they take on 2018 runners-up Croatia at Education City Stadium, mindful of results at recent World Cups.
Since they won their fifth title in 2002, Brazil have gone out each time to European opponents, including a 7-1 humiliation at the hands of Germany on home soil in 2014 and a defeat by Belgium four years ago in Russia.
"We are dreaming of winning the title, that's obvious, but we have to go step by step," Neymar said after the victory over South Korea.
Source-
Argentinian Vice President Cristina Fernández was convicted and sentenced
Argentinian Vice President Cristina Fernández was convicted and sentenced on Tuesday to six years in prison and a lifetime ban from holding public office for a fraud scheme that embezzled $1 billion through public works projects during her presidency.
A three-judge panel found the leader guilty of fraud, but rejected a charge of running a criminal organization, for which the sentence could have been 12 years in prison. It’s the first time an Argentinian vice president has been convicted of a crime while in office.
The dominant leader this century, was accused of improperly granting public works contracts to a construction company closely tied to her family.
UK aims to double US gas imports under new deal
The UK has agreed to double imports of US gas over the next year as it tries to stabilise soaring energy prices.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the plan would "bring down prices for British consumers and help end Europe's dependence on Russian energy".
Russia has cut off the majority of its gas supplies to Europe over the past year after its invasion of Ukraine.
The UK does not import gas from Russia directly, but has been hit by rising wholesale prices on the Continent.
Under the agreement, the UK aims to double imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the US to 9-10 billion cubic metres over the next year.
That is equivalent to about an eighth of the gas the UK uses every year.
The two countries will also boost collaboration over the development of new nuclear and green energy technologies.
The partnership will be steered by a new UK-US joint action group, led by senior officials from the British government and the White House, with the first meeting held virtually on Thursday.
Citing the war in Ukraine, Mr Sunak and Mr Biden said in a joint statement that it is "more important than ever" for allies to work together to build "resilient international systems".
"Our immediate shared goal to stabilise energy markets, reduce demand, and ensure short-term security of supply is underpinned by the longer-term objective of supporting a stable energy transition to achieving net zero emissions by 2050, which in itself will strengthen our energy security," they said.
Nathan Piper, an oil and gas analyst at Investec, said the deal would help to secure gas supplies across Europe, where Russian gas imports are down by more than 80% compared to last year.
The UK has limited gas storage capacity, so any excess gas is likely to be exported through interconnecting pipes to Holland and Belgium, he said.
However, he said the plan is unlikely to bring down wholesale prices significantly this winter as demand soars. He also said the deal was more or a statement of intent, adding "it's an ambition and not certain".
Overall, US exports of LNG have been restricted since a fire damaged the country's second largest LNG facility in June. The Freeport LNG facility in Texas is not expected to be fully operational again until March next year.
There are concerns that Europe's increasing reliance on LNG could hamper efforts to tackle global warming.
Sources-BBC
Germany arrests 25 accused of plotting coup
Twenty-five people have been arrested in raids across Germany on suspicion of plotting to overthrow the government.
The group of far-right and ex-military figures are said to have prepared for a "Day X" to storm the Reichstag parliament building and seize power.
A minor aristocrat named as Prince Heinrich XIII, 71, is alleged to have been central to their plans.
According to federal prosecutors, he is one of two alleged ringleaders among those arrested across 11 German states.
The plotters are said to include members of the extremist Reichsbürger [Citizens of the Reich] movement, which has long been in the sights of German police over violent attacks and racist and antisemitic conspiracy theories. They also refuse to recognize the modern German state.
Other suspects came from the QAnon movement who believe their country is in the hands of a mythical "deep state" involving secret powers pulling the political strings.
Interior Minister Nancy Faeser assured Germans that authorities would respond with the full force of the law "against the enemies of democracy".
Source-BBC
Raphael Warnock projected winnner in Georgia senate runoff
RTC's affiliate ABC News projects that Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock will win the Georgia Senate runoff, beating Republican Herschel Walker 50.4%-49.6% with 95% of the vote in.
The victory follows more than a year of campaigning, several controversies, and record-breaking turnout.
In November, Warnock had 49.4% of the vote and Walker had 48.5% of the vote.
With Warnock securing victory, he will serve a full term in Congress. This victory also gives Democrats a 51-50 majority in the Senate.
After declaring victory, Warnock thanked supporters Tuesday night for participating in *another* hard-fought campaign.
Walker, in his concession speech, told his supporters, "You never stop dreaming. I don't want any of you to stop dreaming. I don't want any of you to stop believing in America, I want you to believe in America and continue to believe in the Constitution and believe in our elected officials most of all."
Source-ABC