Additional cases of the UK Variant COVID-19 B.1.1.7. identified in TCI
The Ministry of Health received the results of genomic sequencing which was conducted through the Caribbean Public Health Agency on samples from the TCI.
These samples were shipped by the National Public Health Laboratory in the TCI from positive samples identified through PCR testing locally. Sequencing was undertaken in order to identify whether any of the variants identified internationally, were in circulation in the TCI. The results of previous testing were received on 27th February 2021, where one case of the B.1.1.7. variant was identified from four samples sent for testing.
An additional 10 (ten) samples were sent for analysis from which an additional 5 (five) cases of the U.K. B.1.1.7. variant was identified. This represents 50% of samples sent in this last batch testing positive for the variant. All of the individuals completed quarantine and have recovered.
The B.1.1.7. variant was first detected in the UK and was first sequenced in the UK in September 2020. This variant includes a mutation in the 'spike' protein. Changes in this part of the spike protein may result in the virus becoming more infectious and spreading more easily between people. The COVID-19 virus like any other virus, can undergo mutations. This is well documented in viruses such as the seasonal influenza (flu).
Today's results were not unexpected due to the TCIs borders being open to international and regional travel as well as the spike in the number of confirmed cases which took place at the end of 2020 into early 2021. This evidence of COVID-19 variants being detected locally does highlight the need for all TCI residents to remain vigilant in protecting themselves and one another through the use of face coverings, social distancing and getting vaccinated.
The Pfizer vaccine, which is being rolled out in the TCI to residents, has been shown to be effective against this variant; however, the general public is reminded to be vigilant in adhering to all public health protocols to prevent the spread of the virus throughout the community.
All residents are urged to be vigilant in practicing the public health measures at all times in light of the ongoing pandemic and surges being experienced in a number of countries both regionally and internationally.
US agencies call for pause in Johnson & Johnson vaccine
US health authorities are calling for a pause in the use of the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine, after reports of extremely rare blood clotting cases.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said six cases in 6.8 million doses had been reported and it was acting "out of an abundance of caution".
Johnson & Johnson said it was also delaying vaccine rollout in Europe.
The US move follows similar rare cases in the AstraZeneca vaccine, which has prompted some curbs in its use.
The US has by far the most confirmed cases of Covid-19 - more than 31 million - with more than 562,000 deaths, another world high.
The picture for the virus in the US is complicated, though, with some areas in the north seeing surges in infections, the south less, and with the figures not always reflecting inoculation numbers.
The Johnson & Johnson jab was approved in the US on 27 February and its use has been more limited so far than that of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna doses.
In a joint statement, the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said they were "reviewing data involving six reported US cases of a rare and severe type of blood clot in individuals after receiving the J&J vaccine".
Source-BBC
PUBLIC FORECAST FOR TODAY AND TONIGHT TUESDAY 13TH APRIL 2021
WEATHER: VARIABLY CLOUDY AND WARM WITH A FEW ISOLATED SHOWERS MAINLY IN THE VICINITY OF THE FRONT THROUGH TONIGHT
WINDS: NORTH TO NORTHEAST AT 10 TO 15 KNOTS
SEAS: 2 TO 4 FEET OVER THE OCEAN
DAYTIME HIGH TEMPERATURE: 82°F 28°C OVERNIGHT TEMPERATURE: 66°F 19°C
SUN
SUNRISE: 6:49 AM SUNSET: 7:30 PM
MOON
MOONRISE: 7:50 AM MOONSET: 9:01 PM
TIDES
HIGH TIDE: 9:30 AM LOW TIDE: 3:37 PM
HIGH TIDE: 9:50 PM LOW TIDE: 4:13 AM WED
EXTENDED FORECAST FOR THE NEXT TWO DAYS: HIGH PRESSURE IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE TO BUILD ACROSS THE ISLANDS OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS GENERATING MOSTLY PLEASANT CONDITIONS
FORECAST FOR WEDNESDAY
WEATHER: MOSTLY SUNNY, HOT AND A BIT BREEZY WITH THE SLIGHT CHANCE OF A PASSING SHOWER, BECOMING FAIR AND WARM AT NIGHT.
Warren Buffett-backed BYD sells more electric cars March
Chinese automaker BYD offered more than twice as many battery-powered electric cars as start-up Nio delivered in March.
BYD, which is backed by U.S. billionaire Warren Buffett, disclosed Tuesday that gross sales of its battery-powered passenger cars totaled 16,301 models final month.
That’s more than double Nio’s deliveries in March of seven,257 cars. Rival start-up Xpeng delivered even fewer automobiles, at 5,102 models final month. Both corporations nonetheless beat analysts’ expectations with these figures.
In the brand new vitality car class, which incorporates hybrid in addition to pure-electric cars, BYD offered more than 23,000 models in March — that brings the whole within the first quarter to 53,380 cars.
BYD additionally offered practically as many oil-fueled automobiles within the first quarter, at 49,394 models.
The gross sales of electric cars come as China’s auto market recovers from the coronavirus pandemic, which hit the nation the toughest within the first quarter of 2020.
New motorized vehicle registrations within the first quarter of this year climbed to a file excessive of 9.66 million, China’s Ministry of Public Security stated Tuesday. New vitality automobiles accounted for 466,000, or simply over 6% of newly registered cars, the information confirmed.
The proportion of recent vitality cars nationwide which might be pure electric was 81.5% within the first quarter, about the identical because the ratio in 2020, in keeping with public safety information.
When it involves the worldwide market, China’s electric automakers nonetheless have a big hole to shut.
Electric automotive market chief Tesla stated final week it delivered 184,800 cars worldwide within the first quarter. While the U.S. electric automotive maker didn’t get away figures for China, the company famous in a launch: “We are encouraged by the strong reception of the Model Y in China and are quickly progressing to full production capacity.”
Elon Musk’s automotive company started deliveries of a China-made Model Y in January. The automotive was the third best-selling new vitality car in China in February, in keeping with the China Passenger Car Association.
Tesla has put in annual manufacturing capability for 200,000 Model Y models at its manufacturing unit in Shanghai, according to an investor presentation in late January.
Sloop arrives undetected into South Caicos
The Ministry of Immigration, Citizenship, Labour and Employment Services and the Immigration Department of the Turks and Caicos Islands, advised RTC News that during the early morning hours of 12th April 2021, an illegal Haitian vessel made landfall on the Island of South Caicos.
The vessel which was found abandoned, was located on the beach area in close proximity to Sail Rock Resort.
It has not been determined on the number of persons that might have been aboard, however, the search is ongoing. These searches are being done by the Police and Immigration with the assistance of partners, DECR and Environmental Health
Officers are also monitoring both the sea and airport, as a precaution.
Minister, Hon. Arlington Musgrove in commenting on this incident stated, "Maritime smuggling operations are dangerous and too frequently end in tragedy and death at sea. There are many different reasons that migrants attempt such unsafe voyages at sea, but none of them are worth the risk of life. The landing on South Caicos is a further indication of the abuse of our borders by persons and this is something that we will not entertain".
The public is reminded that it is an offence to harbour or assist illegal persons and that persons found guilty engaging in such activities are liable to a fine of US$20,000 or a term of imprisonment of four years, or both in accordance with the Immigration Ordinance 2018 Revised or any law.
As such, the public is also requested to provide the Police with tips or any information related to this or any other illegal landing. We encourage the public to submit information or tips anonymously in English, French or Spanish either to www.crimestoppers.tc or on Facebook as a fan of Crime Stoppers Turks & Caicos. Crime Stoppers tips are received in the USA the Minister added.
Alibaba accepts China's fine and vows to change
Chinese tech giant Alibaba said on Monday that it accepted a record penalty imposed by the country's anti-monopoly regulator.
Regulators slapped a $2.8bn fine after a probe determined that it had abused its market position for years.
The fine amounts to about 4% of the company's 2019 domestic revenue.
Alibaba Group's executive vice chairman Joe Tsai indicated that regulators have taken an interest in platforms like Alibaba as they grow in importance.
"We're happy to get the matter behind us, but the tendency is that regulators will be keen to look at some of the areas where you might have unfair competition," he told an investor call on Monday.
The company added that it was not aware of any further anti-monopoly investigations by Chinese regulators, though it signalled that Alibaba and its competitors would remain under review in China over mergers and acquisitions.
The main issue for regulators was that Alibaba restricted merchants from doing business or running promotions on rival platforms.
The company said it would introduce measures to lower entry barriers and business costs faced by merchants on e-commerce platforms.
"With this penalty decision we've received good guidance on some of the specific issues under the anti-monopoly law," Mr Tsai said.
The group does not expect any material impact on its business from the change of exclusivity arrangements imposed by regulators.
The penalty is the latest in a chain of events targeting the company that kicked off last October, after its co-founder Jack Ma criticised regulators, suggesting they were stifling innovation.
Shortly after the speech, Chinese regulators scuppered the share market launch of Ant Group, which is Alibaba's sister company and China's biggest electronic payments provider.
However, some commentators noted that regulators had legitimate concerns about Ant Group's consumer finance arm.
Ant Group was expected to be last year's biggest share market launch on the Hong Kong exchange.
But Alibaba isn't the only Chinese company to come under scrutiny by China's increasingly assertive regulators.
Last month, China's State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) said it had fined 12 companies over 10 deals that violated anti-monopoly rules.
The companies included Tencent, Baidu and Didi Chuxing - which are among China's largest tech companies.
Source-BBC
Microsoft makes $20bn bet on speech AI firm Nuance
Microsoft Corp plans to buy a tech firm known for helping to develop Apple's Siri speech recognition software in a deal valued at $19.7bn (£13.3bn).
The purchase of Nuance Communications is the second largest in Microsoft's history, after its acquisition of networking site LinkedIn in 2016.
Microsoft said it would bolster its software and artificial intelligence expertise for healthcare companies.
So-called "telehealth" and remote doctor visits have boomed in lockdown.
This growth is forecast to continue after the pandemic.
"Nuance provides the AI layer at the healthcare point of delivery," Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella said in a statement. "AI is technology's most important priority, and healthcare is its most urgent application."
Nuance executives said joining forces with Microsoft would help deepen its cloud-based offerings and allow it to tap into Microsoft's existing global customer base.
The acquisition builds on a partnership the two companies formed in 2019 to automate clinical administrative work such as documentation.
Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives said the deal was "a strategic no brainer in our opinion for [Microsoft] and fits like a glove into its healthcare endeavours at a time in which hospitals and doctors are embracing next generation AI capabilities from thought leaders such as Nuance".
"Clearly, [Microsoft] is on the "offensive" around M&A with the company in a clear position of strength to capitalize on its entrenched position in the cloud going forward," he added, calling Nuance "another feather in its cap".
Microsoft is to pay $56 per share to bring the firm under its own roof. That price is about 23% higher than where Nuance shares were trading on Friday.
Shares in Microsoft were flat following the announcement, while Nuance gained more than 16%. The boards of both companies have approved the transaction.
Source-BBC
Conor McGregor tells Dustin Poirier trilogy fight is 'off'
Conor McGregor has told Dustin Poirier their trilogy fight scheduled for 10 July is "off" in an expletive-laden Twitter exchange.
The dialogue began when Poirier responded to McGregor's Instagram post, in which the Irishman predicted he would win the bout in the fourth round.
"The fight is off btw [by the way]. I'm going to fight someone else on the 10th," McGregor tweeted on Monday.
Poirier claimed victory when the pair met at UFC 257 in January.
The contest in Abu Dhabi was noted for its amicable build-up, during which McGregor was decidedly less confrontational than he had been before previous high-profile fights.
The former two-weight world champion has not won a UFC contest since January 2020 and came out of retirement to face Poirier again after winning the first meeting in September 2014.
The trilogy fight is due to take place at UFC 264, with the organisation's president Dana White reportedly keen to stage the event in Las Vegas.
Source-BBC
St. Vincent covered in ash as volcano activity continues
Much of St. Vincent remains covered in ash following eruptions Friday at the island's La Soufriere volcano.
The volcano has been inactive for nearly 42 years.
The ash plume reached as high as 6 miles into the air, with wind taking it as far as 25,000 feet east of St. Vincent, according to official estimates.
Volcano activity continued into the weekend, with Vincentians reporting that rumblings could be heard coming from La Soufriere at night.
On Sunday, the country's national disaster management agency, NEMO, described the day as "dreary" and said everything looked like a "battle zone."
The volcano set off tremors over the weekend, with some lasting as long as 20 minutes, according to the UWI Seismic Research Center.
Explosions and accompanying ashfall are likely to continue over the next few days, the research center said.
The government of Barbados is advising residents to use dust masks, wear long protective clothing that helps prevent direct contact with ash and avoid using air conditioning so that indoor air quality is not compromised.
Pfizer aims to expand vaccine efforts to include kids as young as 12
With a little over one in five Americans completely vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, efforts are underway to ensure every U.S. citizen is vaccinated against the novel coronavirus.
Pfizer, the maker behind one of three vaccines being distributed around the country, is asking federal regulators to authorize its vaccine to be used on children as young as 12. Pfizer says recent clinical trials find that children in that age group had no serious side effects to the virus; ruling it safe and effective.
The push comes as new data out of Michigan and Minnesota, two states struggling with a surge of COVID-19 cases, finds that youth sports are driving up numbers of newly infected patients.
Despite children having a less likely chance of developing more serious side effects of COVID-19, they are still capable of transmitting the virus to unvaccinated adults.
In light of the new findings, Michigan has called for a two-week suspension of high school and youth sports to help contain the surge. Michigan's governor, Gretchen Whitmer, also is pushing residents to stop indoor dining until the rate of cases can be controlled.
To date, the U.S. is reporting roughly 65,000 new cases each day, with Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the CDC, attributing the rise to the COVID-19 variant discovered in the United Kingdom, which is more transmissible.
"What is happening in Michigan and Minnesota is similar to what we are seeing across the country – increasing reports of cases associated with youth sports," she said Friday during a White House press briefing.
In light of this, vaccine makers are looking at expanding distribution to include young Americans, which is considered a critical step in curbing community spread.
Currently, Pfizer is the only vaccine maker authorized for 16 and 17-year-olds. Meanwhile, Johnson & Johnson and Moderna are still undergoing clinical studies to see how younger teens react to their vaccine.
Pfizer claims its vaccine usage on kids as young as 12 is "100 percent efficacy and robust antibody response after vaccination with the COVID-19 Vaccine." The data now heads to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for review.
To date, the pandemic has killed over 562,000 Americans, reports Johns Hopkins University -- currently, over 31 million Americans have contracted the virus.
Source-ABC