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TCI Vaccine uptake soars and approaches 20,000; 56% with first shots says Ministry of Health

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#TurksandCaicos, May 12, 2021 – The Ministry of Health and Human Services is pleased to update the general public that as of May 9 2021, a total of 19,515 persons in the TCI have received their first dose of the Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine.  This represents roughly 56 per cent of the adult population and marks a tremendous milestone of the ongoing vaccination campaign which commenced in January 2021. Additionally, 42 per cent of the adult population or 14,803 persons are now fully vaccinated having received both vaccines.

The Ministry of Health and Human Services would like to encourage unvaccinated persons to strongly consider taking the COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccine on offer in the TCI, the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine, is 95 per cent effective and is safe.

The number of active COVID-19 cases locally peaked to over 600 in February and has consistently declined since including the number of COVID-19 related admissions to the hospital.

The TCIs 28 positivity rate is now 2.7 per cent when considering PCR tests only. It is 2.3 per cent when considering both PCR and antigen tests. This is the lowest positivity rate the TCI has recorded for a 28-day period since early December. This gives supportive evidence of the effectiveness of the vaccination campaign considering the country has remained open since July 2020. In order to build on this progress as well as the continued reopening of the TCIs economy, continued support of the ongoing COVID-19 vaccination campaign is needed.

In commenting on these achievements, the Hon Deputy Premier and Minister of Health and Human Services stated the following; “I would like to congratulate my team within the Ministry of Health on getting the 28-day positivity rate down below 3 per cent. This is an amazing achievement and milestone. Combined with achieving 56 per cent uptake of the vaccine (albeit for the first dose), 42 per cent fully vaccinated, and the increased rate of uptake which will allow us to get a 4th batch of the vaccine this is a great achievement. With the continued support of the general public, we can look forward to continuing to build on these achievements so that the TCI can begin to return to normal.”

The general public is encouraged to contact their health care provider for vaccination appointments and/or access the vaccination through community events by the Primary Health Care Department which is available at no cost to all residents.

Caribbean News

Haiti Food Insecurity Rising

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Rashaed Esson

Staff Writer

 

#Haiti#FoodInsecurity, March 25th, 2024 Half of Haiti’s population or nearly 5 million people are classified as food insecure for the period March to June 2024, a projected 50 percent increase up from 45 percent from August 2023 to February 2024. This is according to the Haitian Government in a March 23rd report, as informed by an update from an IPC1 analysis. The factors contributing to the continued decrease in food security, the report says, include the increase of the food basket by 22 percent as of February 2024 and the worsening Violence which disrupts food supply chains.

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Health

Dengue in Pregnant Women in Brazil Increased

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Rashaed Esson

Staff Writer

#Dengue#PregnantWomen#Brazil, March 22nd, 2024 – Dengue cases among pregnant women in Brazil have increased significantly in 2024, at 5,151 in the first six weeks, compared to 1,157 in the same period in 2023, according to the Brazilian Ministry of Health. In response, a manual for prevention and specialized care for pregnant women with and at risk of dengue, was launched. These women are at risk of complications like stillbirth, growth restriction of the unborn child and maternal illness and death.This was revealed in a March 20 report from PAHO.

 

 

 

 

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Caribbean News

InterHealth Canada -Turks and Caicos Islands Hospital Celebrates Success in ‘The Diamond Challenge’

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(Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands – March 15th, 2024): InterHealth Canada -Turks and Caicos Islands Hospital proudly announce the completion of ‘The Diamond Challenge’, a virtual competition that showcased the innovative improvement initiatives of six dedicated healthcare professional teams.

This competition spotlighted the organization’s commitment to patient safety and organizational excellence through creative poster displays. These displays, slated for exhibition across the Hospital, represent ongoing programs, new endeavours and industry changes in clinical practice and quality improvement. Quality improvement is the systematic approach that is guided by data to improve the quality and safety of healthcare delivery.

For over a year, participating teams meticulously prepared for ‘The Diamond Challenge, ‘ culminating in presenting posters and oral pitches before a panel of external judges. The initiatives, implemented between 2021 and 2023, were selected based on their demonstrable impact on and improvement of the Hospital’s operating environment. The judging panel featured prominent healthcare experts, including Richard Wylde, Deputy Director for Improvement at Leeds and York NHS Foundation Trust, England; Dr. Ali Hojjati, Lead Advisor at Accreditation Canada; and Jaymi Chernoff, Director of Critical Care Network at Kelowna General Hospital, Canada.

“Continuously improving healthcare quality and safety is a key goal for healthcare systems, aiming to enhance efficiency, reduce expenses, and ensure excellent patient outcomes”, explained Isha Honore, Quality Risk and Patient Safety Manager. She added, “Improving healthcare quality is the responsibility of everyone, including staff and patients. Through this program, we successfully integrated a diverse team of professionals and patient advisors. Each person in the system offers valuable insights and vital contributions to maintaining quality and safety standards. The active participation and understanding of all team members ensure that quality improvement initiatives are effective, relevant, successful, and sustainable.”

Dr. Denise Braithwaite, Chief Executive Officer of InterHealth Canada- Turks and Caicos Islands Hospital, expressed her pride in the competition’s outcomes, saying, “The outstanding work presented by the Diamond Challenge teams serves as a testament to the unwavering dedication to enhancing patient care and safety demonstrated by our healthcare professionals. Their innovative initiatives exemplify our steadfast commitment to fostering a culture of excellence within our organization, driving us towards continued success in providing our community the highest standard of care.”

The top three initiatives concentrated on fostering a Culture of Safety, covering fall prevention, workplace violence, and infection control education projects.

As we celebrate the success of ‘The Diamond Challenge,’ we are dedicated to continuously refining our approach to healthcare quality and safety, leveraging the expertise of industry leaders to drive innovation and excellence.

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