Caribbean News
JAMAICA: 1.3 Million Covid-19 Vaccine Doses Administered in Region
#Kingston, March 13, 2023 – More than 1.3 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Latin American and Caribbean member countries in less than two years.
PAHO Director, Dr. Jarbas Barbosa da Silva Jr., said the doses have enabled the region to achieve approximately 71 per cent coverage against the virus.
“This is not a small feat. The Americas is now the region with the second highest level of COVID-19 vaccinations in the world,” he said, while highlighting PAHO’s role in achieving the outcome.
“The COVID-19 incidence rates are now 20 to 30 times lower than just a year ago,” he added, while addressing PAHO’s COVID-19 digital media briefing on Thursday (March 9).
Dr. Barbosa da Silva Jr., who succeeded Dr. Carissa Etienne as PAHO Director in January, noted that the region has recorded more than 190 million cases of COVID-19 in the three years since the first case of the virus was confirmed on February 26, 2020 in Brazil.
The number, he pointed out, accounting for 25 per cent of the total global count.
Additionally, the Director said there were more than 2.9 million deaths during the period, representing almost 43 per cent of the global total.
Dr. Barbosa da Silva Jr. said that despite the encouraging outcomes in relation to vaccinations and incidence rates, “COVID-19 is still with us, and the virus has yet to settle into a predictable pattern”.
“In the past month alone, we have seen over 1.5 million new cases in our region and 17,000 deaths,” he told journalists, adding that “we cannot become complacent.”
The Director emphasised that “as we learn to live with this virus, countries must first maintain and continue to strengthen surveillance”, adding that “we know that COVID-19 can evolve and adapt quickly… [so the] risk of new variants is real”.
Additionally, Dr. Barbosa da Silva Jr. said countries need to continue implementing COVID-19 vaccination programmes and reach out to the 30 per cent who have yet to receive their first dose.
“We have, unfortunately, millions of people who haven’t had access… yet in our region. That is a challenge for our countries, and PAHO is supporting the countries to address this very important output. Vaccines are now readily available. So, we must be determined… to reach each and every person,” he noted.
Dr. Barbosa da Silva Jr. also underscored the importance of taking vaccine boosters, which he described as “essential in preparing ourselves for any new wave of infection or new variant of concern”.
Equally important, the Director added, is the need for countries to develop and implement new strategies to provide transparent information on COVID-19 developments at local and national levels and engage health professionals with the expertise in dealing with the virus.
“We have the tools to end the COVID-19 emergency, but we need to continue working if we want really to have complete control and stop transmission in the near future,” Dr. Barbosa da Silva Jr. underscored.
Contact: Douglas McIntosh
Release: JIS
Dana Malcolm
Staff Writer
#TurksandCaicos, March 17, 2023 – Revenue from the Turks and Caicos’ Financial Services Sector will more than double in the next few years, if E Jay Saunders, Deputy Premier and Finance Minister gets his way. It ‘s one of the reasons the country is investing so much capital into getting off of the EU blacklist and becoming a secure trustworthy financial destination.
“The FSC’s revenues for 2020/21 was $10.5M— the figures for 2021/22, would be about similar,” he said. He further explained that $10.5 million from the FSC represented about 2.6 percent of the country’s 408.5-million-dollar
revenue. Though it increased to $14 million in the 2021/22 financial year, finance is still a small fry compared to tourism or even stamp duties but that will change, says Saunders.
“My revenue goal for the Government by the year 2029 [or] the election after the next election – is $500M. By that time, I want the financial sector (FSC) revenues to represent at least 5% ($25M). So that’s my goal for the financial sector by 2029.”
This goal, should it be met, would increase the Government’s revenue by 100 million dollars, a significant increase in spending power for local upgrades and improvements for Turks and Caicos residents and visitors.
Saunders says it’s time for the TCI to diversify its sources of revenue to make sure that what happened in the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw residents out of a job for months, will not happen again. Tourism now makes up around 80 percent of the country’s GDP. The Minister of Finance wants to push that down to 60 or even 50 percent.
Dana Malcolm
Staff Writer
#Haiti, March 17, 2023 – When a CARICOM delegation visited Haiti earlier this month, conspicuously absent was the Turks and Caicos Islands despite being one of the nations most directly affected by the multi-dimensional crisis there. There is no comment, as yet from the Premier, to say why this was the case.
Still, from the expedition, CARICOM heads of Government have informed that there will be lobbying in Africa for assistance in Haiti. They say they have decided that the best course of action for the Caribbean country is to bolster the Haitian National Police and act as intermediaries with Africa and the world. The decision follows a one day visit on February 27th, and a March 5th meeting chaired by the Bahamas.
CARICOM says during the trip delegates ‘met with a broad range of Haitian stakeholders to hear their views on the
way forward to a Haitian-led solution’. With that in mind it has made a decision on how to proceed.
“The Heads of Government agreed to support the Haitian National Police in their efforts to address the security situation. The focus of the Community will be the provision of training for the HNP and the provision of humanitarian assistance to HNP and the wider Haitian society, taking into account the challenging humanitarian and security situation”
It’s not clear yet where and how this training will take place. Also distinctly absent from the report, no more mention of boots on the ground from other countries despite CARICOM Member States indicating they were ready and willing should it come to that.
In addition, recognizing ‘the common historical experiences and the strong African-Caribbean relationship’ CARICOM says,
“Heads of Government also agreed to seek support from African countries for Haiti. They also agreed to work with the Governments of Canada and the United States as well as the UNDP”
Magnetic Media has reached out to the Premier’s Office to get a full debrief of the February 27th visit (led by Jamaica; including The Bahamas and Trinidad and Tobago) to learn of Turks and Caicos’ posture following the critical sessions.
Dana Malcolm
Staff Writer
#TurksandCaicos, March 17, 2023 – Musicians from the New World Symphony will be in the Turks and Caicos in concert next month and residents are invited to attend in support of the future of Ashley’s Learning Center. 
A fairly young orchestral academy based in Miami, the New World Symphony was launched in the 1980s by 1987, Michael Tilson Thomas and Ted Arison,Carnival Cruises founder. From the 1500 applicants who vie for a spot each year, the symphony accepts around 35 music graduates annually for training fellowships.
A select few of those graduates will be in country on April 8th headlining at the Ashley’s Learning Center concert ‘We’re all in this together’. The concert which also feature local artistes will be held at Brayton Hall on Venetian Road from 6 pm to 8:30 pm
Tickets are available ON ISLEHELP $75 PER GENERAL SEAT $125 PER PREMIUM SEAT $195 PER GALLERY SEAT – with /FREFRESHMENTS.
For TICKET RESERVATIONs you can call: 649-341-2304 or email EVENTS@ASHLEYSLEARNINGCENTER.ORG
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