By Associated Press 

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) – Police fired tear gas for a second day Thursday in attempts to break up protests by striking workers demanding pay increases at an industrial park in Haiti’s capital.

The workers employed at factories that produce textiles and other goods said they make 500 gourdes ($5) a day for nine hours of work and are seeking a minimum of 1,500 gourdes ($15) a day. Their demands come as Haiti has seen a sharp rise in inflation.

“Poor people can´t do anything with this miserable salary,” said Similien Luckgelson, one of the workers who joined the protest near the international airport in Port-au-Prince.

Strikers used burning tires to block a main road, and police tried to disperse the crowd with tear gas. But demonstrators persisted, ultimately gathering in front of an industrial park that employs them and was shuttered on Thursday.

Police also fired tear gas at strikers on Wednesday.

Telemark Pierre, another factory worker, said salaries haven’t been adjusted in three years. He said that workers spend 200 gourdes a day on transportation alone and said their salary doesn´t cover basic needs.

He said workers will protest again next week if they don´t receive an increase in wages.

Factory workers chant anti-government slogans during a protest demanding a salary increase, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Thursday, Feb. 10, 2022. The workers employed at factories that produce textiles and other goods say they make 500 gourdes a day for nine hours of work and are seeking a minimum of 1,500 gourdes ($15) a day. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)

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U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai addresses the Geneva Graduate Institute on the role of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in the global economy and U.S. policy priorities ahead of the 12th Ministerial Conference in Geneva, Switzerland October 14, 2021. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse

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Dems push Biden over global vaccinations

© AP-Matt Rourke

Congressional Democrats are increasing pressure on the Biden administration to step up its efforts to vaccinate the world, arguing more needs to be done to prevent a new COVID-19 variant from emerging to threaten the United States after omicron.

A group of more than 80 Democratic lawmakers is pushing for $17 billion to support global vaccinations in a coming government funding package, but there is no certainty yet on what will be provided.

The Biden administration has touted its pledge of 1.2 billion doses for other countries, of which 400 million have been delivered so far, as more than any other country in the world has provided.

But some Democratic lawmakers say simply donating doses is not enough, given that many poor countries still have extremely low vaccination rates.

““The truth is we just have to do more,” Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), chairwoman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said, adding she had talked “extensively” with the administration about her push.

More funds could be coming: Roughly $10 billion in funding for global COVID-19 needs has been under discussion, sources told The Hill, but there’s no clarity yet.

Rep. Tom Malinowski (D-N.J.) said his understanding is that now that there has been progress on the top-line numbers for a government funding deal, the White House will be putting forward a request with a “generous” number for global COVID-19 needs.

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Officials buy 600k doses of antibody drug

© Getty Images

The Biden administration on Thursday said it purchased 600,000 treatments worth of a new COVID-19 antibody drug that officials said works against the omicron variant.

The drug from Eli Lilly has not yet been authorized by the Food and Drug Administration. But the Department of Health and Human Services said if the authorization occurs, the treatment will be made available to states immediately, free of charge.

Under the $720 million contract, HHS said it would receive approximately 300,000 treatment courses of the monoclonal antibody in February and about another 300,000 treatment courses in March. They would be ready to ship immediately following authorization.

Context: The announcement comes after the FDA last month significantly restricted the use of a pair of monoclonal antibody treatments for COVID-19 because they are ineffective against the omicron variant.

According to HHS, early data suggests that the new antibody drug is effective against both omicron and the BA.2 omicron subvariant.

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Emmanuel Macron refused a Kremlin request that he take a Russian Covid-19 test when he arrived to see Vladimir Putin this week, and was therefore kept at a distance from the Russian leader, two sources in Macron’s entourage told Reuters.

Observers were struck by images of Macron and Putin sitting at opposite ends of 4-metre-long (13 ft) table to discuss the Ukraine crisis on Monday, with some diplomats and others suggesting Putin might have wanted to send a diplomatic message.

But the two sources, who have knowledge of the French president’s health protocol, told Reuters Macron had been given a choice: either he accepted a PCR test done by the Russian authorities and was allowed to get close to Putin, or he refused and had to abide by more stringent social distancing.

“We knew very well that meant no handshake and that long table. But we could not accept that they get their hands on the president’s DNA,” one of the sources told Reuters, referring to security concerns if the French leader was tested by Russian doctors.

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52 New Covid Cases on Tobago

Fifty-two new COVID-19 cases have been reported on Tobago. No new deaths from COVID-19 have been recorded there over the past 24 hours, according to the update for Wednesday 9th February 2022, released by the Division of Health, Wellness and Social Protection, in the Tobago House of Assembly (THA).

This means the number of lives lost on the island, since March 2020, remains at 238. The most recent death was recorded on Tuesday February 8th—an unvaccinated person.

According to the update, there has been a sharp uptick in the number of new COVID-19 infections—some 52 new cases were recorded, bringing the current number of active positive cases to 440.

The Division’s update also reports that some 17 people currently are hospitalised with COVID-19. Of these, 14 have not been vaccinated at all against the disease, while three persons have been fully vaccinated.

The update also notes that a total of 6,149 people in Tobago have managed to recover from COVID-19.
Tagged in:

TobagoCOVID-19Health

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WORLD COVID STATS

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BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS — Tourism sector which remains the mainstay of Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis’ economy was adversely affected by the coronavirus pandemic, but according to Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Dr the Hon Timothy Harris, it is on the rebound and is off to a respectable start.

“The rebound of the tourism sector is quite evident,” said Dr Harris on Thursday February 10 when he hosted the first Prime Minister’s Press Conference of the year at the NEMA Conference Room in Lime Kiln, West Basseterre. He pointed out that people see the rebound regularly by the seaside in Basseterre at Port Zante. There were four cruise ships docked at Port Zante as the press conference was going on.

While not yet close to the buoyancy of 2018-2019 season, Prime Minister Harris noted that the 2021-2022 cruise season is off to an encouraging start, in the context of the Federation’s liveability with Covid and the restrictions placed on cruise travel, both by the Centres of Disease Control in the USA and other governments to protect their citizens.

According to the Honourable Prime Minister, the cruise season typically would start in October, and carry on to September the next year during which time there would be a peak and a lull. Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism, Mrs Carlene Henry-Morton, was present at the Prime Minister’s Monthly Press Conference.

“I am advised that we have had 158 cruise calls so far, with 138,022 cruise passengers,” he advised the nation. “This compares well to the prior season, 2020-2021, when for 9 months (October 2020 to June 2021) there was zero cruise calls and consequently zero passengers. Given the COVID-19 situation, the cruise ships are not sailing at their usual maximum capacity as a precautionary health response.”

He was supported at the head table by Deputy Prime Minister the Hon Shawn Richards, Minister of Environment and Cooperatives the Hon Eric Evelyn, Minister of Human Settlement et al the Hon Eugene Hamilton, and Attorney General and Minister of Justice and Legal Affairs the Hon Vincent Byron Jr.

“Turning to air arrivals: For January 2022, I am advised we have had 6,683 passengers arriving in the Federation, and this is up 5,324 over the 1,350 passengers recorded in January of 2021,” said the Prime Minister. “Of course, in January of 2021 we were in the throes of a community related outbreak, so again, this we are off to a respectable start according to the data provided by St. Christopher Air and Sea Ports Authority (SCASPA).”

Also present at the press conference were Minister of Health et al the Hon Akilah Byron-Nisbett, Minister of International Trade, Industry, Commerce, Consumer Affairs and Labour the Hon Wendy Phipps, Deputy Speaker Senator the Hon Dr Bernicia Nisbett, Ambassadors, His Excellency Michael Powell and His Excellency Sydney Osborne, Chief Medical Officer Dr Hazel Laws, and other senior government officials.

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