Category Archives: headline

headline

301 active cases, 3 deaths and 47 recoveries

The outbreak of COVID-19 that has been spreading in St. Kitts and Nevis for the past four weeks continues to rise passing the 350 marks with over 201 cases currently active.

Chief Medical Officer Dr Hazel Laws said that they have been trying to contain this present COVID-19 outbreak first identified on May 19.

“Over this period over 351 cases have been added to the federations tally. Over this same period, 47 persons who have been diagnosed with COVID has since recovered within these four weeks.”
She said the case managers she said are monitoring 301 active cases.
“At present, we have seven individuals hospitalised on our COVID ward. An accumulative total of 23 hospitalisations over these four weeks.”
There have been three covid related deaths.
Dr Laws disclosed that the majority of the cases fall between the ages of 20 to 49 years. While the age range extends from childhood to persons over 60.
At the prisons, the cases have risen to 39 with two new cases recorded on June 19.

The post 301 active cases, 3 deaths and 47 recoveries appeared first on The St Kitts Nevis Observer.

headline

Sydney isolated by new restrictions

Sydney has been isolated from the rest of the country, with time running out for health authorities to contain the current coronavirus outbreak within Australia's most populated city.

The Bondi cluster has spread well outside its initial locale, with 16 new cases detailed on Wednesday and the toughest restrictions since Christmas put into force across seven local government areas (LGA).

People who live or work in the LGAs of City of Sydney, Waverley, Randwick, Canada Bay, Inner West, Bayside and Woollahra are forbidden to leave Sydney for the next seven days unless it's absolutely necessary.

EXPLAINER: What the tough new Sydney restrictions mean

READ MORE: State-by-state breakdown of travel restrictions

"We are not putting any objections on you leaving the home for any purpose, but if you happen to live or work in those seven LGAs, we don't want you moving outside of Sydney," NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said.

Testing sites will be in overdrive as health authorities try to find new cases before they can spread the virus within the community.

Many daily cases have been people already isolating as close contacts of another known case.

Nine people who tested positive attended a West Hoxton birthday party with a person who worked at Westfield Bondi Junction.

"There were about 30 people at that gathering in a house. The person was unknowingly infectious and did not have symptoms," Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant said.

"All those individuals would have unknowingly had the infection on Monday."

Westfield Bondi Junction.

All of those people had been in isolation since Monday, two days after the birthday party.

"Our contact tracing has been better than I've ever seen, but what we haven't seen before is the contagiousness of this variant of the virus," Ms Berejiklian said.

Health Minister Brad Hazzard warned the current outbreak was "a very real and present danger, not just in a shopping centre but right across Sydney".

New restrictions for Sydney

New restrictions for Greater Sydney began at 4pm on Wednesday and will be in place for at least a week.

Mask-wearing will be mandatory in all workplaces.

In Sydney, the Blue Mountains, Central Coast and Shellharbour, no more than five visitors, including children, will be allowed in a home.

READ MORE: PM hits out at Queensland over man blocked from seeing dying dad

People who live or work in the LGAs City of Sydney, Waverley, Randwick, Canada Bay, Inner West, Bayside and Woollahra will not be permitted to leave metropolitan Sydney for the next week except for limited reasons. 

People from those LGAs will be able to leave the city to visit a relative in care or to work. 

No standing while drinking or eating will be permitted at hospitality venues, and the one person per four square metre rule will be enforced.

No singing or dancing will be permitted at any venue, including places of worship, except weddings where 20 people will be allowed on the dance floor.

Major outdoor events like sport will be allowed to proceed at just 50 per cent capacity.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian, and Dr Kerry Chant.

Gym classes for the next week at least will be limited to 20 people, all of whom will have to wear a mask. 

Public transport travellers will also be required to adhere to the green-dot system, limiting the capacity of train and light rail carriages. 

"Please abandon non-essential activities, please don't attend social gatherings unless you absolutely must," Ms Berejiklian said. 

Mr Hazzard warned footy fans from nursing their beers or mineral waters for the length of the game so they could keep their masks off.

"If you do, you are putting the entire community's health at risk," he said.

"This is no time for game-playing, it is no time for stupidity."

Ms Berejiklian did not rule out taking further action.

"We certainly didn't expect this situation a few days ago," she said.

"We have had the response in New South Wales not to burden our citizens unless we absolutely have to."

READ MORE: More restrictions ease in Victoria with no new cases

Childcare case

A Sydney childcare centre has confirmed a positive case of COVID-19.

The two-year-old, who attended Little Zaks Academy in Narellan Vale in Sydney's southwest on Monday, is part of the West Hoxton birthday party outbreak.

"It has come to our attention from the NSW Health Department and Liverpool Health that we have had a confirmed COVID-19 case from one of our children," a message from the centre to the parents, seen by 9News, reads.

The Little Zaks Academy in Narellan Vale.

The child attended the centre in the room for two- and three-year-olds from 9am-5.15pm on Monday.

The centre has been closed and anyone who attended on Monday is considered a close contact and must get tested and self-isolate for 14 days.

Meanwhile, residents in Sydney's Eastern suburbs are also heeding the call to get tested as authorities work to identify the source of a mystery COVID-19 case in a Year 3 student at Charles Waverley Catholic School.

READ MORE: Borders closing on NSW after 10 new COVID-19 cases

Bondi COVID-19 testing clinic June 23

Students, staff and parents at the school are awaiting tests results as health authorities try to contain the spread after a year three student tested positive yesterday.

The school is only a kilometre away from Westfield Bondi Junction – the epicentre of the latest Sydney outbreak – but there is no clear link as to how the student was infected.

Dr Jeremy McAnulty told Today authorities would continue to "keep digging and digging to put the pieces together".

"Certainly this case was within the vicinity of Bondi Junction but the important thing is getting the people around each case tested," he said.

Dr Rob Grenfell, from the CSIRO, told Today the coming days would be critical in determining how the state moves forward.

"When it appears in a school, you wonder how many other children have got it or taken it home to their parents," Dr Grenfell said.

Lines are growing at a Bondi testing clinic, as authorities work to identify the source of a mystery COVID-19 case.

"Only the testing over the next few days will tell us how far this virus has spread across Sydney."

Dr Grenfell said the latest outbreak highlighted the importance of vaccination, with even one dose making you "65 per cent less likely to spread the virus".

'Not enough' vaccinated to count on immunity

Ms Berejiklian has said not enough NSW residents have been vaccinated to allow any differentiation in Sydney's new restrictions. 

"This particular strand is extremely contagious and we don't have enough of the population vaccinated to make those distinctions," she said. 

Ms Berejiklian said the NSW government's benchmark for vaccinations was 10 million jabs in NSW. 

"We are nearly at two million, so we are about 20 per cent to where my target it in terms of where we will have these conversations." 

Border closures

Queensland has joined Victoria in slamming borders closed to Sydney's COVID-19 hotspots, throwing school holiday travel plans into chaos.

The border closure applies to the seven LGAs from 1am on Thursday.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the border measures were necessary as Sydney's Bondi coronavirus cluster grew to 21 cases yesterday.

Victoria first declared a large chunk of Sydney a red zone on Tuesday, meaning non-Victorian residents are banned from entering the state and returning residents will need to apply for a permit quarantine at home for two weeks.

It will also be at least three days before quarantine-free flights between Sydney and New Zealand resume.

Exposure sites

Seven eateries and a famed hair salon have been added to Sydney's growing list of COVID-19 close contact exposure sites.

NSW Health on Wednesday ordered anybody at the following venues during the times in question to immediately call NSW Health on 1800 943 553, get tested and isolate for 14 days, regardless of the result.

June 17-19– Joh Bailey Hairdresser, 7 Knox St, Double Bay, from 8am-5pm on each day

June 18– Tropicana Café (dining in), Darlinghurst, 12pm-2pm.- Matteo Restaurant, 29 Bay St, Double Bay, 5.30pm-7pm.

June 20– Woolworths, Spring Farm, 9.30am-11.30am.- Ikaria Bondi, Bondi, 5pm-7pm- Nandos, Stockland Wetherill Park Shopping Centre, 6pm-7pm

June 21– Lumiere Cafe, 13/425 Bourke Street, Surry Hills, from 1pm-2pm- Bamboo Thai, 298 Chalmers Street, Redfern, 6.15pm-7.10pm- Christo's Pizzeria, 224 Glenmore Road, Paddington, from 5.55pm-8.30pm

The full list of exposure sites and times is available at the NSW Health website.

headline

Caribbean Airlines to Lay Off 25 Percent of Workforce

Caribbean Airlines (CAL) on Monday announced a loss of TT$172.7 million as well as a 75 percent decline in revenue, compared to the same period in 2020.

In a statement, the airline said that the figures represented its unaudited financial results for the first quarter of 2021. It has also announced a significant reduction in its workforce with at least 450 jobs being lost.

Caribbean Airlines said that the losses follow a similar downturn in 2020, which saw an operating loss of TT$738 million compared to operating profits for 2018 and 2019.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and the suspension of operations at its base in Trinidad and Tobago, the airline has seen passenger numbers plummet, and flight numbers reduced to less than 10 percent of normal operations

Despite this, the airline said it has continued to offer services on many of its routes and provided invaluable repatriation flights for Caribbean citizens.

The airline said that the recent announcement by Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley that the borders of Trinidad and Tobago may soon reopen “is welcome news, but all forecasts suggest that the recommencement of travel will not be in the same volumes as they were pre-COVID.

“Therefore, until air travel regains its pre-COVID momentum the airline will need to adjust its operations to cater for a reduced scale of demand after the opening of the borders. Put simply, passenger demand in the short to medium term is not going to recover sufficiently to support the existing company structure after the reopening of the borders.”

The airline said that as a consequence, it is required to take further steps to ensure it has a sustainable business model for 2021 and beyond. It said these steps include major cost reductions in all areas of the airline’s operations, specifically its human resource complement, its fleet and other assets, and its route network.

“As part of the streamlining strategy, the number of jets in the fleet will be reduced, for the time being, over the course of 2021. Its route network will also be adjusted to reflect the changing market. In terms of employees, the airline has determined that 25 percent of its workforce or about 450 positions throughout its network is surplus to its current needs.

“The Company will embark on consultation with the employees and other stakeholders, with respect to treating with this surplus labour situation,” the airline said in the statement.

Last week, Finance Minister Colm Imbert said that the government is hoping that the airline would return in a much more “efficient shape and form”.

CMC

The post Caribbean Airlines to Lay Off 25 Percent of Workforce appeared first on The St Kitts Nevis Observer.

headline

Corona Effect: Steep Decline in US Birthrate During Pandemic

By Reid Wilson
The Hill

The number of American women who gave birth last year fell precipitously over 2019, as provisional government data shows a national baby bust getting worse during the coronavirus pandemic.

A new report from the National Center for Health Statistics at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found births in the United States declined 4 percent between 2019 and 2020, the steepest annual decline since 1973.

But there is evidence that even before the pandemic struck, birth rates were on pace for a steep decline: Birth rates dropped in every month of 2020, compared to 2019 — including in January, before the pandemic struck, and in the early months of a pandemic, well after parents would have chosen to conceive.

Most of the largest declines in birth rates, however, came in December, November and October, about nine months after the pandemic began and a sign that the crisis may have delayed some parents’ decisions to have children.

Just over 3.6 million births occurred in 2020, according to the preliminary data, which covers all but a small fraction of reported births in a few states. That is nearly 150,000 fewer births than occurred during 2019 and about 700,000 fewer births than occurred in 2007, the year in which births reached a record high.

The preliminary tally represents the steepest one-year decline in births since the first year in which members of Generation X were born and the ninth-fastest drop since records began. That puts the coronavirus pandemic on par with societal catastrophes like the Great Depression and World War II, and only slightly below the damage wrought by the Spanish Flu a century ago.

The ongoing baby bust that demographers have described in recent decades began as the average age of first-time mothers rose, and became more pronounced during the great recession more than a decade ago. Demographers have estimated that so many women have put off having children, because of financial, educational, professional or personal reasons, that there are as many as three million childless women today who might have been expected to have children by this point in their lives in earlier decades.

Today, lower birth rates are occurring across racial, ethnic and economic lines. Births among white women and Black women dropped 6 percent in the last half of 2020 compared with 2019; among Asian American women, births plummeted by 12 percentage points; and and births dropped by 5 percentage points among women of Hispanic descent.

The number of births dropped in the last half of last year in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, according to the CDC figures. Declines were just as steep in fast-growing states like Texas, Florida and Georgia as they were in states that have seen population declines in recent years, like Illinois, West Virginia and New York.

The post Corona Effect: Steep Decline in US Birthrate During Pandemic appeared first on The St Kitts Nevis Observer.