EMA says four serious cases reported, one fatal, and also expands inquiry into AstraZeneca vaccine

Of the four serious cases of clotting and low platelets, three occurred in the US during the rollout of J&J’s vaccine from its Janssen pharmaceuticals unit, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) said on Friday, adding that one person had died and one case was reported in a clinical trial. It was the first news of EMA’s inquiry into the J&J vaccine.

The EMA has already confirmed possible links between AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine and very rare blood clots in the brain and abdomen.

J&J, which is based in the US, said it was aware of the reports of blood clots possibly related to its Covid vaccine and others, and was working with regulators to assess the data and provide relevant information.

“At present, no clear causal relationship has been established between these rare events and the Janssen Covid-19 vaccine,” the company said in an emailed statement.

The EMA also said it was not yet clear if there was a link between the two vaccines and the reported conditions, and that its safety committee would decide if regulatory action such as label changes were needed.

Some countries in Europe and Asia have restricted the use of AstraZeneca’s vaccine, Vaxzevria, in younger people after an update by EU and UK regulators this week that found a link between the events and the shot. Regulators have said the benefits of the vaccine outweigh the risks.

J&J’s single-dose vaccine has been approved for EU use but the rollout has yet to begin. It is mainly being used in the US.

The EMA also said five cases of capillary leak syndrome in people who received AstraZeneca’s vaccine were reported.

The condition, in which blood leaks from the smallest of vessels into muscles and body cavities, is characterised by swelling and a drop in blood pressure.

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US Not Ready to Share Surplus Vaccine with World

The Biden administration is taking initial steps toward an expanded role in global COVID-19 vaccination efforts, while stopping short of sharing excess doses on a wide scale.

The federal government has been amassing doses, growing its supply into what will likely become a surplus as the rest of the world struggles with shortages.

In fact, the U.S. has purchased enough vaccines to immunize every adult in the country three times over. Aid groups now say it’s past time to start giving away the surplus.

The administration, however, remains hesitant to do so.

The U.S. vaccination campaign has been relatively successful to date, averaging close to 3 million shots administered every day. About a quarter of all adults have been fully vaccinated, and the Biden administration is well on its way to achieving its goal of inoculating 200 million people by the end of April.

But most of the U.S. international support has come in the form of money, with the administration committing $4 billion to the World Health organization-backed COVAX vaccine initiative.

The U.S. is also co-hosting a fundraising campaign for COVAX in the coming days, with the aim of calling on wealthy nations to join the United States and others in providing resources and commitments to accelerate global COVID-19 vaccinations.

In recent days, top financial and diplomatic officials have indicated they are thinking about next steps, and how to balance the humanitarian needs and possible political implications of vaccine diplomacy.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday said he has been hearing the calls to share doses.

“I know that many countries are asking for the United States to do more, some with growing desperation because of the scope and scale of their COVID emergencies. We hear you. And I promise, we’re moving as fast as possible,” Blinken said.

In response to those calls, he announced the appointment of Gayle Smith as U.S. coordinator for global COVID-19 response and health security.

Smith most recently served as president and CEO of the ONE Campaign, a nonpartisan organization that advocates for ending poverty and preventable disease by 2030.

The ONE Campaign has been pressuring the administration to ship some of its vaccine supply to developing countries.

Late last month, the group joined a coalition of 30 nongovernmental organizations in sending a letter to Biden, urging him to immediately begin to develop a plan to share excess vaccine doses.

“It is estimated that there could be twice as many deaths from COVID-19 if rich countries monopolize the first doses of vaccines instead of making sure they are distributed globally,” the groups wrote.

The hope for advocates is that Smith, who helped lead the Obama administration’s response to the Ebola outbreak in 2014, will play a pivotal role in designing such a program.

In a dig at Russia and China, which have been more than willing to donate vaccines as a way to foster friendly relations, Blinken noted that when the time comes for the U.S. to send doses overseas, the nation “won’t trade shots in arms for political favors. This is about saving lives.”

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen recently spoke about the role wealthy countries need to play in helping to end the pandemic.

During a speech before the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, Yellen warned that the economic toll of the pandemic will push 150 million people into extreme poverty this year without a substantial increase in support for developing countries.

“Our first task must clearly be stopping the virus by ensuring that vaccinations, testing and therapeutics are available as widely as possible,” she said.

President Biden has so far only committed to providing about 4 million doses of AstraZeneca’s vaccine, which is not yet authorized in the U.S., to Mexico and Canada.

“The president remains committed to playing a constructive role in the global effort to defeat the virus,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Friday. “But as we’ve seen, this is an unpredictable virus and his first priority is ensuring the American people are vaccinated, and that means we need to plan for supply.”

Psaki said the administration is planning for contingencies, and cited the recent error at a manufacturing plant producing the Johnson & Johnson vaccine that resulted in 15 million ruined doses. She also said the U.S. needs to plan for vaccinating children and the potential need for booster shots.

Tom Kenyon chief health officer at Project HOPE, a global health organization, said the appointment of Smith, and the remarks by Yellen and Blinken, is a sign the administration will eventually move to start sharing vaccines.

“But I think we have to move beyond the promise, to action,” Kenyon said. “This is a pandemic, and it’s an emergency.”

Kenyon said the U.S. should have already been sending surplus supplies to help other countries protect their health workers.

“This is a public health endeavor, not a diplomatic endeavor alone. We need diplomacy, but we need public health action,” Kenyon said.

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WORLD STATS

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The UK remains in mourning following the death of Prince Philip. The flag at Buckingham Palace in the United Kingdom is flying at half-mast on Friday following an announcement from the royal family that Prince Philip had died. He was was the husband of the country’s monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, and was the longest-serving consort in British history.

Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh and father to the heir to the throne, Prince Charles, had been hospitalized several times in recent years. Soon after the announcement, people began to line up outside Buckingham Palace to see the official death notice that had been attached to the gate.

Following the announcement, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that Philip “earned the affection of generations here in Britain, across the Commonwealth and around the world.”

While the nation mourns, many remember the duke’s more often controversial and even racist remarks. He was also known to embody the British stiff upper lip but perhaps equally known for his awkward one-liners.

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The thick dust was also on the move, travelling 175 kilometres to the east and starting to affect the neighbouring island of Barbados.

“Barbadians have been urged to stay indoors as thick plumes of volcanic ash move through the atmosphere,” the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency said.

The whitish powder caked roads, homes and buildings in St Vincent after the powerful blasts from the La Soufriere volcano that began on Friday.

Visibility in some areas was extremely limited, while in the capital city Kingstown on the south of the island – the volcano is in the north – the ash caused a thin haze of dust, the portal said.

“Vincentians are waking up to extremely heavy ash fall and strong sulphur smells which have now advanced to the capital,” the local emergency management agency tweeted.

The eruptions prompted thousands of people to flee to safety. Around 16,000 people live in areas under evacuation orders.

Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves said on Saturday that water had been cut off in most areas and the country’s air space was closed because of the ash. Around 3,000 people spent the night in shelters.

“It’s a huge operation that is facing us,” Mr Gonsalves told NBC News.

He said his government had been in contact with other countries that wanted to provide aid. Guyana and Venezuela were sending ships with supplies, Mr Gonsalves said.

The initial blast from La Soufriere, the highest peak in St Vincent and the Grenadines, sent plumes of hot ash and smoke 6,000 metres into the air on Friday morning.

A second, smaller eruption took place on Friday afternoon, belching out a 4,000-metre ash cloud, the University of the West Indies Seismic Research Centre said.

The centre’s director, Erouscilla Joseph, said late Saturday that there had been “additional explosions” throughout the day which had been accompanied by more ash.

“Unfortunately, we believe that more seismic unrest will be expected overnight,” she added.

The 1,235-metre La Soufriere – the name is French for “sulphur mine” – had not erupted since 1979, and its largest eruption happened over a century ago, killing more than 1,000 people in 1902.

It had been rumbling for months before it finally blew.

“We are trying to be OK. It’s deathly quiet outside and the mood is pensive,” said Vynette Frederick, 44, a lawyer in Kingstown.

North-west of Kingstown on the 30-kilometre island, Zen Punnett said things had calmed down after the initial panic as evacuation orders went out on Thursday night.

“It’s gotten hazier. We are staying inside,” she said.

The emergency management agency posted photos of a Coast Guard ship evacuating residents who had previously refused to leave. Standing on a dock, the air above the evacuees was a chalky gray.

Most of the people in the red zone had been moved to safety by Friday, authorities said.

Cruise ships were on the way to assist the evacuation effort.

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St Vincent volcano: Power cuts after another ‘explosive event’

There has been another “explosive event” at a volcano on the Caribbean island of St Vincent, with power outages and water supplies cut off.

The La Soufrière volcano first erupted on Friday, blanketing the island in a layer of ash and forcing some 16,000 people to evacuate their homes.

Residents in Barbados, nearly 200km (about 124 miles) to the east, have also been urged to stay indoors.

Scientists warn that eruptions could continue for days – or even weeks.

On Sunday, St Vincent’s emergency management organisation Nemo tweeted: “Massive power outage following another explosive event at La Soufriere Volcano. Lightning, thunder and rumblings. Majority of the country out of power and covered in ash.”

image copyrightReuters

White-coloured dust has covered buildings and roads around the island, including in its capital Kingstown.

How are residents coping?

Nemo is urging people to “be careful on the roads, which have become treacherous as a result of the ash flow”.

Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves said water supplies to most of the island had been cut off and its airspace closed because of the smoke and thick plumes of volcanic ash moving through the atmosphere.

Mr Gonsalves said thousands of residents had been sleeping in emergency shelters since Friday. “It’s a huge operation that is facing us,” he told NBC News.

He said earlier that a lot of volcanic ash had fallen over the sea. “We don’t know how much more is going to come out… so far, we have done well in that nobody got injured, nobody is dead.”

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.View original tweet on Twitter

The Barbados Defence Force has been deployed to St Vincent to provide humanitarian assistance as part of a disaster response mission, the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency said.

Homes across the island, which has a population of around 110,000, have been covered in white-coloured volcanic dust and rock fragments.

It prompted warnings from officials to stay indoors, while emergency groups advised caution for those suffering with respiratory problems.

“Be careful all. We are covered in ash and strong sulphur scents pervade the air. We ask that you take the necessary precautions to remain safe and healthy,” Nemo said.

How is the wider region being affected?

On Barbados, Chief Medical Officer Kenneth George advised residents to “stay in your house”. “This is to protect yourselves and your family,” he said.

People on the island of St Lucia, which is around 76km north of St Vincent, have been warned to expect air quality to be affected, with harmful gases potentially making it harder to breathe for people with conditions such as asthma, the island’s Rodney Bay Medical Centre said.

image copyrightReuters

One resident of St Lucia, Olivia, told the BBC she had never witnessed anything like this before and that she was worried about a possible change in wind direction and ash being carried northwards.

“I am terrified of all the effects that are unknown at this point, ash in the middle of a pandemic – no-one is prepared for that,” she said.

“Victoria Hospital has been transformed to become the Respiratory Hospital, and is treating Covid patients” she said, adding: “So technically, persons suffering from the effects of ash inhalation would be on the wards with Covid patients.”

More than 130 people who were due to leave St Vincent for Canada had to be taken by ship to St Lucia on Saturday after becoming stranded when their flight was cancelled.

Other Caribbean countries, including Antigua and Guyana, have offered to send emergency supplies to St Vincent. They also said they would open their borders to those fleeing the fallout from the eruption.

When did the new eruptions begin?

The volcano had been dormant since 1979, but in late 2020 it started spewing steam and smoke and making rumbling noises.

The first sign that an eruption was imminent came on Thursday evening, when a lava dome became visible on La Soufrière.

Just before 09:00 on Friday (13:00 GMT), seismologists from the University of the West Indies confirmed that an “explosive eruption” was under way.

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By Sir Ronald Sanders 

(The writer is Antigua and Barbuda’s Ambassador to the United States and the Organization of American States.   He is also a Senior Fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies at the University of London and Massey College in the University of Toronto.  The views expressed are entirely his own) 

Officials of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) – the rich countries’ club – are no doubt delighted at the proposition by the U.S. Treasury Secretary, Janet Yellen, for a global minimum corporate tax rate of 21 per cent.

Developing countries, including those in the Caribbean, need to monitor this development closely.  Their already suffering economies could end up being hurt by it even more.

Tax rates are a sovereign matter. Governments set tax rates in the context of several factors including their domestic financial demands; a judgement on the ability to pay; and the need to attract foreign investment to drive economic and social development.

The U.S. government is exercising its sovereign right to raise its domestic corporate tax to 28 per cent, particularly as it wants to spend $2 trillion over the next eight years on building expensive infrastructure in a range of areas.  There should be every appreciation of this ambition.

However, conscious that this high tax rate might push U.S. companies to migrate to lower tax countries, the U.S. government wants a global minimum tax rate of 21 per cent.  Its belief is that a sufficiently high minimum global tax rate would discourage U.S. companies from leaving.

The U.S. proposal has been welcomed by the OECD and the European Union nations, France and Germany, that have always been the ‘hawks’ on setting and enforcing global tax rates.  Pascal Saint-Amans, head of tax administration at the OECD, welcomed the U.S. proposals, saying “This reboots the negotiations and is very positive.”

If this proposition is accepted, it will be enforced on all countries.   Experience with the OECD, the European Union (EU) and the U.S. demonstrates that by various methods, Caribbean countries have been coerced into compliance with rules or demands to their disadvantage.

Once the OECD member states agree it amongst themselves, they will enforce it.  The method in the past on matters such as what they called “harmful tax competition”, has been to identify countries they pejoratively list as ‘uncooperative jurisdictions’. The mere naming of countries injures the standing of their financial services sectors, causing loss of business and the capacity to participate effectively in the world’s trading and financial systems.  To avoid these consequences, countries have complied, eroding sovereignty over their tax policies and, importantly, jobs and income.

Remarkably, the OECD has described its efforts for  ‘tax harmonisation’ and an end to ‘tax competition’ as “levelling the playing field”.  In other words, the playing field for competition in taxation, is levelled by forcing developing countries to meet high taxation levels needed by the rich.  Other areas, in which level playing fields are necessary, are conveniently ignored.  A current example is the purchase and hoarding of COVID-19 vaccines by many OECD countries.   At the time of writing, of the 674 million vaccines that have been administered globally, 77 per cent are in the 10 richest nations.

The U.S. has reportedly sent documents, proposing the new tax, to 135 countries negotiating international taxation at the behest of the OECD.  The tax would apply to global profits of large companies, including big U.S. technology groups, regardless of their physical presence in any country.  Agreement on the tax would allow the U.S. administration to increase corporate taxes on U.S. companies without fear of competition from other countries.

Alarmingly, a senior representative of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has already endorsed the U.S. government proposal.   IMF Chief Economist, Gita Gopinath, said that “We’re very much in support of having this kind of global minimum corporate tax.”  It is unclear if she was speaking for the Board of the Fund or for her division.  Fortunately, the Head of the World Bank, David Malpass, has taken a more balanced position on the matter.  He has warned against setting a global minimum tax rate that is too high, adding that he did not want to see new rules “that would hinder poor countries’ ability to attract investment”.

And, this really will be the crux of the issue.   Every country has the right to set its own domestic tax rates, but not to impose rates on others – which is what the OECD has been trying to do  since 1998.

Small countries, including those in the Caribbean, have lower corporate tax rates because they need investment not only to compete with larger countries but also to survive.  A mandated tax rate of 21 per cent would cripple many of them and retard their growth.

An example of this currently exists in the OECD and the EU.  Ireland, one of the smallest of their member countries, has a corporate tax rate of 12.5 per cent and has been one of the biggest beneficiaries of foreign investment.  A few decades ago, Ireland was much poorer than Britain, but its implementation of a low corporate tax rate has helped its growth and raised its living standards.

No doubt, Ireland will face considerable pressure from other OECD and EU countries to accept the proposed new corporate tax rate, but it has resisted bullying in the past, and it is likely to do so again.   If that is the case, other smaller countries, including Caribbean ones, should join it in arguing for a sensible minimum corporate tax rate that is agreed and not imposed.

The World Bank’s David Malpass has set a reasonable tone stating that any new minimum tax should not be too high.  Hitherto, the OECD itself has been working on a rate of 12.5 per cent.

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The Global T20 League, which has featured the likes of West Indies stars Kieron Pollard, Chris Gayle and Andre Russell, will be moved to Malaysia for this year’s third edition due to the ongoing COVID-19 restrictions in Canada.

The governing body, Cricket Canada, said the decision was made following discussions with the Malaysian Cricket Association and tournament’s owners, Bombay Sports.

Canada’s most populous region, Ontario, which plays hosts to the tournament, entered a new round of lockdowns this week following a surge in COVID-19 cases.

“Cricketers and fans of cricket within Canada will naturally be disappointed that this year’s third edition of our world-class GT20 tournament cannot be held in Canada due to the ongoing COVID pandemic and the Canadian health guidelines,” said Cricket Canada president, Rashpal Bajwa.

“Cricket Canada, however, understands and fully supports our health authorities. We are also very positive in looking forward to hosting the tournament in Canada, once the pandemic is sufficiently ended and the safety of all concerned can be assure

“In the interim, we are now very excited to share with all Canadians and cricket lovers across the world that our good friends at the Malaysian Cricket Association have stepped up to help us host this year’s GT20 Season 3 in Malaysia with the necessary local health approvals.

“We are looking forward to a very exciting third edition of GT20 Canada in Malaysia.”

The tournament is set to bowl off between June and July and will feature six teams clashing across 22 games over 18 days at the Kinrara Oval in the capital Kuala Lumpur.

Each team will comprise ten international cricketers and two marquee players of world-class status, along with three Canadian players and local emerging players.

Malaysia reported 1,139 new infections on Wednesday, leaving the number of active cases at 14 097.

The tournament was staged for the first time in 2018 at Maple Leaf Cricket Club in Ontario when Vancouver Knights, featuring Russell and West Indies left-arm pacer Sheldon Cottrell, beat West Indies B in the final.

In 2019, the tournament was played at the CAA Centre also in Ontario, when Winnipeg Hawks defeated Knights in a super-over.

There was no tournament hosted last year.

Cricket Canada said the fourth edition of the tournament would return here next year.

CM

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The CDC shut down sailing last March when several coronavirus outbreaks were tied to ships worldwide, prompting ports to reject docking plans and leaving some passengers and crew members to navigate for an extended time.

Florida is the nation’s cruise capital with three of the world’s busiest ports: Miami, Port Canaveral near Kennedy Space Center, and Port Everglades near Fort Lauderdale. The lawsuit says industry generates billions for the state’s economy as millions of people typically cruise from one of Florida’s ports each year.

DeSantis has maintained the ban disproportionally impacts Florida and has said that cruising has resumed in much of the world, forcing Americans to fly to other ports in the nearby Bahamas. Industry leaders say there have been no new outbreaks tied to their ships.

“People are going to cruise one way or another. The question is are we going to do it out of Florida, which is the number one place to do it in the world, or are they going to be doing it out of the Bahamas or other locations?” DeSantis said.

During Thursday’s press briefing, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said she did not have a direct response to the lawsuit, but denied accusations the CDC uses flawed data to ban sailing.

“I will just reiterate that the CDC guidance is based on data and health and medical guidelines, hence that’s why they put it out and why they are regularly updated,” she said.

Michael Winkleman, a maritime lawyer, said that he does not expect such a lawsuit to succeed in court. But DeSantis’ advocating for the cruise industry in a public way could change the public perception on the matter, and pressure the federal government to resume traveling, Winkleman says.

“The reason why this would be a futile is CDC officials have wide discretion in how they do their federally mandated job,” he said. “From a big-picture perspective, I don’t think there is any reason why cruises cannot sail safely.”

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As the volcanic activity on St. Vincent becomes more pronounced, regional governments are offering assistance if needed.

Nevis Premier Mark Brantley was among the first to offer words of support to St Vincent following Prime Minister Gonsalves’ announcement of the evacuation order on Thursday.

He said, “The situation in St Vincent and the Grenadines is worrying to us all. We are one Caribbean family and whenever a crisis hits any of us it affects all of us. The government and people of that great nation are in our prayers. We stand firmly with this in this time of difficulty.”

Anguilla’s Tourism Minister Haydn Hughes said, “What’s happening in St Vincent right now is a tragedy. It really brings up memories of what happened in 1995 in Montserrat,” he said.

“In 1995 the volcano in Montserrat erupted and the then Chief Minister of Anguilla, Hubert Hughes sent out a call to all Montserratians that they could relocate to Anguilla free of any immigration control and regulation. A number of Montserratians took up that call and are now resident in Anguilla and have been for the last 20-plus years.

“Now that this volcano is erupting in St Vincent, as a member of the Cabinet of the Government of Anguilla, we too are making that call to the Government of St Vincent. We stand ready and willing to assist them and their citizens in any way possible, even as it relates to the possible relocation of their citizens to Anguilla.”

Minister Charles Fernandes said the Government of Antigua and Barbuda is willing to accommodate 200 to 250 evacuees as soon as possible.

“The cabinet met with the various agencies to put something in place to ensure we will be able to do this,” Fernandes said.

Much like Anguilla, Fernandes said Antigua and Barbuda has had experience with situations like this before.

“In 1995 the Government of Antigua and Barbuda has basically most of Montserrat positioned in Antigua and Barbuda and as recent as 2017 the Government of Antigua had to bring the entire population of Barbuda, which I think was just about 2000, to Antigua because of the devastation of the hurricane there at the time.”

While they’ve done this before, Fernandes noted that this time around they will be faced with a unique set of challenges because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I can say though, that the government of Antigua and Barbuda responded very quickly and came to a decision where we have to help. Everything is being put in place to ensure that it is done in a proper manner,” he said.

He said the number of displaced people from St Vincent they can accommodate will depend on the availability of rooms in Antigua and Barbuda.

He added: “That is where we are now, we met with the National Office of Disaster Services, we met with Immigration and we met with the Health Authority to ensure we put everything in place to accommodate them because of course, it is even more challenging now because of the pandemic.

“The plan is that we are going to house them and feed them. There is a hotel property that is not being fully utilised now, actually part of it is being used to quarantine returning Antiguan nationals.”

The government of Dominica has identified the Moroccan Hotel and several apartment complexes to house Vincentians who have been displaced following the evacuation of areas close to the La Soufriere hotel.

This was announced by Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit who said last week that while he hoped the situation wouldn’t deteriorate to its current state, he has been in contact with Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves and is ready to assist.

He said Dominica would underwrite the cost to accommodate some of those forced to flee the home because of the imminent eruption of the volcano.

“We have identified the Moroccan hotel where we can house them as well as other facilities and a number of apartment buildings that we have at Picard as a possible accommodation that the treasury of Dominica would underwrite the cost associated with hosting anyone from Saint Vincent who has to be evacuated from that particular locality,” he explained.

PM Skerrit joins a growing list of countries that have voiced their willingness to host some of the displaced citizens.

Others include St Lucia, The British Virgin Islands, Anguilla, Grenada and Antigua and Barbuda.

Prime Minister Skerrit said St Vincent is a “long-standing friend of Dominica” and both islands have shared strong bilateral relations for many years.

“So we stand in absolute and total solidarity with the government and people of Saint Vincent during this difficult time,” he said.

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CARICOM Offers Support to SVG

Dr. Keith Rowley

Chairman of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley said Thursday that the regional grouping had mobilized to support St Vincent and the Grenadines as it faces the possibility of an imminent eruption of the La Soufriere volcano.

Following an evacuation order of the immediate area around the volcano by Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves, CARICOM member states offered support to house evacuees from the affected area.

In a statement issued as residents were moving to safe zones or to board cruise ships that had arrived to transport evacuees to neighbouring islands, Rowley said the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) had activated its regional support operation, including the deployment of a specialist to St. Vincent and the Grenadines. CDEMA is providing technical assistance to NEMO with Evacuation and Logistics Planning.

“The Community stands with the Government and People of St Vincent and the Grenadines in this perilous situation,” said the CARICOM chairman who is in isolation and under medical supervision in Tobago after testing positive for COVID-19 earlier this week.

Earlier, the Trinidad and Tobago government had issued a separate statement promising its support.

It said Minister of National Security Stuart Young had instructed the Acting Chief of Defence Staff, Brigadier General Dexter Francis, to have members of the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force on standby to provide any assistance that may be necessary.

Guyana’s President Irfaan Ali also assured Prime Minister Gonsalves of his government’s “full support in dealing with this looming crisis”.

“The Prime Minister and I discussed immediate support, which will be required in the response. The Prime Minister indicated that apart from the need to evacuate citizens, there were other emergency material needs. I committed to him that Guyana, upon receiving the full list of their needs, would immediately put together a national response to supply the items and arrange for them to be shipped to St. Vincent and the Grenadines,” he said.

“At this time, we would like to assure the citizens of St. Vincent and the Grenadines of Guyana’s unwavering support and solidarity,” Ali added.

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