Tag Archives: caribbean

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Haiti Quake: Death Toll at 2,189, Survivors Sill Being Rescued- Aftershocks Hit Les Cayes

BBC- At least 2,189 people are known to have died in Haiti in Saturday’s powerful earthquake, authorities there said late on Wednesday.

Rescue workers have managed to pull 34 people alive from the rubble but many are still missing after the 7.2-magnitude quake.

The search for survivors has been hampered by heavy rains brought this week by Tropical Storm Grace.

Nearly 10,000 people have been injured and hospitals were left overwhelmed.

The UN says about 500,000 children now have limited or no access to shelter, safe water and food.

“Countless Haitian families who have lost everything due to the earthquake are now living literally with their feet in the water due to the flooding,” said Bruno Maes, the UN Children’s Fund (Unicef) representative in the country.

Many have been staying in make-shift tents erected on a football field in the city of Les Cayes, one of the areas worst affected by the quake.

Haitians live in the Gabion Stadium where a camp was installed, after hundreds of Haitians lost their homes due to the earthquake last Saturday, in Les Cayes, Haiti, 17 August 2021
The football stadium in Les Cayes turned into a muddy field after the heavy rains

 

“Yesterday [Tuesday] evening, I took shelter near a church, but when I heard the ground shake again, I ran to return here,” city resident Magalie Cadet told AFP news agency.

She said so few structures remained standing in Les Cayes that people had to relieve themselves on the streets.

Haitians living in more remote areas said aid was yet to reach them.

“We have the will to do everything but we don’t have the money or resources,” a pastor told Reuters news agency.

The UN’s World Food Programme said it was working closely with the Haitian authorities to provide assistance to survivors.

And the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said that following negotiations, armed gangs – who have previously attacked people travelling to Les Cayes from the capital – had promised to let an aid convoy through.

But the heavy rains brought by Tropical Storm Grace have made many of the roads in the more mountainous regions impassable.

The south-west of Haiti appears to have suffered the worst of the damage from the quake, especially around Les Cayes.

A man opens a grave to bury a victim of Saturday"s 7.2 magnitude quake, in Les Cayes, Haiti August 17, 2021
In Les Cayes, some people broke open existing tombs to bury victims of the quake

The earthquake compounds problems facing the impoverished nation, which is already reeling from a political crisis following the assassination of its president last month.

Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who is in power until a fresh presidential election can be held, has declared a month-long state of emergency and urged the population to “show solidarity”.

Haiti has been hit by a series of natural disasters in the past, including Hurricane Matthew in 2016.

The deadliest was the 2010 earthquake which killed more than 200,000 people and caused extensive damage to the country’s infrastructure and economy.

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Aftershocks Rattle Quake City

LES CAYES, Aug 18 (Reuters) – Tremors shook buildings late on Wednesday in the southern Haitian city of Les Cayes, a Reuters witness said, a few days after a devastating earthquake killed almost 2,200 people across the Caribbean nation and injured thousands more.

A police officer on patrol in Les Cayes said there were no immediate reports of further deaths or damage in the region, which is still reeling from the 7.2 magnitude earthquake on Saturday morning. read more

Across the seaside city, families were sleeping on mattresses in the streets.

Haitian authorities said late on Wednesday that the official death toll from the quake had risen to 2,189.

The poorest country in the Americas, Haiti is still recovering from a 2010 quake that killed over 200,000.

Reporting by Ricardo Arduengo and Laura Gottesdiener in Les Cayes Editing by Shri Navaratnam

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Three Nevisians Awarded 2020 Medal of Honour for Outstanding National Service

NIA CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (August 18, 2021) — Dr. Judy Nisbett, Chair of the Nevis COVID-19 Task Force; and Mr. Brian Dyer, Co-Chair, were two of the awardees who were presented with the 2020 Medal of Honour for their outstanding contribution to National Service during a Crisis by Sir Tapley Seaton, Governor General of St. Kitts and Nevis.

The third awardee Dr. A. Linton Liburd, who was not present at the Investiture Ceremony at Government House in St. Kitts on August 17, 2021, is awarded for his contribution to Medicine.

According to his profile, Mr. Brian Dyer is employed as the Director of the Nevis Disaster Management Department (NDMD). His responsibilities incorporate the principles of comprehensive disaster management: formulating policies, programmes, risk management, and community involvement.

He is a graduate of the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and holds a Bachelor of Science in Aviation Business Administration and a Master of Science in Aeronautics with specialisation in Management and Safety Science.  He served as an air traffic control specialist at both the Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport and the Vance W. Amory International Airport.

However, though his career path has taken him to disaster management, Mr. Dyer is still an avid aviation enthusiast and continues to work with the federal aviation authorities. He is currently the St. Kitts and Nevis representative on the Board of Directors of the Eastern Caribbean Civil Aviation Authority for the advancement of Civil Aviation in the region.

He has been an affiliate member of the American Association of Airport Executives. He is also a member of the International Society of Safety Engineers; a student member of the International Society of Air Safety Investigators; a Recipient of the ISASI Rudy Kapustin Scholarship Award. In 2009 his thesis entitled “Mental Aspects of Aircraft Accident Investigation: Protecting the Investigator” was presented at the 41st Annual Seminar of the International Society of Air Safety Investigators in Japan.

Dr. Judy Nisbett, a product of the Combermere Primary School, the Charlestown Girls School and the Charlestown Secondary School (CSS).

She received her tertiary education from the Cave Hill and Mona campuses of the University of the West Indies (UWI), and holds a Master of Science Degree in Public Health with a concentration in Infectious Diseases.

Dr. Nisbett’s career path began as a teacher at the Combermere Primary School and on completion of her first degree, she taught Chemistry at CSS and the Nevis Sixth Form College.

However, her lifelong dream of becoming a physician became a reality when she returned to Nevis on completion of her studies. She was employed at the Alexandra Hospital as an emergency room physician and was later assigned to the Department of Public Health as a District Medical Officer and afterwards was promoted to Medical Officer of Health.

Over the years Dr. Nisbett has been exposed to a wide range of training opportunities which have equipped her to be an invaluable member of our health care team in Nevis.

She attributes her love for public health to her mother’s influence as a Public Health Nurse therefore when the world was plunged into the COVID-19 pandemic she sprang into action mobilising the Ministry of Health on Nevis to formulate its response.

Dr. Nisbett clearly recalls the request from the Hon. Premier to chair the COVID-19 Task Force, and to form and lead the response on Nevis. This role she accepted without hesitation and has had no regrets.

She is an integral member of the of the National COVID-19 Task Force and the National Health Emergency Operations Centre and says she is proud to be a part of a strong team which is skilfully and successfully managing the response.

The senior medical officer considers it an hour to lead Nevis’ Health Emergency Operations Centre and lauds the formidable contribution and combined efforts of the group.

She thanks God constantly for enabling her to be able to serve and to live out her country’s motto “Country Above Self.”

Meantime, Dr. the Hon. Timothy Harris, Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis, had special words of commendation for Mr. Dyer and Dr. Nisbett.

“I want again to give them a special hand. Not only have they made a name for themselves in terms of their contribution in the fight against COVID but wherever there is a disaster or an eminent one, these personalities and others will always be there to take us through.

“So we owe you both and we owe all who work with you and support you a great deal and debt of gratitude,” he said.

The third Nevisian, Dr. A. Linton Liburd, will be invested with a Medal of Honour at a ceremony to be hosted by Her Honour Hyleeta Liburd, Deputy Governor General on Nevis, for his contribution in the field of Medicine.

Also present at the ceremony were Her Honour Hyleeta Liburd, Deputy Governor General on Nevis; Hon. Michael Perkins, Speaker of the St. Kitts and Nevis National Assembly, and other members of the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis.

 

 

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UK Study: Delta Variant Can Infect Vaccinated People

Researchers say implications for transmission remain unclear but reaching herd immunity even more challenging

Commuters on London Bridge
The research supports the idea that hitting the threshold for herd immunity is unlikely. Photograph: Guy Bell/Rex/Shutterstock
Science correspondent
Guardian (UK)

Fully vaccinated adults can harbour virus levels as high as unvaccinated people if infected with the Delta variant, according to a sweeping analysis of UK data, which supports the idea that hitting the threshold for herd immunity is unlikely.

There is abundant evidence that Covid vaccines in the UK continue to offer significant protection against hospitalisations and death. But this new analysis shows that although being fully vaccinated means the risk of getting infected is lower, once infected by Delta a person can carry similar virus levels as unvaccinated people.

The implications of this on transmission remain unclear, the researchers have cautioned. “We don’t yet know how much transmission can happen from people who get Covid-19 after being vaccinated – for example, they may have high levels of virus for shorter periods of time,” said Sarah Walker, a professor of medical statistics and epidemiology at the University of Oxford.

“But the fact that they can have high levels of virus suggests that people who aren’t yet vaccinated may not be as protected from the Delta variant as we hoped.”

Positive tests, hospitalisations and deaths linked to Covid have been rising slowly in the UK recently. In the week to 18 August, 211,238 people had a confirmed positive test result, an increase of 7.6% compared with the previous seven days. Over the same period, there have been 655 deaths within 28 days of a positive test, a rise of 7.9% versus the previous seven days. Hospitalisations have also risen slightly, with 5,623 going into hospital with coronavirus between 8 August 2021 and 14 August 2021, a rise of 4.3% compared with the previous seven days.

The study, which is yet to be peer-reviewed, found vaccine performance has waned against Delta versus the previously dominant Alpha variant.

The analysis did not directly investigate whether the lower level of vaccine protection against Delta affected jabs’ ability to prevent severe disease. However, Dr Penny Ward, a visiting professor in pharmaceutical medicine at King’s College London, noted: “The low incidence of hospitalisation seen to date suggests that in this respect at least the vaccines are protecting individuals from developing severe Covid.”

The study – conducted by Oxford researchers in partnership with the Office for National Statistics and the Department of Health and Social Care – compared the results of about 2.6m nose and throat swabs taken from more than 384,500 adults between December 2020 and mid-May 2021, and more than 811,600 test results from 358,983 adults between mid-May and 1 August 2021 (the period of Delta’s domination).

The UK findings on peak virus levels after Delta infections in vaccinated people echoed data from a small study cited by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) last month. The agency indicated those findings had underpinned its decision to recommend that people wear masks in some indoor settings, regardless of their vaccination status, especially in areas of “substantial or high” virus transmission.

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Zoning of STEP community enhancement groups has helped maximise productivity

BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, August 18, 2021 (S.T.E.P.) — The Skills Training Empowerment Programme (STEP) has an obligation to ensure the country is at its best at all times in terms of cleanliness, and has been fulfilling this mandate by using interns who are attached to community enhancement groups that are spread out around the country.

“Recently, the STEP has had reasons to zone all the community enhancement groups to maximise productivity,” said STEP Field Operations Manager, Mr William Phillip. “What used to happen in the past is that in every community/village there was a community enhancement group of STEP interns.”

It was however found out that persons on the community groups would be from the community itself and were not willing to move out of their community to work elsewhere. This disadvantaged the STEP, as when persons completed their task in the village, they would have nothing else to do and would just hang around for the rest of the day.

“What we have done recently to maximise productivity and to get more from the workers, we have sought to zone all different communities,” explained Mr Phillip. “At present we have four zones in St. Kitts. We started with Zone Two, which stretches from Boyd’s, Challengers, Old Road, Sandy Point, goes down to Newton Ground and into St. Paul’s.”

Before the zoning, the area had six community enhancement groups, one each in Boyd’s, Challengers, Newton Ground, and St. Paul’s while Sandy Point had two community enhancement groups. But following the zoning, Zone Two now has three community enhancement groups.

The groups in Newton Ground and St. Paul’s were combined to make one group, the two groups in Sandy Point were combined to make another group, while the groups in Challengers and Old Road were combined into one group. The zone is headed by a Zonal Field Officer, while each group has a Supervisor, and an Assistant Supervisor.

“We have seen an increase in productivity,” pointed out Mr Phillip. “For instance if there is an activity to be done in Sandy Point, close by Newton Ground, we can move one of the groups of that zone which will give us more manpower to complete both Sandy Point and Newton Ground and St. Paul’s in a shorter period of time.”

  • STEP Field Operations Manager, Mr William Phillip (left) with STEP Zonal Field Officer, Mrs Dawn Hodge-Percival, Ms Janice Richardson, Ms Gillian Dasent, Ms Leesha Huggins, and Mr Theophelos Browne.
  • From left: Assistant Supervisor Ms Jewel Pelle, STEP Field Operations Manager Mr William Phillip, Supervisor Mr Thriscan Hendrickson, and STEP Senior Field Officer Mr Damian Weekes.
  • Members of STEP Community Enhancement Groups from Sandy Point and Newton Ground/St. Paul’s working on the Sandy Point Methodist Churchyard.
  • Members of STEP Community Enhancement Group made up teams from Challengers and Old Road working on the Bronte Welsh Primary Schoolyard.

Recently Mr Phillip paid a visit to Zone Two, starting at Sandy Point, where he found the two groups (combined St. Paul’s and Newton Ground groups and combined Sandy Point groups) working on the Sandy Point Methodist churchyard, where he met the Zonal Field Officer Mrs Dawn Hodge-Percival with the two groups. He later visited the Bronte Welsh Primary School in Boyd’s where the combined Boyd’s and Challengers group was working in the schoolyard.

“So that is one of the advantages that we have gotten by with the combination of those groups into zones – more productivity,” he pointed out. “We know we are in a better position to utilise our equipment, weed eaters and such like, and better planning for our field officers who in the past had to visit six groups in one day.”

At the Sandy Point Methodist churchyard, were supervisors Ms Janice Richardson for the Sandy Point Community Enhancement Group, and Mr Theophelos Browne for the St. Paul’s/Newton Ground Community Enhancement Group. Their respective Assistant Supervisors were Ms Leesha Huggins, and Ms Gillian Dasent.

“After the zoning was done we ended up with three groups in Zone Two and it has been a good combination working together in different areas,” said STEP Zonal Field Officer Mrs Dawn Hodge-Percival. “We do more in less time as we have more persons working, and we are grateful for that.”

Giving an example of what was taking place at the Methodist churchyard in Sandy Point, Mrs Hodge-Percival noted that what would have taken splinter groups two or even three days was finished in just one day. Previously it would have been hard to bring the four splinter groups together which as a result made supervision a difficult task.

At the Bronte Welsh Primary School, the third group in Zone Two covering Challengers and Old Road was led by its supervisor, Mr Thriscan Hendrickson, and Assistant Supervisor, Ms Jewell Pelle. Also present was STEP Senior Field Officer Mr Damian Weekes.

Mr Hendrickson observed that the combined group achieves more at any given task, which has in return brought satisfaction both to the STEP interns and community members they are serving.

The other STEP zones on the island of St. Kitts are: Zone One which covers the areas from West Farm to Bird Rock, including St. Peter’s, Keys and Conaree; Zone Three which covers the area from Dieppe Bay to Mansion including Parsons Ground, Saddlers, and Tabernacle; and Zone Four which covers the area from Phillips to Cayon, including Molineux, Christ Church and Ottley’s.

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Biden Plan for US Corona Booster Shots Hit by International Criticism

Global health advocates are pushing back on the Biden administration’s anticipated plans to start offering Americans a booster dose of coronavirus vaccine, arguing it will only deepen global inequalities.

Advocates argue that the evidence on boosters is not strong enough to justify wide-scale use and the U.S. needs to focus its attention on sending more doses abroad in order to stop the pandemic from worsening.

“Low-income countries still don’t have enough vaccines to give a single dose to even their most vulnerable people,” said Jenny Ottenhoff, senior policy director of global health and education at the ONE Campaign.

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“This is just one more step that our government is taking that will widen the gap between the haves and the have-nots. And this is not just some moral stain on wealthy nations; it’s really prolonging the pandemic for the entire world,” she added.

Biden officials are set to formally announce as early as Wednesday a plan to provide booster doses of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines to ensure lasting protection for Americans amid the highly contagious delta variant.

The move would represent a rapid shift in policy for the administration, which for months has been trying to tamp down a push for booster doses.

Just more than 50 percent of Americans are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, and while the pace of vaccinations has been increasing in recent weeks, millions are not vaccinated and have no interest in rolling up their sleeves.

Officials have tried to walk a fine line: They want to make sure the U.S. is prepared for any future COVID-19 complications while also prioritizing reaching the remaining unvaccinated.

The White House has also promised to be a world leader in donating the vaccine abroad, including purchasing and donating 500 million doses of the one manufactured by Pfizer and BioNtech.

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Federal officials have said 200 million of those doses will be delivered by the end of this year and the remaining 300 million will be delivered in the first half of 2022.

On Tuesday, the White House announced the first recipients: About 188,000 doses of the 500 million would be sent to Rwanda, along with an additional 300,000 doses from the existing U.S. supply.

President Biden and administration officials have also touted the fact that the U.S. has donated far more doses than other wealthy nations combined.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Tuesday said it was a “false choice” that the U.S. would be unable to provide boosters domestically while also donating doses abroad.

“The U.S. is far and away the biggest contributor to the global supply. We will continue to be the arsenal for vaccines around the world. We also have enough supply and have long planned for enough supply should a booster be needed for the eligible population,” Psaki said.

Ottenhoff said she thinks Psaki is right and that the U.S. has the doses to spare.

“I think more than most countries, the United States is in a good position to do this,” Ottenhoff said.

“What the world really needs right now is leadership. That’s what’s been sorely missing since day one of this pandemic,” Ottenhoff continued. “Most countries have been looking inward and haven’t been really cooperating across global borders … and I think the Biden administration is really well positioned to play that role right now.”

Still, the number of doses shared by the U.S. falls far short of the billions of doses needed to vaccinate the rest of the world.

“Whether boosters are administered or not, more doses urgently need to be redistributed and allocated to health care workers and high-risk populations in low- and middle-income countries in order to vaccinate the world and end this pandemic,” Carrie Teicher, program director at Doctors Without Borders USA, said in an emailed statement.

The group has called on the U.S. to not only donate more doses in the short term but also put pressure on drug companies to share vaccine technology globally and scale up production in low- and middle-income countries.

The U.S. would not be the first country to move ahead with booster shots. Israel launched its first-in-the-world booster campaign two weeks ago, targeting Israelis over the age of 50 who received their second Pfizer dose more than five months ago. France and Germany have both approved booster doses for vulnerable populations beginning this fall.

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The World Health Organization (WHO) has called for a halt to booster shots in wealthy nations, at least through September, as poor countries struggle with access to vaccines.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus earlier this month said richer countries have administered about 100 doses of coronavirus vaccines for every 100 people on average, while low-income countries — hampered by short supplies — have provided only about 1.5 doses per 100 people.

“We cannot, and we should not, accept countries that have already used most of the global supply of vaccines using even more of it, while the world’s most vulnerable people remain unprotected,” Tedros said.

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World View: Afghanistan Latest, Refugee Crisis, California Fires, Hong Kong Arrests, More

Aug 18, 2021

The Associated Press

The Rundown

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KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The Taliban have blown up the statue of a Shiite militia leader who had fought against them during Afghanistan’s civil war in the 1990s, according to photos circulating on social media Wednesday….Read More

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HONG KONG (AP) — Four members of a Hong Kong university student union were arrested Wednesday on accusations of advocating terrorism when they paid tribute to an attacker who stabbed a police officer and then killed himse…Read More

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GRIZZLY FLATS, Calif. (AP) — A wildfire raged through a small Northern California forest town Tuesday, burning dozens of homes as dangerously dry and windy weather also continued to fuel other massive blazes and prompted …Read More

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DALLAS (AP) — Pleas for help from Afghans have been filling up Caroline Clarin’s phone for days as she works from her rural Minnesota home and tries to provide hope to those who ping heart-wrenching messages of desperatio…Read More

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L’ASILE, Haiti (AP) — The problems in Haiti may be summed up by the public hospital in L’Asile, deep in a remote stretch of countryside in the nation’s southwest area. Here, a full four days after a powerful earthquake hi…Read More

OTHER TOP STORIES

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Taliban have agreed to allow “safe passage” from Afghanistan for civilians struggling to join a U.S.-directed airlift from the capital, President Joe Bid…Read More

Federal officials are extending into January a requirement that people on airline flights and public transportation wear face masks to limit the spread of COVID-19. The Transp…Read More

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis is adding his voice to a campaign to overcome vaccine skepticism, issuing a public service announcement insisting that vaccines are safe, effective…Read More

TERMEZ, Uzbekistan (AP) — When Sami Elbigi heard about the Taliban’s advance towards Mazar-e-Sharif, a city in northern Afghanistan that has been the main hub of anti-Taliban …Read More

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Israel Data: Covid Vaccine Weakens Over Time, Need for Booster Shots-World Stats

US National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins said that data from Israel on vaccine effectiveness waning over time helps show the need for booster shots eight months after initial vaccination.

Collins’s comments largely confirmed what was first reported by The New York Times late Monday night, that the Biden administration is poised to recommend booster shots after eight months.

“As you may have seen from the information overnight, the notion is to encourage boosters eight months after initial vaccinations,” Collins said on “The Hugh Hewitt Show.”

Looking at data from Israel, “unsurprisingly, vaccine protection does gradually wane over time,” Collins said.

“And so in the Israeli data the people who got immunized in January are the ones that are now having more breakthrough cases,” he added. “Mostly of course these are symptomatic but not serious, but you’re starting to see a little bit of a trend towards some of those requiring hospitalization.”

Collins said officials, who have been meeting “almost daily,” are also reviewing U.S. data.

Biden walks fine line on vaccine mandates

The Biden administration is walking a fine line on vaccine requirements, as it encourages employers to mandate shots for their workers but stops short of promoting other measures.

The White House, in an effort to boost a vaccination rate that has slowed from its April peak, has praised businesses that are mandating vaccinations for employees. Those steps in the private sector largely followed President Biden’s requirement last month that federal workers get vaccinated or submit to regular testing.

But there are several far-reaching measures Biden could impose — and that some experts are calling for. So far, the president has decided against implementing the kind of requirements implemented by U.S. allies.

Among them:

  • Requiring vaccines for air travelers, as Canada announced on Friday
  • Giving a full-throated call for more cities to follow New York and San Francisco’s lead in requiring proof of vaccination for activities like indoor dining.

“I think he’s leaving a lot of effective tools on the table,” Lawrence Gostin, a public health law expert at Georgetown University, said of Biden, while giving him “high marks” for his actions on vaccines for federal workers.

Pressure ramps up: Over 100 lawmakers ask FDA about timeline for vaccines for children

A group of more than 100 House lawmakers on Tuesday sent a letter to the FDA asking for an update on its timeline on authorizing COVID-19 vaccines for children, given the current “alarming” situation.

“As transmission rates increase and schools reopen for in-person instruction, parents need to know when their kids will be able to get vaccinated,” states the letter, led by Reps. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Katie Porter (D-Calif.).

The lawmakers wrote that they “respect the scientific process and the FDA’s dedication to safety,” but say that the current rise in cases due to the delta variant adds urgency to the situation.

They request a briefing from the FDA within 10 days on its timeline and where it is in the process of reviewing data from vaccines for children under 12.

“The current situation is alarming for parents, whose children ages 2-11 will be in months of school without vaccinations available,” the lawmakers wrote.

What’s happening: Attention has been rising on the lack of vaccines for children under 12 as schools go back into session and the number of cases rise among children, though outcomes are still generally seen as less severe for them.

Read more here.

WHO warns Afghanistan’s collapse could worsen coronavirus crisis

The World Health Organization (WHO) warned Tuesday that the collapse of Afghanistan’s government could worsen the COVID-19 crisis as people are displaced amid the Taliban’s takeover.

The chaos in Afghanistan following the U.S. withdrawal of troops has sparked fear among diplomats and citizens seeking to flee the country, making coronavirus precautions difficult to maintain, WHO spokesperson Tarik Jasarevic said during a United Nations briefing.

“Obviously, when we have situations with people on the move, these individual and collective measures are difficult to put in place and thus increases the risk of COVID-19 but other infectious diseases as well,” Jasarevic said.

The pandemonium at Kabul’s international airport is also “delaying urgently needed” health supplies, he said, noting that “disruption to health services can have a dire” effect.

“The ongoing conflict is setting a heavy toll on the already fragile health system in Afghanistan that has been facing a shortage of essential medical supplies and equipment in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Jasarevic said.

At the same time, COVID-19 vaccinations have slowed in the country, Jasarevic noted, saying he hopes they pick up again “depending on the security situation.”

Read more here.

Masks are back: National Park Service reinstates mask mandate in buildings, crowded public spaces

The National Park Service on Monday reinstated mask requirements, ordering visitors at national parks around the country to don face coverings when they are inside buildings or in crowded outdoor spaces.

According to the National Park Service, the requirement will apply to all park-goers, regardless of their vaccination status.

“Visitors to national parks are coming from locations across the country, if not across the world,” National Park Service Deputy Director Shawn Benge said in a press release.

“Because of this, and recognizing that the majority of the United States is currently in substantial or high transmission categories, we are implementing a service-wide mask requirement to ensure our staff and visitors’ safety,” Benge added.

“Masking in addition to being vaccinated will help prevent the spread of new variants and protect those who are more at risk of severe disease,” Capt. Maria Said, an epidemiologist in the National Park Service Office of Public Health, said. “This simple act of kindness allows us to be safe while we continue to enjoy the benefits of our national parks.”

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WORLD STATS

Coronavirus Cases:

209,424,691

Deaths:

4,395,337

Recovered:

187,705,765
Highlighted in green
= all cases have recovered from the infection
Highlighted in grey
= all cases have had an outcome (there are no active cases)

[back to top ↑]

Archived:

January 2020 – February 2020

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Harry & Meghan Respond to World Crises, Urge Support for Charities

The statement relates to a number of ongoing issues around the world including the Taliban’s takeover over Afghanistan, the Haiti earthquake and the ongoing global coronavirus health crisis.

Since stepping back as senior royals the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been living in the US.

The couple explained how they are left “speechless” and “heartbroken” by what is going on in the world and urged people to put their “values into action”.

“The world is exceptionally fragile right now,” a statement on the Archewell website read.

“As we all feel the many layers of pain due to the situation in Afghanistan, we are left speechless.

“As we all watch the growing humanitarian disaster in Haiti, and the threat of it worsening after last weekend’s earthquake, we are left heartbroken.

“And as we all witness the continuing global health crisis, exacerbated by new variants and constant misinformation, we are left scared.”

The continued: “When any person or community suffers, a piece of each of us does so with them, whether we realize it or not. And though we are not meant to live in a state of suffering, we, as a people, are being conditioned to accept it. It’s easy to find ourselves feeling powerless, but we can put our values into action — together.

“To start, we encourage you to join us in supporting a number of organizations doing critical work. We also urge those in positions of global influence to rapidly advance the humanitarian dialogues that are expected to take place this fall at multilateral gatherings such as the U.N. General Assembly and the G20 Leaders’ Summit.

“As an international community, it is the decisions we make now — to alleviate suffering among those we know and those we may never meet — that will prove our humanity.”

The statement was followed by images of their signatures “Harry & Meghan”.

Charity support for Aghanistan, Haiti and Covid

The couple then urged people to support charity organisations doing work around the world.

Charities listed by the couple include World Central Kitchen, Women for Afghan Women and Invictus.

The couple’s not-for-profit Archewell organisation said it was supporting the emergency response in Haiti with its partner World Central Kitchen, and highlighted other organisations such as Women for Afghan Women, Afghanaid, Mercy Corps and Invictus.

Archewell, which was set up by Harry and Meghan after their exit from the working monarchy, vowed to support the military who served in Afghanistan, and the Afghan people.

To find out more visit the Archewell website.

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Earthquake: US Has No Plan To Send Troops to Haiti

WASHINGTON, Aug 17 (Reuters) – The United States has no current plans to deploy U.S. military personnel to Haiti after an earthquake that killed at least 1,900 people, U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Tuesday.

Sullivan told reporters it was too early to gauge the impact of the earthquake on Haiti’s political process, and U.S. officials were in the process of assessing that.

He said the main focus now was getting a team from the U.S. Agency for International Development “out and active” to address the disaster, and that U.S. Coast Guard elements and U.S. Southern Command were providing logistical support for the emergency response.

Reporting by Steve Holland and Andrea Shalal Editing by Chris Reese

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Leading Cuban Dissident Ordered to Serve 4 Year Prison Sentence

HAVANA, Aug 17 (Reuters) – Cuba has revoked the right to home detention of leading dissident Jose Daniel Ferrer and ordered him to serve the remaining 4 years of a sentence for assault in prison, sparking criticism that the order was politically motivated.

Ferrer, leader of the Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU), one of the Communist-run country’s largest and most active opposition groups, was arrested in October 2019 on charges of abducting and assaulting a man.

He denied the charges but was convicted in February 2020, with his 4 1/2 year prison sentence commuted to house arrest two months later under international pressure.

At the time, Cuba called Ferrer a U.S.-financed counter-revolutionary but said he was not arrested for his political views. Critics said the government invents in common crimes to impute to its opponents that it can silence them while claiming not to have political prisoners.

Ferrer told Reuters he would not comply with one of the conditions of his house arrest: that he refrain from political activism.

On July 11, he was arrested as he attempted to join a protest in his eastern city of Santiago de Cuba, that was part of an unprecedented wave of anti-government protests nationwide, and held in “preventative prison” on charges of public disorder.

Since then, relatives say they have not been able to speak to him or visit him. This week they shared a court document dated Aug. 12 showing authorities had determined Ferrer had contravened the terms for his right to home detention for his previous conviction.

As such, he should stay in prison to serve the remaining 4 years and 14 days of his original sentence, according to the document.

“This is absolutely motivated by politics, not the law, he didn’t commit any crime, they just don’t want him on the streets of Cuba because they are afraid,” said Ferrer’s sister Ana Belkis Ferrer.

Rights activists say authorities have used the wave of detentions in the wake of the July 11 protests to silence some of the country’s most charismatic opponents.

The government blames the protests on counter-revolutionaries backed by its old and much larger foe the United States, that has long openly sought to force political change on the island.

Ferrer’s relatives say they are worried about his health, especially as he had vowed to go on a hunger strike if he were detained on July 11 but has been incommunicado since.

“No-one has been able to speak to Jose Daniel, not even by phone,” said Ferrer’s sister. “It’s a constant uncertainty.”

Ferrer was one of 75 dissidents arrested in 2003 during a nationwide crackdown known as the Black Spring. He was released on parole in 2011 and soon after formed UNPACU.

Reporting by Sarah Marsh; Editing by Michael Perry

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