December 22nd, 2020 (KHN)–Vice President Mike Pence was the clear celebrity draw at a Nov. 20 campaign event for Georgia’s two incumbent U.S. senators, Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue. Both Republicans are fighting to keep their seats against two Democratic challengers in the runoff election set for Jan. 5.

People were so eager to see Pence at the rally in Canton, Georgia, that parking spots were scarce and a long line of cars snaked through the parking lot of a community college. Some drivers jumped the curb and parked in the grass.

Hundreds of people, many unmasked, were given temperature checks before boarding large coach buses for a short ride to the rally site. The venue was a large, open space outside the conference center, but few attendees maintained physical distance

The runoff in Georgia was triggered when no candidate in either Senate race won more than 50% of the vote in the general election on Nov. 3.

In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic and with the fate of the Affordable Care Act in question, Republicans hope the two incumbents will win reelection, thus preserving their party’s 50-48 control of the Senate.

But if the two challengers, Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, win their runoffs, Democrats will gain narrow control of the Senate, with Vice President-elect Kamala Harris serving as the designated tie-breaker.

Yana De Moraes came to the rally from another Atlanta suburb, Buford. She is uninsured and, after a recent hospital stay, said the high cost of medical care was weighing on her mind.

“We would like our health care costs lowered, so it could be more affordable,” she said, with a rueful laugh. “So you don’t get another heart attack while you’re getting a bill!”

De Moraes added she’d also like to see better price controls on prescription drugs to stop pharmaceutical companies from “robbing American people.”

Others on their way to the rally said they were looking for any kind of change, ideally one that minimizes government involvement in health care.

Barry Brown made the 40-mile drive from his home in Atlanta for the rally. He’s retired but too young to qualify for Medicare, so he has ACA insurance, which he affords with the help of a federal subsidy.

“It sort of works. It’s better than nothing,” Brown said. “I would like to see an improved health care situation. I don’t know what that will be, so maybe they’ll mention that today. I’m hoping so.”

But at the rally, Loeffler only briefly mentioned her health care plan, which focuses on reducing drug prices and giving people access to insurance options that cost less but offer fewer benefits.

When it was his turn to speak, Perdue didn’t talk much about health care either, though he did take a shot at Obamacare, which he’s voted multiple times to overturn.

“Remember a little thing called the Affordable Care Act? You think that was done bipartisan?” Perdue asked the crowd. “No! It was done with a supermajority! Can you imagine what they’re gonna do if they get control of the Senate?”

As the two Republicans have campaigned throughout the state, they have consistently stoked fears about what Democrats will do, and health care policy has not led their messaging.

Their Democratic challengers, however, have been all over health care in their own speeches.

Warnock opened his runoff campaign to unseat Loeffler with a modestly attended Nov. 12 event devoted to health care. That’s also been a focus for Ossoff in his bid to win Perdue’s seat.

“This is why these Senate runoffs are so vital,” Ossoff explained at a small, physically distanced event in the shadow of the Georgia Capitol building in Atlanta on Nov. 10.

Ossoff and Warnock support adding a public insurance option to the Affordable Care Act. They also have emphasized the role Democrats will play in resurrecting key parts of the law if the U.S. Supreme Court decides to overturn it. The justices are set to make a ruling next year.

“If the Supreme Court strikes down the Affordable Care Act, it will be up to Congress to decide how to legislate such that preexisting conditions remain covered,” Ossoff said.

Voters like Janel Green, a Democrat, connect with that message. She’s from the nearby suburb of Decatur and is fighting breast cancer — for the second time. Green wondered whether her private health insurance might try to deny her coverage if the protections in the ACA disappear.

“I have to worry about whether or not next year in open enrollment that I won’t be discriminated against, that I won’t have limits that would then potentially end my life,” she said.

More than one-quarter of Georgians have preexisting conditions that could make it hard to get coverage if the ACA is struck down, according to an analysis by KFF. (KHN is an editorially independent program of KFF.)

That possibility also drove Atlanta resident Herschel Jones to support the runoff. On a recent weekday morning, he dropped by an Ossoff campaign office to pick up a yard sign.

Jones, who has diabetes, is insured through the Veterans Health Administration. He said everyone deserves access to health care.

“It’s a main issue, because the Affordable Care Act benefits all those individuals who might have preexisting conditions,” Jones said.

One likely reason Ossoff and Warnock are running so much harder on health care than Perdue and Loeffler is because that strategy paid off for Democrats in the general election, said Ken Thorpe, a health policy professor at Emory University.

President-elect Joe Biden can thank independent voters for his win in Georgia, Thorpe said, and they were drawn to him because of his promise to uphold Obamacare.

“The threat of potentially losing health insurance in the midst of this pandemic turned out to be probably the major defining issue in the election,” Thorpe said.

Polling in the days leading up to the Nov. 3 election showed Democrats were motivated on the issues of health care and the coronavirus pandemic.

For Democrats to win Georgia’s Senate seats, Thorpe said, they’ll need to stay focused on those issues. That emphasis could help them attract additional moderate voters, as well as entice those in the party base to cast ballots a second time.

“The health care issue is the probably main motivating factor that’s gonna get Democrats and independents to the polls,” he said.

Still, no Democrat has ever won a statewide runoff race in Georgia. That means that even with a strong health care message, it’ll be tough for Ossoff and Warnock to break that trend and unseat the Republicans, Thorpe said.

This story is from a reporting partnership that includes WABE, NPR and KHN.

 

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December 29th, 2020 (RT)–Argentine President Alberto Fernandez has dismissed fears of using Russia’s Sputnik V to vaccinate the population, arguing that the inoculation fell victim to a smear campaign driven by politics.

Competitors are eager to “discredit each other,” Fernandez told TV Publica in an interview broadcasted on Monday, adding that the coronavirus vaccine market is worth “tens of billions of dollars.”

“A trade war has been unleashed and, as everyone hopes for a vaccine, there is a geopolitical debate about who imposes it.”

“They call it a Russian vaccine and not the Gamaleya vaccine,” Fernandez said, referring to the drug’s developer, the Moscow-based Gamaleya Research Institute.

“There are political sectors that inform or misinform, and use this vaccine as part of their game,” he added, noting how some players are interested in “scaring” the public away from getting a shot and are “sowing doubts.”

“I would not dare to say that one is better than the other. How do you compare? I cared a lot about negotiating with everyone: we are buying vaccines of Covax, of AstraZeneca, we have bought a vaccine from Russia, we continue negotiations with China and we continue the talks with Pfizer, because the truth is that we need vaccines.”

We are waiting for others when we start negotiations, and suddenly – don’t ask me how – we’re apparently sinners for having brought 300,000 doses of vaccine to Argentina, when some other [nations] are asking for any vaccine for their people.

Some shade has been cast on the Russian-made vaccine after documents were leaked to Argentine media reportedly saying that 12 volunteers have had “adverse” side-effects during the trial, among them three volunteers over the age of 60 had suffered from abscesses, abdominal pains, and blood clot.

However, Eduardo Lopez, an infectious disease expert at the Ricardo Gutierrez Children’s Hospital in Buenos Aires, told La Nacion newspaper that such severe symptoms were “almost certainly” not related to the vaccine.

At the present time there is no word as to whether any Caribbean nations will be receiving the Sputnik V vaccine. The most likely recipient would be perhaps be Cuba; however Cuba reports that it is developing its own vaccine, called the Sovereign vaccine, and expects to be immunizing the citizenry in the first half of 2021.

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GEORGETOWN, Guyana–December 29th, 2020–The holiday season is upon us, amidst what has been the deadliest pandemic in a century. Our Caribbean Community (CARICOM), like the rest of the world, has been battered and bruised by the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, said Irwin Larocque, in an end-of-year statement.

However, once again in the face of adversity, the strength of our unity shone forth.

As we relax and reflect during this festive time, we must be thankful that we have been relatively successful in managing the health aspects of the pandemic with 1300 deaths across our Community, a comparatively low figure in the global context.  I extend my deepest sympathies to those who lost loved ones and wish a speedy and full recovery to those afflicted by the virus.

We reaped the benefits of a CARICOM-wide public health approach which was adopted from the very outbreak of the virus, even before a pandemic was declared. Thanks to the hard work of the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA), our lead Institution in the sector, other Regional Institutions, the CARICOM Secretariat and health officials across the Community, all under the guidance of the Heads of Government, we were able to avoid the worst effects.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=icrYYq7i4bQ&feature=oembed

We benefitted from the assistance of a number of countries, with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) also being particularly helpful.

The goal was achieving that delicate balance of ensuring the health and safety of the citizens of the Community on the one hand, while facilitating economic activities on the other.  This has not been an easy balancing act.

As we celebrate during the season, it is imperative that we adhere to the health protocols and maintain the discipline that will relieve the pressure on both the health and economic sectors.

The determination of our Governments and peoples not to be throttled by the pandemic was exemplified by the fact that seven Member States and one Associate Member held general elections.

Issues arose in the aftermath of the Elections in Guyana and the Community responded to the invitation to assist in providing a resolution. This further underlined the spirit of Community that is the hallmark of our integration.

Our Heads of Government, Ministerial Councils and officials ensured that other priority issues apart from the pandemic engaged their attention. Virtual meetings intra-regionally and internationally provided the platform for advancing and protecting the Community’s interests.

Enhancing the involvement of the major stakeholders in the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) received a boost earlier this month when I signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the CARICOM Private Sector Organization Inc. (CPSO). The Organization joined the Caribbean Congress of Labor (CCL) as an Associate Institution of the Community.

These two organizations along with the representative body for civil society are important voices to be heard in advancing the integration movement, particularly the CSME.  Already the CPSO has put forward proposals to boost food security and for economic recovery post COVID-19.

To facilitate that recovery, we have been seeking support from friendly countries for the international financial policy-making bodies to review their eligibility criteria, which bar access to development assistance, grants and concessional financing.  At the level of Heads of Government and our Foreign Ministers, we have advocated strongly for a Universal Vulnerability Index to be used in determining access.

These financial resources would be invaluable to assist in recovery from the pandemic, and the continuing battle to adapt and mitigate the effects of climate change.

As challenging as 2020 has been, we have not lost the vision of what the future can be, as demonstrated by the unity on which our Community has drawn to manage the pandemic.

There is much to celebrate in this joyous season.  Let us make it a truly special and safe holiday season, while looking towards a brighter 2021.

Season’s Greetings to all.

 

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December 29th, 2020–President Mohamed Irfaan Ali urged Guyanese living in Canada to return home to invest as he signaled his Government’s commitment to ensuring an enabling environment for economic prosperity.

The Head of State made his ardent appeal, last evening, via an Internet speech during the feature address at the Guyanese Republic Jubilee Awards Ceremony and Presentation organised by the Guyana Consulate in Canada.

“I want to say to the diaspora, stop doubting yourselves. Many of you call me directly and say I want to come and do this but what if…, what if what? Do not doubt yourselves. In investment there is an element of risk, in business there is an element of risk. In moving from one State to another there is an element of risk, in moving from one country to another there is an element of risk,” President Ali explained.

He accepted that there are areas in which the Government needs to improve in order to create a conducive atmosphere for growth and development.

“We acknowledge the areas in which we have to improve to make you comfortable in an environment you are accustomed to, speed at which you get service; quality of service. We are not hiding from these things. These are things we have to fix and we are fixing.”

The President further encouraged the overseas based Guyanese to be bold and pioneering in their endeavors and promised that they will be welcomed.   “We are in this together. We want you to come. We are waiting on your arrival. We know you are committed; we know you have love for country, take the bold step.”

Meanwhile, the   Head   of   State   also   spoke   about   his   Government’s   economic modernization and infrastructure transformation plans.

“Our Republic is on an upward trajectory. We are constructing a more modern, diversified and resilient economy.” He said that although Guyana is now an oil-producing state, the country is still looking to diversify.

“The traditional sectors – rice, sugar, forestry, bauxite and gold mining are important to wealth creation, employment generation and income distribution.”

In this regard, the President noted that his Government intends to modernize and grow the aforementioned sectors and is especially committed to reviving the sugar industry in a “smarter manner” by moving production up the value-chain and by diversifying the industry.

A modern economy, President Ali said, which is capable of rebounding from internal and external shocks requires transformative infrastructure. He pointed to the developmental plans in place, including: the completion of the East Coast Demerara Highway; the resurfacing of the East Coast Railway Embankment from Sheriff Street to Enmore; the remodeling of the Linden to Lethem Highway and work on the Linden to Mabura Hill section.

The President also pointed to the construction of a road link between Ogle and Diamond, the development of a four-lane highway between Georgetown and Timehri, a road link between Parika and Rockstone and a new high-span bridge across the Demerara River, which he estimates will be completed before the end of 2024.

“We are working with the Republic of Suriname to bridge the Corentyne River and to create a corridor which will link French Guiana and Suriname to the East of Guyana and thence southwards to Brazil and other continental states.”

The Head of State added that a deep-water harbor, a new international airport at Lethem, industrial parks and free-trade zones will integrate Guyana’s economy with more powerful markets and convert the country into a major economic hub in the Western Hemisphere.

Additionally, a mix of energy projects including solar, wind and natural gas will also help to ensure energy security and reduce the cost of energy by 50%, which is expected to stimulate and boost the competitiveness of Guyana’s manufacturing sector.

President Ali also explained that included in the “transformation and transportation restructuring” is an upgrade of the maritime transit, which will see investments in new boats and ferries to the Northwest, and along the Essequibo and Berbice rivers.

Air Transport is also essential to the transportation plan.  The President noted that his Government has “renegotiated and we were able to get back two additional bridges for our airport, more commercial space, and have the contractor agree to complete a full rehabilitation of the front of the airport, all at no cost to the government.”

He said that the Government has launched an aggressive marketing campaign to encourage airlifts to Guyana, with the aim of presenting the country as an air transport hub for South America.

“We have got tremendous traction. Unfortunately, with all the work we have been doing we have not been able to break into the Canadian market, but I assure you, I am confident that within the very near future we will have very good news for the Canadian market and Canadians in terms of air transport for Guyana.”

President Ali used the opportunity to remind the diaspora of the planned housing program that is aimed at providing 50,000 house lots within the next five years, with more than 3,000 already being distributed in the past week.

There are plans in the pipeline to also improve the delivery of education by increasing its access and expanding information technology initiatives.

“We are creating a 21st century education system. The One Laptop Per Family Initiative will be reintroduced in the coming year. We are providing 20,000 scholarships. We hope to provide free education at the University of Guyana by the end of 2024. In our Emergency Budget for 2020, we made provisions for doubling the uniform allowance and increasing, by 50%, the cash grant per student from $10,000 to $15,000. We are committed to increasing this by almost 300% in the coming years.”

Additionally, he reminded his audience of Government’s plans to advance the country’s health system with a strong focus on primary healthcare and intensified support to the vulnerable including the elderly, children, women and persons with disabilities.

“Guyana will roar again. Our Republic will become stronger and more resilient. I want to thank all of you for your interest in developments back home. I want to encourage you to play your part in the transformative process which is taking place.

Guyana needs all hands on deck, including the members of the Diaspora who possess the skills and the resources which are needed to fulfil our ambitions over the next ten years.”

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BASSETERRE, St. Kitts –- His Excellency Sir S.W. Tapley Seaton, GCMG, CVO, QC, JP, LL.D has received the following message from Mahmoud Abbas, President of the State of Palestine and Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organisation.

“A warm greeting,
“On behalf of the State of Palestine, its people, and on my own behalf, we are pleased to extend to your Excellency and through you to your government and your friendly people.

“Our most sincere and heartfelt felicitations on the occasion of the auspicious celebrations of the Holy Christmas and the New Year 2021, wishing your country, your people, and all the nations of the world peace and prosperity.

“Please accept, Your Excellency, our best wishes of health, happiness and success.”

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BASSETERRE, St. Kitts — Members of the Special Services Unit (SSU) successfully intercepted a recovering COVID-19 patient who was attempting to leave the country on December 26.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the guest called a certified taxi operator using a fake name and left the hotel without properly checking out. The guest, who is a citizen of and resides in the United States, was in isolation at the hotel.

After receiving information that the guest had left for the airport, the SSU responded appropriately attired in full personal protective equipment. The individual was found in the departure lounge at the Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport.

The patient was escorted to a government-designated quarantine site and is under the supervision of the security forces and members of the Compliance Task Force.

The Ministry of Health and the Police are continuing investigations into the matter. Criminal charges are likely to be laid.

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