TTMA IN THE NEWS
Vaccine drive in Central continues despite bad weather
Although the country was under an adverse weather alert yesterday, with torrential rainfall for most of the day, vaccination at the Divali Nagar site in Chaguanas continued unhindered, as thousands of people showed up for their second jab of the Sinopharm vaccine. Trinidad and Tobago Manufacturers’ Association (TTMA) president Tricia Coosal said the association was hoping to administer 5,000 second doses yesterday. “Despite the rain and the weather conditions, we are seeing a constant flow at the Divali Nagar today, we were very pleased with that - it shows that the citizens understand the need to get vaccinated,” Coosal said. Read more here
NEWS
Third case of delta strain in Trinidad and Tobago
A third person has been found to be infected with the virulent delta strain of the covid19 virus, the Ministry of Health said in a statement on Sunday. It said, "The patient is a recently returned national who travelled to Trinidad from Turks and Caicos, transiting through Florida. As per existing quarantine protocols, the national provided a negative PCR test, which was taken 72-hours prior to arrival. The national was immediately placed into state-supervised quarantine, as per the protocol for unvaccinated adults. Read more here
POLITICS
Browne: India has given much to the world
Foreign and Caricom Affairs Minister Dr Amery Browne congratulated the government and people of India on the 75th anniversary of India's independence on Sunday. In a post on his Facebook page, Browne said, "Happy and Blessed 75th Independence Day to the Government and People of the Republic of India." He added, "You have given much to the world, and still the potential seems limitless. With sincere best wishes for health, partnership, prosperity, and further contribution to the international community." Read more here
Ministers going into prisons for vaccine education drive
Minister of National Security Fitzgerald Hinds has described the COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among law enforcement and national security personnel as preposterous. Hinds’ remarks came on the heels of Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley’s expressed disappointment at the low levels of vaccination among members of the T&T Defence Force, T&T Police Service and T&T Prison Service, including its officers and inmates. Speaking with Guardian Media yesterday, Hinds said law enforcement officers are adults who are hopefully learned, educated and logical. Read more here
BUSINESS
T&T working to meet climate commitments
The Ministry of Planning and Development is working with the country’s refrigeration and air-conditioning (RAC) industry to reduce the emission of harmful greenhouse gases. In a news release, the ministry said Trinidad and Tobago recently received approval from the Global Environmental Facility to implement a US$5.152 million grant-funded project in the refrigeration and air- conditioning sector meant to tackle climate change, disaster mitigation and more specifically ozone depletion in Trinidad and Tobago. Read more here
REGIONAL
Gov’t rejects malicious statements at Coalition-supported rally
The Government of Guyana has rejected the malicious statements delivered at a march and rally titled “Anti-PPP Racism March & Rally” held in Brooklyn, New York on Sunday. The rally was organised by the Guyanese Organisations Against Racism (GOAR). “We note the numerous malicious and false claims made by several Members of Parliament, Regional representatives and other persons associated with the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) political party. We wish to place on record that we reject ALL the statements delivered at today’s march and rally. The APNU continues to propagate racial division and tension in Guyana and in the diaspora through the dissemination of inaccurate information about the Government of Guyana, and, by extension, the People’s Progressive Party. These attacks are mere desperation by the APNU who, one year later, refuses to accept the results of the 2020 General Elections, needless to say, after a lengthy court battle,” the government said in a statement. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Haiti earthquake: Rescuers search for survivors as death toll climbs to 1,297
Officials in Haiti have confirmed at least 1,297 people are dead after a powerful 7.2-magnitude earthquake hit the Caribbean nation on Saturday. Rescuers are picking through rubble in a desperate search for any survivors. Homes, churches and schools were among buildings flattened in the quake. Some hospitals were left overwhelmed and in need of supplies. An unknown number of people are missing and about 5,700 have been injured, officials say. The disaster compounds problems facing the impoverished nation, which is already reeling from a political crisis following the assassination of its president last month. The south-west of Haiti appears to have suffered the worst of the damage, especially around the city of Les Cayes. Read more here
16th August 2021