NEWS
Covid19 ICU numbers remain high
High levels of intensive care unit (ICU) occupancy continue to concern the Health Ministry. Principal Medical Officer Dr Maryam Abdool-Richards said 51 of 52 available covid19 ICU beds are occupied, with seven people in accident and emergency wards waiting to be admitted to an ICU. Speaking at the ministry’s covid19 briefing on Wednesday, Abdool-Richards said 50 patients, or 98 per cent, in the ICU were not fully vaccinated. She said there were 24 patients awaiting transfer into the parallel health care system from accident and emergency departments, seven of which needed ICU level care. Read more here
PAHO: 29% of Caricom population at higer risk of severe COVID-19
As several Caribbean countries battle their highest rates of COVID-19 infections and deaths, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) says 29 per cent of the Caricom population is at a higher risk of developing severe strains of the disease. It is a consequence of these Caricom citizens having at least one underlying health condition. At the PAHO’s weekly press briefing on COVID-19 in the Americas yesterday, Incident Manager for COVID-19, Dr Sylvain Aldighieri, said the data shows that comorbidities are a factor associated with severity. He said based on studies, PAHO knows that 22 per cent or approximately 145 million people in Latin America and the Caribbean have underlying health conditions. Read more here
POLITICS
Public Utilities Minister implores: Pay bills to get better service
Minister of Public Utilities Marvin Gonzales is urging the public to pay its utility bills on time to get better quality service. He was speaking at the La Veronica RC Church, Lopinot, on Tuesday at the launch of the Water and Sewerage Authority's (WASA) Community Water Improvement Programme and the commissioning of 100 new LED streetlights. Gonzales said as his ministry continues to grapple with tough financial times, customers must do their part to help utility companies continue their work. Read more here
PM: Supply chain clogs will have ‘very serious’ ripple effect on T&T
Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley yesterday confirmed that the global supply chain clogs at major US and UK ports will have a “very serious” ripple effect on the importation of goods to T&T. “How could we not be impacted? We are a trading country. Much of our life is import/export, so this is very serious for us, as it affects the whole world,” he said in response to questions about the importation of goods into the country as the world continues to be crippled by disrupted supply chains. According to international reports, the ports in Los Angeles are so clogged that up to yesterday, some 200,000 cargo ships were waiting to enter and offload. Read more here
BUSINESS
Electrification, the future of Trinidad and Tobago's car industry
There is no doubt that electrification is at the centre of the automotive industry’s future. Many automakers – including major players like Volvo and General Motors – have already announced that within the next decade or two, the vehicles they manufacture will no longer have internal combustion engines but hybrid or electric motors. These vehicles will have less of a negative effect on the environment and with no gas bill, they will also have less of a negative effect on the pockets of consumers. Read more here
Award for Angostura
Laventille spirits producer Angostura Ltd has been selected to receive the 2021 award for “Internationally Known...T&T Owned Company of the Year” in the Trinidad and Tobago Chamber’s Champions of Business Awards. Angostura is a household name in Trinidad and Tobago, with its signature Angostura Bitters being not only a flavouring for drinks but an ingredient for a wide variety of local dishes and even a medicinal home remedy, the Chamber said yesterday. Read more here
REGIONAL
Clerk identified for PAC
A new Parliamentary Clerk has been identified to work along with the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), which is slated to be reconvened on Monday, according to Clerk of the National Assembly, Sherlock Isaacs. In a telephone interview on Wednesday, Isaacs said that the PAC Chairman, Jermaine Figueira, has already met with the new Parliamentary Clerk to discuss matters pertinent to the next meeting. “I think they have prepared an agenda,” Isaacs related. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Climate change: Major US oil companies to be quizzed in Congress
Top executives of major Western oil companies are to testify before the US Congress amid accusations that they misled the public about climate change. Democrat lawmakers say the hearings will focus on the industry's decades-long denial of its products' leading role in fuelling climate change. The companies said they hoped to use the hearings to highlight recent efforts to address climate change. This comes just days before the start of the UN's COP26 climate conference. Read more here
28th October 2021