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Antigua cancels HIV tests due to COVID-19

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Antigua has halted testing people for HIV and this decision is being blamed on the COVID-19 pandemic.

HIV AIDS Programme Manager  Delcora Williams says in order to adhere to social distancing requirements, no HIV tests are being conducted by the HIV clinic until further notice.

“An HIV test is a very intimate thing,” Williams said. 

“The counsellor sits on one end of the table and the individual sits on the other. There’s not even a distance of two to three feet separating the person accessing services, so therefore that service cannot be offered at this moment.”

Williams said people can still access condoms and the clinic continues to provide patients with care and treatment.

In recent weeks health authorities in several countries have been expressing concern that the COVID-19 pandemic could lead to increased STD rates and setbacks in the fight against HIV as public health resources are shifted to the coronavirus response.

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Access to STD and HIV testing and treatment services have been dwindling as local health departments shuffle staff to respond to COVID-19 and clinics reduce hours or close altogether and cancel outreach programs.

“We are seeing a complete disruption to STD prevention here in the United States,” said David Harvey, executive director of the National Coalition of STD Directors (NCSD). 

“We expect to experience even higher STD rates as a result.”

Harvey said specialists who work at local health departments tracking STDs and other infectious diseases are being reassigned to the COVID-19 response.

These specialists would typically contact people who have tested positive for STDs and HIV, make sure they’re getting treatment and interview them confidentially about who they have had sexual contact with to ensure those individuals also get testing and treatment. 

Other staff, including doctors and nurses, have also been redeployed to the COVID-19 response. Clinics are reducing hours and limiting appointments, no longer accepting walk-in patients, reducing services or suspending outreach activities.

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11 responses to “Antigua cancels HIV tests due to COVID-19”

  1. How can you cancel HIV test due to Covid -19? Is there a correlation? Do they now have to use the same things to test for Covid? Are they erring on the side of caution? Let me go read see.

  2. I thought the article heading was misleading but I read the article and it jus have me baffled how is testing hiv an “very intimate thing” ?

    • In addition, is not the reopening of barber shops and hair dresser salons also intimate?

  3. They cancelled HIV testing because if you tested positive for COVID-19 you would 100% test positive for HIV and vice versa. They don’t want you to know that.

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST

(CONSULTING SERVICES – INDIVIDUAL SELECTION)

 

OECS MSME Guarantee Facility Project

Loan No.: IDA-62670, IDA-62660, IDA-62640, IBRD-88830, IDA-62650

Assignment Title: Senior Operating Officer (SOO)

Reference No. KN-ECPCGC-207852-CS-INDV

 

The Governments of Antigua and Barbuda, Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines have received financing in the amount of US$10 million equivalent from the World Bank towards the cost of establishing a partial credit guarantee scheme, and they intend to apply part of the proceeds to payments for goods, and consulting services to be procured under this project. 

The consultant will serve as the “Senior Operating Officer (SOO)” for the ECPCGC and should possess extensive knowledge of MSME lending with some direct experience lending to Micro, small and medium-sized businesses, knowledge of the internal control processes necessary for a lending operation and the ability to design and implement risk mitigation procedures. The ideal candidate should possess an Undergraduate Degree from a reputable college or university, preferably in Business, Accounting, Banking or related field, with a minimum of 5 years’ experience in lending, inclusive of MSME lending. The initial employment period will be for two years on a contractual basis. Renewal of the contract will be subject to a performance evaluation at the end of the contractual period. The assignment is expected to begin on September 30th, 2021.  The consultant will report directly to the Chief Executive Officer of the ECPCGC.

The detailed Terms of Reference (TOR) for the assignment can be viewed by following the attached link below. 

 

https://bit.ly/3iVannm

 

The Eastern Caribbean Partial Credit Guarantee Corporation (ECPCGC) now invites eligible “Consultants” to indicate their interest in providing the Services. Interested Consultants should provide information demonstrating that they have:

  • An Undergraduate Degree from a reputable college or university, preferably in Business, Finance, Banking or related field; and
  • Minimum of 5 years’ experience in MSME lending. Applicants should also have:
  • The ability to design and implement risk management procedures 
  • Extensive knowledge of MSME lending with some direct experience lending to small and medium-sized businesses
  • Extensive knowledge of MSME banking operations
  • Knowledge of the internal controls necessary for a lending operation and the ability to design and implement risk management procedures
  • Experience developing and presenting information in public, including responding to questions in real-time
  • Experience lending to MSMEs located in the ECCU
  • Knowledge of marketing and communicating with the MSME sector
  • Ability to draft procedures to be used in a lending operation
  • Familiarity with the mechanics of a loan guarantee program
  • Exceptional written, oral, interpersonal, and presentation skills, and
  • Proficiency in the use of Microsoft Office suite.

The attention of interested Individual Consultants is drawn to Section III, Paragraphs 3.14, 3.16, and 3.17 of the World Bank’s Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers July 2016, [revised November 2017] (“Procurement Regulations”), setting forth the World Bank’s policy on conflict of interest. A Consultant will be selected in accordance with the Approved Selection Method for Individual Consultants set out in the clause 7.34 of the World Bank Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers. 

 

Further information can be obtained at the address below during office hours 0800 to 1700 hours:

Eastern Caribbean Partial Credit Guarantee Corporation

Brid Rock, Basseterre,

St. Kitts.

Expressions of interest must be delivered in a written form by e-mail by August 11th, 2021, to [email protected]

 

For further information, please contact:

Carmen Gomez-Trigg                                                            Bernard Thomas

Chief Executive Officer                                                          Chief Financial Officer

Tel: 868-620-8144                                                                  Tel: 869-765-2385

Email: [email protected]                                          [email protected]