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We must leverage the ‘Commonwealth Advantage’ to counter the economic fallout of COVID-19
By Patricia Scotland The world is bracing for a massive hit to the global economy in the wake of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Experts have warned of a US$1-2 trillion shortfall in global income this year, while world trade could contract by between 13 and 32 per cent. As countries take drastic measures to fight…
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‘I am on the job seven days a week,’ Martin says in response to PM
More than two weeks after Prime Minister Gaston Browne accused Chief Health Inspector, Sharon Martin of being missing in action during the COVID-19 crisis, Martin has fired back. Martin said she is in no way missing in action, as her workday begins way before 6 a.m. each day and, on most occasions, it ends at…
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100% recovery of COVID-19 cases in Saint Lucia, officials say
Saint Lucia has a total of 15 confirmed cases of COVID-19. To date, all the positive cases of COVID-19 in Saint Lucia have recovered, with the remaining two cases who were in isolation receiving negative COVID-19 test results and since discharged from hospital. This now places Saint Lucia at a 100 per cent recovery of…
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Two pet cats in New York test positive for COVID-19
Two pet cats in New York state have tested positive for the coronavirus, marking the first cases in companion animals in the United States, federal officials said Wednesday. The cats, which had mild respiratory illnesses and are expected to recover, are thought to have contracted the virus from people in their households or neighborhoods, the…
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Calvin Ayre Foundation to donate $4M worth of PPE to Antigua
The Calvin Ayre Foundation, a charity organization spearheaded by billionaire businessman Calvin Ayre, has purchased $4 million worth of personal protective equipment (PPE) including N95 face masks, surgical gowns and thermometers for Antigua. “As Antigua and Barbuda and many other small island developing states struggle to protect their citizenry from this highly contagious and deadly…
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2nd wave of coronavirus this winter will be worse, CDC director warns
A second wave of the coronavirus is expected to hit next winter and could strike much harder than the first because it would likely arrive at the start of influenza season, the director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned on Tuesday. “There’s a possibility that the assault of the virus on…
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COVID-19 patients recovering quickly after getting experimental drug remdesivir: report
COVID-19 patients who are getting an experimental drug called remdesivir have been recovering quickly, with most going home in days, STAT News reported Thursday after it obtained a video of a conversation about the trial. The patients taking part in a clinical trial of the drug have all had severe respiratory symptoms and fever, but…
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Minimize alcohol use, avoid drunkenness during COVID-19 pandemic, WHO warns
In a statement posted to the website of the European branch of the World Health Organization, the WHO warns governments that existing restrictions on the availability of alcoholic beverages “should be upheld and even reinforced” in countries that have enacted lockdown-like measures. Statement on WHO site: Alcohol is known to be harmful to health in general,…
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HIV positive people brace for COVID-19
If Mwanyika Thomas had a choice, she would lock herself inside her small home and not venture outside at all. “I have to leave my house to get money for food. But if I didn’t have to, I would never leave,” the 48-year-old said. “I’m very scared of this virus,” she added, referring to the…
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The infectivity of COVID-19: Understanding its virulence
By Eleanor Frederick, MSc, MPH COVID-19 is described as “insidious” because many infected people are well enough to go about their daily business unwittingly spreading the disease to others. The World Health Organization (WHO) has defined four transmission scenarios: No cases Sporadic cases one or more locally or imported Cluster of cases Community transmission COVID-19…