Covid-19 impact in the Caribbean
Covid-19 Impact
- Pan American Health Organization Director Carissa F. Etienne said the severe shortage of COVID-19 vaccines in Latin America and the Caribbean is a “wake-up call” for increased regional production of vaccines and announced the start of a new platform to reach that goal.
- The World Health Organization is starting a program to manufacture vaccines in Latin America and the Caribbean. The move aims to address global inequalities in vaccine access, an issue that “remains the Achilles’ heel” of the pandemic fight, said Etienne. Vaccines produced by the program are to be distributed to countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, a region where an average of only 23 percent of the population has been fully vaccinated so far, reports the New York Times.
- Covid-19 is having a more devastating effect on many Caribbean economies than natural disasters in recent times -- Media Institute of the Caribbean
- International vaccine inequality likely played a role in the second wave of Covid-19 infections in Trinidad and Tobago earlier this year, according to a data review in the BMJ that points to the difficulties Caribbean countries have had in procuring vaccines.
- France's government warned of an "extremely serious" Covid-19 crisis in the country's overseas territories, especially in the Caribbean. Martinique tightened the lockdown already in place and told tourists to leave while similar measures were also expected on Guadeloupe, a huge economic blow to the Caribbean islands, reports AFP.
- Medical staff in St. Vincent and the Grenadines are threatening to strike in response to the government's regulation requiring frontline workers to be vaccinated against Covid-19, reports the Asberth News Network. (See Aug. 10's post.)
- Record numbers of Jamaicans sought Covid-19 vaccines this week, in the midst of weekend lockdowns aimed at containing a surge in infections. (Reuters, Petchary's Blog)
Debt Relief
- Haiti’s crushing debts are hampering its ability to respond to crises, like the recent earthquake that devastated the country's south earlier this month. Large scale debt relief would be a quick and simple way to free up resources for Haiti to address the aftermath of the earthquake. It is also a vital part of creating fiscal space for the country to address the climate crisis, sustainable development and other national needs in the mid and long run. (Jubilee Debt Campaign)
Reparations and Decolonization
- A British citizen has agreed to contribute US$500,000 to the University of West Indies' development fund as reparations for her family’s involvement in slavery. (UWITV)
- Caribbean Labour Solidarity (CLS) has joined the ongoing campaign to Decolonise the Curriculum of the United Kingdom’s constituent nations.
- In Boom and Bust in Puerto Rico journalist A. W. Maldonado charts the rise and fall of the Puerto Rican economy and explains how a litany of bad political and fiscal policy decisions in Washington and Puerto Rico destroyed an economic miracle.
Climate Justice and Energy
- Suriname is in the midst of a severe economic crisis. "With the prospects of a booming oil industry, it is important to approach the current crisis with an eye to the past and examine how earlier Surinamese governments have responded to crises," writes Mavrick Boejoekoe in Global Americans.
- Guyana must offset the environmental impact of its oil wealth with measures to transition to a green economy -- Global Americans.
- Guardians of the land, we the Maya Q'eqchi and Mopan of Belize
Food Security
- Amid a global banana crisis, Puerto Rico’s abundant biodiversity offers a taste of hope, reports the Washington Post.
- Jamaican athlete Shelley-Anne Fraser-Pryce suffered from chronic food insecurity as a child -- Forbes
Culture
- Graphic novelist Edgardo Miranda-Rodriguez is the creator of La Borinqueña, a superhero character who was created as a direct response to the struggles Puerto Ricans were facing after the devastation that Hurricane Maria left behind and the lack of government support -- Remezcla.
Opportunities
- Call for papers: A forthcoming special issue of the journal Environmental Justice will focus on how communities are using law and organizing to reimagine environmental governance from the bottom up.
We welcome comments and critiques on the Caribbean News Updates. You can see the Updates on our website, as well as receive it directly through the mailing list. Thank you for reading.
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