News source – CMC
At least four Caribbean Community (CAICOM) countries on Friday reported deaths associated with the coronavirus (COVID-19) as regional countries continue to implement measures aimed at curbing the spread of the global pandemic that has killed 947,000 people and infected 30.2 million others worldwide.
Jamaican health authorities said the country had recorded four more deaths and 197 new cases in the last 24 hours, bringing the death toll to 56 and the number of confirmed positive cases to 4 571.
The Ministry of Health and Wellness said that three of the deaths were people in their 80’s while the other was that of a 67-year-old woman.
It said of the newly confirmed cases there were 88 males and 107 females with ages ranging from two and a half months to 86 years.
Jamaica political figures, who are still in shock at the death of former minister Dr. D.K. Duncan, have now been informed that another former minister, Robert ‘Bobby’ Pickersgill has been hospitalised after testing positive for COVID-19.
Pickersgill was admitted to Medical Associates Hospital a few days ago, and was first diagnosed with dengue, then pneumonia. He tested positive for COVID-19 last evening and was transferred to the University Hospital of the West Indies.
In Guyana, authorities are reporting two more deaths taking the toll to 62.
They said that less than an hour after announcing the 61st death, a 52-year-old man died soon after a test sample had been collected from him at the time of admission at a medical facility.
The first death was an 83-year-old woman. Guyana has now recorded 2,027 positive cases and 60 deaths.
The Bahamas recorded 90 additional confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing the total to 3 177. As had been the case in the past New Providence has the most cases with 2 186, followed by Grand Bahamas with 607, a total of 104 in Abaco and 54 in Bimini.
“The Ministry of Health also confirms today that there are five additional deaths under investigation. This increases the number of deaths under investigation to 17 and the death toll remains standing at 69.”
Trinidad and Tobago, where a prominent attorney has had to publicly apologise to Health Minister Terrence Deylsingh over his profanity laced statements, the death toll has climbed by one to 60.
The Ministry of Health did not provide details on the latest case, but said that the country had recorded 98 positive cases during the period September 4 -16, pushing the total to 3 434 with 1 905 being active cases.
Attorney Odai Ramischand issued the apology to the “hardworking” Deyalsingh who had earlier been critical of his daughter for appearing in a video on social media indicating that she was at a private beach and that regulations banning persons from going to the beaches and rivers did not apply to her.
The Guyanese-born attorney had taken to social media to berate Deyalsingh, but in his apology later acknowledged that if his daughter Samantha “knowingly and actively violated the law she, as everyone else, should be charged and face the consequences.”
Prior to his apology he had accused Deyalsingh of “violating and interfering in the Judicial process by conducting a trial in the public and convicting Samantha in the court of public opinion and therefore “prematurely and pre-emptively interfering with the judicial process by creating public prejudice”.
Deyalsingh during a news conference had said he was not affected by the attorney’s remarks and had received words of encouragement from members of the public.
In Haiti, the Ministry of Public Health is reporting 11 new cases of COVID-19 pushing the total to 8 541 since the first case was detected there on April 19. There are 2 063 active cases.
The death toll remains at 220.