Elderly Region Six man dies from COVID-19

A 67-year-old man from Region Six is the country's latest victim of the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) disease. According to the Ministry of Health, the man died on Wednesday while receiving treatment at a medical facility thatweareseventimesprone to a natural disaster than any otherRegionintheworldand when we get hit the losses fromthosedisastersare6and a half times higher than the global average. Making the case clearly for more resourcesfortheRegion.”

The pensioner's death takes the country's COVID-19 death toll to 1,297.

Meanwhile, the ministry via its latest dashboard also reported that within the last 24 hours, 14 new COVID-19 cases have been reported bringingthetotalnumberofconfirmed casesto73,032.

The dashboard shows that two patients have been admitted to the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU) while four persons are in institutional isolation,and83areinhomeisolation.

Moreover, for her part, Lilia Burunciuc, Country Director, Caribbean, World Bank stated, “We have done enough but there is still more thatneedstobedone.” resources to be made available to the Region and explained too that it should be on the basis of vulnerabilityandnotonaper capita basis. Antoine also appealed for disaster clauses to be embedded in all Caribbean countries' debt contracts.

Burunciuc highlighted that in the Region debt servicing is constraining fiscal space for targeted social support, for growth enhancing investments and forbuildingmoreresilience.

The Governor noted that amid Caribbean countries having to deal with the longlastingeffectsoftheCOVID19 pandemic, a cost of living crisis, energy crisis, food insecurity, and the existential threat of a climate crisis –they are also grappling with high debt levels on one hand and the need for sustainable financingontheotherhand.

“Duringthepandemicwe (Caribbean countries) had to accumulateadditionaldebtto cushion the effects on our population…,” the Governor said adding, “Here is the thing we as a region have to dealwiththefactthatevenas we confront the need to build resiliencewhichisthecaseof sustainable finance, we are dealing with high debt levels.”

“Have annual reporting on climate finance flows to this region. Why am I saying this? Because we are getting verylittle,”hestated.

The Governor explained that in 2022 there was US$653billionintheclimate finance flows, but only little cametotheCaribbean.

Antoinehighlighted,“We (Caribbean countries) are among the lowest emitters and the hardest hit and by the way the IMF study has found

“In recognition of the vulnerability of small states, theWorldBankhasdelivered strong support to the Caribbean crisis response effort.

Financingforsmallstates has increased six times since 2015, for the small economies and budget support programs,” the World Bank representative said.

Burunciuc disclosed that building on the successes of Jamaica's catastrophic bond, which is the first in the Caribbean, she said that the World Bank is working now to implement a Regional catastrophic bond which will provide additional insurance for vulnerable Caribbean countries against natural disasters.

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