BELMOPAN, Belize – Belize health authorities says it appears that the Omicron variant of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has reached the country and that while the cases are appearing to be mild, “the rapid rise in cases in the country remains a significant concern and a threat to the health system”.

NASSAU, Bahamas – The Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) Wednesday suspended elective surgeries as it implemented protocols to deal with the rapid increase in new coronavirus (COVID-19) cases.

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad – The plan to require all government workers to be fully vaccinated if they want to continue being paid will go ahead despite calls from trade unions to have it scrapped, Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi said on Thursday.

NASSAU, Bahamas – The Bahamas government has outlined a series of new measures aimed at curbing the spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that the authorities here said is causing a fourth surge in the country.

KINGSTON, Jamaica – Jamaica has officially launched its digitized coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination card saying that the internationally accepted document was developed in accordance with World Health Organization (WHO) standards.

ST. JOHN’S, Antigua – The Antigua and Barbuda government says there will be no fetes allowed in the country during the Christmas holidays amid fears of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Data from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) show that COVID-19 cases increased 50 percent and deaths 11 percent in the region of the Americas in the last week.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has welcomed the World Health Organization (WHO) listing earlier this week of an AstraZeneca vaccine produced in Latin America, saying it is already in use in some Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries.

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad –The Pan American Health Organization has said that the Chinese-made Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine has been approved by its Emergency Use Listing (EUL) after “rigorous evaluation by independent experts” as it sought to re-assure the public about the efficacy of the vaccine.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados – Chief Medical Officer Dr. Kenneth George Thursday evening disclosed that Barbados has recorded its first case of the Omicron variant of COVID-19.

KINGSTON, Jamaica – The Ministry of Health and Wellness is preparing for a fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, which is expected to be largely driven by the spread of the Omicron variant in the population.

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad – Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley has issued a mandate for all government workers to be vaccinated by mid-January.