Category: Island Life

UNICEF to lead global procurement and supply of COVID vaccines

UN News – The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) will be leading procurement and supply of COVID-19 vaccines to ensure that all countries have safe, fast and equitable access to initial doses when they are available.

The vaccine procurement and distribution effort, involving over 170 economies, has the potential to become the world’s largest and fastest ever operation of its kind. 

“This is an all-hands on deck partnership between governments, manufacturers and multilateral partners to continue the high-stakes fight against the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Henrietta Fore, UNICEF Executive Director.  

“In our collective pursuit of a vaccine, UNICEF is leveraging its unique strengths in vaccine supply to make sure that all countries have safe, fast and equitable access to the initial doses when they are available.” 

UNICEF is the world’s largest single vaccine buyer, procuring more than 2 billion doses of various vaccines annually for routine immunization and outbreak response on behalf of nearly 100 countries.  

On behalf of COVAX Facility 

UNICEF, in collaboration with the Revolving Fund of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), will lead efforts to procure and supply doses of COVID-19 vaccines on behalf of the COVAX Global Vaccines Facility for 92 low- and lower middle-income countries whose vaccine purchases will be supported by the mechanism. 

In addition, UNICEF will also serve as procurement coordinator to support purchases by 80 higher-income economies, which have expressed their intent to participate in the COVAX Facility and would finance the vaccines from their own budgets, the UN agency said in a news release on Friday. 

UNICEF will undertake these efforts in close collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), PAHO, World Bank, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and other partners.  

The COVAX Facility is open to all countries to ensure that no country is left without access to a future COVID-19 vaccine. 

Vaccines market assessment and next step 

Some 28 manufacturers have shared their annual production plans for COVID-19 vaccines –through 2023 – with UNICEF, which in a market assessment said the drug makers are willing to collectively produce “unprecedented quantities” of vaccines over the coming 1-2 years. 

However, manufacturers signalled that investments to support such large-scale production of doses would be highly dependent on, among other things, whether clinical trials are successful, advance purchase agreements are put in place, funding is confirmed, and regulatory and registration pathways are streamlined. 

A key next step, UNICEF said, will be ensuring self-financing economies sign up for the COVAX Facility by 18 September, which will allow COVAX to support early, at-risk investments in increasing manufacturing capacity on a broad scale. 

‘Critical partner’ for success 

“UNICEF has been critical partner in Gavi’s success over the last two decades,” said Gavi’s Chief Executive Officer Seth Berkley. 

Over the 20 years, Gavi has reached over 760 million children with life-saving vaccines, preventing more than 13 million deaths. 

“[UNICEF] helped us reach more than half the world’s population with life-saving vaccines … This expertise and experience will be important in ensuring that COVAX – as a global effort to procure and deliver safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines, on an accelerated timeframe, and at an unprecedented scale – can protect the most at-risk, wherever they may be in the world.” 

“Together we can work to end the acute stage of this pandemic, including its devastating impact on individuals, communities, and economies,” added Dr. Berkley. 

Vaccines for all 

The COVAX Global Vaccines Facility is the vaccine pillar of the ACT-Accelerator, an initiative launched in April to speed up development of medicines to treat COVID-19 and make them available to people everywhere. 

It is operated by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance; CEPI, and WHO, alongside multinational and developing country vaccine manufacturers. 

The Facility works to ensure as many countries as possible cooperate to pool development, procurement and allocation of any COVID-19 vaccines.

Last week, the European Commission has confirmed its interest to participate in the COVAX Facility.

The post UNICEF to lead global procurement and supply of COVID vaccines appeared first on Caribbean News Now!.

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Island Life

The Turks and Caicos Hotels You Can Stay At Right Now

 

Visitors to Turks and Caicos have to jump through a number of COVID-19 related hoops before being allowed to travel to the islands. Those who make the cut, however, will find more than two dozen hotels and resorts ready to welcome them back, particularly on the island of Providenciales.

Preauthorization by the Turks and Caicos government is required of all travelers. Visitors must complete a preauthorization form and health questionnaire (available online), and provide evidence of a negative COVID-19 PCR test conducted within five days of their arrival day in Turks & Caicos.

Prospective visitors also must secure travel insurance that covers the cost of any COVID-19 related illnesses, from one of these authorized insurers:

Once authorized to travel, visitors must comply with Turks & Caicos’ regulations regarding social distancing and mask use while on island.

Visitors also must obey the local curfew, under which all offsite restaurants and other attractions must close at 7 p.m. nightly.

Turks and Caicos reopened to visitors on July 22.

As of September, the following Turks and Caicos hotels are open:

turks and caicos hotels
The Shore Club on Long Bay in Turks and Caicos.

Providenciales

The post The Turks and Caicos Hotels You Can Stay At Right Now appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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Island Life

Royalton Reopening Three Punta Cana Resorts in October

 

Blue Diamond Resorts is reopening three of its Royalton-branded resorts in Punta Cana in October, Caribbean Journal has learned. 

On Oct. 1, the company will be relaunching the Royalton Punta Cana Resort and Spa; the Royalton Splash Punta Cana Resort and Spa; and the Hideaway at Royalton Punta Cana, all in the Dominican Republic’s most popular tourism destination. 

Blue Diamond also announced plans to reopen two other Punta Cana resorts later this year, with the Royalton Bavaro Resort and Spa set to reopen Nov. 1, followed by the relaunch of the Royalton CHIC Punta Cana Resort and Spa on Dec. 1. 

It’s part of a wider Caribbean reopening for the company, which has already reopened three resorts in Jamaica and another three on the Caribbean coast of Mexico. 

For more, visit Royalton. 

— CJ

The post Royalton Reopening Three Punta Cana Resorts in October appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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Island Life

From Aruba to The Bahamas, Caribbean Travel Demand for 2021 Is Rising

 

Despite the stalling of international travel amid the pandemic, more and more travelers are looking to plan trips in 2021, according to new data from travel insurance aggregator Squaremouth. 

About 65 percent of all trips booked this year for 2021 are to international destinations, with a major Caribbean component, the company said. 

Mexico tops the list, replacing the domestic U.S. as the top destination for the first time since COVID-19 began. 

And the country is followed by five Caribbean destinations: Aruba, The Bahamas, the US Virgin Islands, Aruba and Jamaica. 

Squaremouth’s data is based on all travel insurance policies purchased through its portal from March through Aug. 15, 2020, for travel in 2021, according to the company. 

— CJ

The post From Aruba to The Bahamas, Caribbean Travel Demand for 2021 Is Rising appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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Island Life

The Caribbean’s Newest Gin Comes Right From the Beach in Grenada

 

In 2010, Jim Jardine decided it was time to slow the pace of his hectic life as software development professional in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

Of all the options laying before him, owning a gin distillery on the Caribbean island of Grenada was far off his radar.

After traveling 4,000 miles to plant roots in Grenada, Jardine found that the spice rich island was teaming with the botanicals necessary to make a new kind of gin. Around the same time Jardine nailed down the ingredients for his first batch, he met Aaron Salyer, a former Australian Coastal Engineer turned sailing aficionado and digital marketing whiz.

In 2018, Jardine and Salyer’s Blue Light Caribbean Gin launched on the grounds of Grenada’s Le Phare Bleu eco-resort. The resort’s oceanfront setting is the picturesque home to Blue Light’s world headquarters, a 500-square-foot-distillery. The site is also where you’ll find a floating bar in the form of 120-year-old blue lightship. The lightship serves as the fitting inspiration for “Blue Light Caribbean” brand.

Gin – The Fruits of Your Labor

When Jardine and his wife Stephanie arrived in Grenada in 2010, he was astounded by the abundance of fruit and botanicals growing on the island. Coconut, guava, ginger, mango, oranges, papaya, passionfruit, plantains, starfruit, and tamarind were everywhere.

Jardine got the okay from the Grenada government to move forward on building a juice factory, as well as cultivating a network of fruit farmers. Summer Juice Ltd. began servicing the island’s bars, restaurants, and hotels with an array of homegrown juices.

Ever the business dreamer, about seven years into his juice enterprise, Jardine started playing with the idea of converting one of his juice holding tanks into a still after inadvertently creating a batch of fermented juice from local oranges. This time, Jardine decided that when life gives you fruit, you make gin.

The feedback Jardine received on the scent and taste of his original orange flavored gin consistently included comments like, “this is something I’ve never tasted before.”

Jardine felt his gin recipe had potential. That’s when he joined forces with Salyer, and the duo began marketing Blue Light Caribbean Gin while hoping their new spirt could also bolster one of Grenada’s most precious resources.

caribbean grenada gin
Le Phare Bleu.

A Passion for the Blue

One of the main reasons Jardine and Salyer were drawn to Grenada was the island’s amazing coral reef. The business partners believed that Blue Light Caribbean Gin would not only provide islanders, sailors and vacationers with classic Caribbean cocktails, their business could also help protect Grenada’s reef and beaches.

A portion of Blue Light Caribbean profits go toward beach cleanups, the preservation of mangroves, and projects dedicated to marine and coral reef protection. One of their headliners that funds these projects is a blue gin that turns purple.

The Blue Ocean Edition Gin includes a secret ingredient. By adding a locally grown flower called the Butterfly Pea to their recipe, their gin turns blue in color. If you add tonic, lime, or grapefruit to your cocktail, the color turns purple or violet. The unique Blue Ocean Edition has become a huge hit at distillery tours, boat parties, and happy hours.

Sniff the Scent of Success

Happily, The Blue Light Gin distillery is now woven into the fabric of Grenada island life. Vacationers are drawn to the scents emanating from the Blue Light still throughout the day.

“With all the different botanicals we use, what’s interesting is that the morning aroma from our still is different from that in the afternoon. We’ve even set up sniffing stations to experience the different botanicals and sample our various gins. The distillery is a fun, quirky and casual vibe, like island life itself” Jardine said.

During the 2020 year of COVID, Jardine and Salyer have needed to ratchet their already creative business plan up a notch. Along with two other Grenada distilleries, Blue Light Caribbean has created a hand sanitizer to address the shortage for island residents.

Dancing in the Blue Light

Since relocating to Grenada, adapting to island life means not taking oneself too seriously. On his LinkedIn profile, Jardine describes his position as Blue Light’s Chief Bottle Washer. Salyer is shirtless on the About Us page of the company website. On the wall of their distillery visitors will find a sign that reads, “Trust me, you can dance.” This message is signed: Gin.

For Grenada’s resident computer geek and a relocated coastal engineer, you never know how or where their next version of the Caribbean Dream may appear. For now, it’s all-hands-on-deck promoting their line of gin and encouraging the preservation of Grenada’s pristine coral reef.

If you’ve never tried a gin cocktail that turns blue, purple, or pink, you’ll need to make Grenada your next Caribbean vacation.

Jim Jardine and Aaron Salyer look forward to sharing the fruits of their labor and pouring a special gin cocktail that’s like “something you’ve never tasted before.”

The post The Caribbean’s Newest Gin Comes Right From the Beach in Grenada appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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Island Life