With a look at some of the top stories making the news today, March 12, across your Caribbean-American community in South Florida, I’m…for CNW 90.
Today’s newscast is brought to you by the Florida Department of Health;
To help stop the spread of COVID-19, The Florida Department of Health in Broward County reminds everyone to practice social distancing, wash your hands often with soap and water and cover your nose and mouth with a tissue or sleeve when coughing or sneezing.
Coming up in the newscast, Florida residents 55-years and up will soon be eligible for COVID-19 vaccines, Jamaican government to give cash grants to vaccinated seniors and The Bahamas receives its first batch of COVID-19 vaccines.
Now for the news in the detail
Florida residents age 55 and up will soon be able to get the COVID-19 vaccine. This is according to state Governor Ron DeSantis. The governor said that as of Monday, March 15, people 60 and older eligible for the COVID vaccine. And soon after, the state will soon lower the age to 55 and then open it up to the rest of the population. DeSantis said that the process of vaccinating those between 60 and 64 may go quicker than expected because of the increased vaccine supply the state is receiving. He said that each 5-year age group adds nearly 2 million people in the population eligible for the vaccine. As of Wednesday, some 3.8 million people in the state had gotten at least one vaccine shot.
Now for Caribbean News,
In Jamaica, the government says it will be providing a cash incentive for residents over the age of 60 years old that take the COVID-19 vaccine. Jamaica’s vaccination campaign began on Wednesday, with healthcare workers getting the shot. Former Prime Ministers PJ Patterson and Bruce Golding also got vaccinated. The former government leaders, who are both over the age of 65, were asked to get vaccinated to boost public confidence. Jamaica’s minister of finance, Nigel Clarke announced earlier this week that for unemployed seniors, the government will give them a cash grant of $10,000 Jamaican dollars if they are vaccinated. Clarke said the government is targeting 100,000 seniors for the program.
And in the Bahamas, the country got its first batch of the COVID-19 vaccines on Wednesday. Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis welcomed the arrival of 20,000 donated AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines from India as the most “delightful of his life.” Minnis said that the rollout of the government’s vaccine program will begin by early next week. The government has urged its residents to get vaccinated, saying that the recovery of the country depends on how fast it can reach herd immunity.
For more information on these and other stories, visit
CNWNETWORK.com. Remember to pick up this week’s copy of our Caribbean National Weekly at your nearest Caribbean – American outlet.
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