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Vol. 31, Issue 52 QUEENS/LONG ISLAND/BRONX/MANHATTAN December 25-31, 2020
Registered Nurse, Diana Maldonado, at Interfaith Medical Center, administers Pfi zer
COVID-19 vaccine to Dr. Yolande Thomas-Badal on Dec. 18. Dr. Prissana Alston
By Nelson A. King
As many in the global community,
including the Caribbean
community in New
York, express fear, reluctance
or hesitance about taking the
COVID-19 vaccine, some Caribbean
born physicians are
urging community members
to take the vaccine when it
becomes available.
In exclusive interviews with
Caribbean Life earlier this
week, at least three Caribbean
physicians — a Trinidadian,
a Guyanese and a Vincentian
– said taking the vaccine is
the right and judicious thing
to do.
“It’s important that people
take the vaccine,” said
Dr. Yolande Thomas-Badal, a
Trinidadian-born internist and
Emergency Room physician at
Interfaith Medical Center in
the Bedford-Stuyvesant section
of Brooklyn, who took
the COVID-19 vaccine at her
hospital on Friday.
“The vaccine is our first
best defense from contracting
COVID-19,” added Dr. Tho-
Continued on Page 12
By Bert Wilkinson
As the region takes a break
for the holiday season, authorities
in Trinidad remain under
severe pressure to deal with the
Venezuelan refugee crisis with
the latest row being linked to
allegations by the US Embassy in
Port of Spain that it had allegedly
provided a large grant aid sum
for refugee assistance that local
officials appear to know nothing
about.
Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley
said the money — about $11
million — must have vanished
into thin air as his administration
was unaware as to how it
was disbursed and was at a loss
to determine who the beneficiaries
were.
The American mission had at
the weekend said in a statement
that Washington has made available
the money for assistance
to the refugees. The announcement
appears to have so irked
an already fatigued Rowley that
he called out the Americans to
explain where it had gone.
“Just bear in mind that somebody
or bodies are getting and
have received $11 million for this
purpose. It is certainly not the
government. It explains a lot,” the
prime minister said as the island
remains under severe pressure
to play host to more than 40,000
Venezuelans with more trying to
sneak in each day.
The latest political ruckus
Continued on Page 12
Caribbean physicians urge
community to take COVID-19 vaccine
REFUGEE
CRISIS
DEEPENS
Trinidad and Tobago, US row
over Venezuelan refugees
Merry Christmas to all our readers and advertisers
from the management and staff of Caribbean Life, Schneps Media
/CARIBBEANLIFENEWS.COM
