Antigua and Barbuda COVID-19: The Beginning of A Worsening Crisis

By Kwame Nkosi Romeo

Can anyone remember PM Gaston Browne's 2016 Budget Speech mentioning the Antigua Labour Party (ALP) tasked the United Progressive Party (UPP ) with a Gini coefficient of 0.48?

After two election losses, ALP regained power under Browne's leadership on June 12, 2014. It is clear Browne twisted the facts to suit the hidden agenda by publicizing the Gini coefficient in his 2016 Budget Speech and denouncing the UPP:

 

"Mr. Speaker, in Antigua and Barbuda, our Gini-coefficient is 0.48, the worst in the region. Only in Sub-Saharan countries and Central American countries are their worst numbers" ( Antigua and Barbuda 2016 Budget Speech page 24/99)

What is the Gini coefficient?

The coefficient ranges from 0 (or 0%) to 1 (or 100%), with 0 representing perfect equality and 1 representing perfect inequality. Values over 1 are theoretically possible due to negative income or wealth. (Investopedia)

Nevertheless, Browne was disingenuous not to report at a later time the Gini coefficient is far worse under his leadership, moving from 48 to 82.3%! This living standard misery was corroborated by The Global Wealth Databook 2019- Credit Suisse reporting Antigua and Barbuda's Gini coefficient as 82.3%, far worse than Haiti's 80.1%. 

Antigua and Barbuda ranks second in the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) and number three in CARICOM as an unequal society. Antigua and Barbuda's Gini coefficient increased by as much as 71.46%.  (The Global Wealth Databook 2019- Credit Suisse -Table 3-1: Wealth pattern within countries, 2019, page 117)

Today, the living crisis worsens with COVID-19 and the nation's healthcare wretchedness affecting Critical Infrastructure Workers. Antigua and Barbuda's first COVID-19 case was on March 13, 2020, until March 13, 2021, reporting 963 confirmed cases and 27 deaths. Currently, the COVID-19 death statistics are hush-hush, and many people are skeptical of the obscure government statistics concerning COVID-19 deaths. These figures are not transparent and serve deceit interests by reporting incomplete statistics and not insisting on essential COVID-19 testing. Seemingly, testing was ignored because the government had no inventory to carry out the much-demanded task. 

Indeed, a significant reason why Antigua and Barbuda COVID-19 resulted in only 16,075 tests. It is presumed that the government overlooked these difficulties in preference for the immediate AstraZeneca jab to mitigate the COVID-19 testing failure. On the other hand, although jabs are taking place in St. Lucia and Barbados, COVID-19 testing is ongoing at 33,737 and 133,435 tests, respectively.

The twin-island nation ranks last in COVID-19 testing in the OECS member grouping of nine countries and 10 of the 15 Caricom Community (CARICOM) member countries. The top three CARICOM countries ranked in COVID-19 testing are Belize, Barbados, and St. Vincent & the Grenadines.

But lousy governance engenders crisis. Firstly, the Antigua and Barbuda government lacked the urgency to supply frontline workers with the necessary COVID-19 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) safety wear and testing kits readiness. The COVID-19 test kits could have been procured and delivered to Antigua and Barbuda within 48 hours at the cost of US$18.25 per test and not the rip-off price announced by the government.  

For example, the COVID-19 Real-time PCR Reagents for the SARS-CoV-2 Detection test kit Minimum Order Quantity (MOQ) is 500 kits (48,000 tests), amounting to five boxes by volume calculation total of 175 kilograms; 96 Tests/Kit, 100 per box, net weight per kit 70g and are WHO and US CDC compatible. The Cost, Insurance, and Freight (CIF) are US$876,000. But government policy since coming to office in 2014 gives away more than US$188 million in concession to affluent businesses, leaving an empty treasury during the worst health emergency. Diplomatic rumors persist that most of these funds were in local and offshore government officials' accounts. At the same time, families anguish over their loved one's death, and the government cannot meet its healthcare requirement due to dwindling funds.

In January, the sudden death of a 50-year-old woman confirmed by the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CPHA) to be positive for COVID-19 brings to light Antigua and Barbuda's lack of community testing. This passing brought the number to 28 and was included in my calculation for the week beginning on March 8; in contrast, the government dashboard remains 27. (Autopsy: Entertainer had COVID-19 at time of death- Antigua Breaking News March 12, 2021)

The twin-island nation recorded the deadliest COVID-19 week on record. Between March 1 & 7, 2021, confirming 118 cases and seven deaths. These deaths occurred on March 3rd and 4th, 2021, at the same time, recording 34 of the 118 and a Case Fatality Rate (CFR) of 20.59. A justified reason for the Center for Disease and Control (CDC) Travel Health Notice (THN) highest Level 4 warning. Moreover, on March 4, 2021, the U.K.'s Public Health England (PHE) reported a new Variant Under Investigation (VUI). It pinpointed two persons from the South East of England who arrived from Antigua in the past few days. PHE cautiously noted that following a risk assessment, the VUI ".... may be designated Variant of Concern (VOC)." According to other releases, it would appear the information coming from PHE is biased and flawed. 

Similarly, on March 1 - 7, Barbados published 196 positive cases, with 95 occurring between March 1 & 3, accounting for four deaths and CFR 4.21. St. Lucia 481, eight deaths between March 1 and 4, 424 of the 481 cases, with a CFR of 1.89. The overall CFR figures from March 1 to 7 are Antigua and Barbuda 5.93, Barbados 2.04, and St. Lucia 1.66. 

The week beginning March 8 is as mournful as the preceding week's outbreak; even more frightening is St. Lucia's 165 new cases and eight deaths, Antigua and Barbuda's 60 confirmed cases and five deaths, Barbados's 136 new cases, no casualties. St. Lucia CFR 4.85 is high, but Antigua and Barbuda are higher at 8.33, while Barbados is receding. 

Antigua and Barbuda government's delayed testing added to the surging death crisis, and now the government is rapidly vaccinating, issuing a stark warning of no jab, no job. However, caution is necessary since testing is non-existent, and the lowering of confirmed cases is questionable.

So, vaccinating the population is now a rushed priority of the Antigua and Barbuda government. The inoculation process began, but it's unlikely to slow down the rising COVID-19 cases and deaths. 

Why is there no priority to equip Mount St. John's Medical Centre (MSJMC) and the V C Bird International  Airport (VCBIA) with UVD Robots? 

The UVD Robots can disinfect the surrounding area with maximum efficiency," killing 99.99% of germs in just a few minutes". The MSJMC workers and patients are severely at risk if the government ignores the MSJMC and VCBIA's revolving door, worsening the problem, particularly in hospitals where healthcare-acquired infections (HAIs) are very high. (Autonomous Robots Are Helping Kill Coronavirus in Hospital by Evan Ackerman, March 11, 2020)

According to the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHM), HAIs severely threaten patients and healthcare workers. IHM referred to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published in the March/April 2007 issue of the journal Public Health Reports; it estimated that 1.7 million hospital patients ― 4.5 of every 100 admissions ― become infected each year, causing or contributing to the deaths of nearly 100,000 people.

Antigua and Barbuda's healthcare systems are woefully underperforming. The government's constitutional responsibility is to deliver better healthcare, but this is not so since the nation's Health Access and Quality Index (HAQI) exposes that shortcoming, scoring only 66.7. This score falls short of the desired score of 87, leaving a gap of 20.3. The closure of the difference is essential to ensure timely healthcare delivery. Over 31 years ago, the HAQI was 56.6, and the gap was 22.6. (The Lancet)

Most pointedly, the surge in COVID-19 cases and casualties points the finger at protocol breaches by visitors colonizing reputed bio-secure places, traveling the island mask-free, and the government's tendency to uphold such an attitude. This failure substantiated the spread of the deadly COVID-19 disaster. Worse, the Minister of Health Molwyn Joseph blames residents for community spread, which is consistent with the misinformation touted by PM Gaston Browne's racial color categorization. 

The COVID-19 protocols criminalizing local people while overlooking visitors is a clear distinction of special treatment. For instance, those preferred visitors viewed the nasal swabs against International Health Regulations and violations of human rights, and Browne agreed:

"On that basis, we changed our policies to tests prior to arrival." 

However, the community viewed Browne's action as no different from a bought-and-sold politician. It criticized the alarming government arrangement, with one beach vendor warning Browne's reckless act may bring about the much-feared community spread, asserting:

"They think I am going to bring the disease into the community."

The vendors' prognosis is the present-day reality caused by the ALP government preferring financial gain over people's pain. Leaders owe the community a clear statement of value, not arrogance, indifference, instant gratification, and affluence. Above all, our nation's leaders must encourage contrary opinions; local empowerment and our country's economic control are essential sources of democracy, equal rights, and justice. (Lockdown in paradise: Antigua's plea for visitors by Rosie Hopegood November 8, 2020- Aljazeera)

Under this so-called democratic system with draconian powers, most are prosecuted, while a few are above the law. Those elected to serve do not adhere to the structure of the law, yet penalizing others under the same criminal law is unjustifiable. Justice is absent!

"We are not against progress, but we do not want progress that is anarchic and criminally neglects the rights of others".

-Thomas Sankara