Post COVID-19 recovery The Post COVID-19 Road Map to Recovery team comprised UWI Chancellor and other UWI experts and alumni for Trinidad and Tobago. Similarly, in Barbados, Cave Hill staff served on a Jobs and Investment Council to help the government mobilise and catalyse opportunities during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Pro Vice-Chancellor and Campus Principal, Prof. The Most Hon. Eudine Barriteau chaired the Services and the Creative Economy Committee. The UWI Global Tourism Resilience Centre in Jamaica is leading the recovery of the region’s tourism industry beginning with simulations to understand the economic and social impact. From psycho-social and clinical experts to economists and more, a wide range of disciplines and specialists are focused on the Caribbean’s rebound from the impact of COVID-19. The UWI St. Augustine Researchers Analyse Coronavirus Genomes A team of researchers from The UWI St. Augustine embarked on a project to analyse coronavirus genomes from infected individuals. The exercise enhances the Caribbean’s capacity to identify different lineages of the virus and monitor mutations in order to track the virus’ spread, distinguish between local and newly imported cases, and better understand the virus and our immune system’s response to it. Professor Christine Carrington emphasised, “The COVID-19 IMPACT project means that we can now detect and track the progress of SARS-CoV-2 lineages circulating in the region. We’ve analysed samples from 11 CARPHA member countries and identified 28 distinct SARS-CoV-2 lineages to date. This capacity for genomic surveillance is crucial particularly now that vaccines are being introduced. As we continue to monitor mutations that may be of biological significance, it’s important that we continue with our public health interventions so that vaccination can get out ahead of the virus.” The project is funded by a grant from the UWI-Trinidad and Tobago Research, Development and Impact (RDI) Fund. The research team includes investigators from The UWI, Trinidad and Tobago’s Ministry of Health, the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA), the University of Oxford and the University of London.
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