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A member of the Dr. Keith Rowley’s Cabinet and family are now in quarantine, having been exposed to the coronavirus.

Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley last night gave no further details of the situation involving his unnamed Cabinet member.

Dr. Rowley was addressing a meeting of his Peoples National Movement in Diego Martin.

He spoke of the impact of the coronavirus on the world, and particularly the region.

Dr. Rowley again lamented the number of people yet to be vaccinated against the virus.

He said that number is upwards of 600,000.

Dr. Rowley again expressed disappointment with the vaccination numbers in Tobago, as well as some people who have been protesting and claiming oppression.

The Prime Minister insisted, his PNM is in charge of the country and will do whatever is necessary to save lives.

He said his meeting this week with CARICOM leaders was very revealing and troubling.

Eight more COVID positive patients have died in Trinidad and Tobago.

Three were elderly men and 2 elderly women with comorbidities.

The other 3 were an elderly woman, a middle aged man and a young adult with no underlying conditions.

These deaths have brought the death toll in the country to 1,376.

The Ministry of Health has also revealed that there were 135 additional positive cases.

There are now 3,910 active cases nationwide.

So far this year 1,247 people have died from COVID-19.

Two hundred and seventy-one positive patients are hospitalised.

Three thousand four hundred and thirty-three are in home isolation.

The Ministry yesterday said 441,540 people are now fully vaccinated against the virus.

Four-year-old Amaziah Lewis is mauled to death by a dog in the presence of his relatives in Tacarigua.

Amaziah was with his grandmother at her workplace at Savannah Drive yesterday when the incident occurred.

Rakesh Boodoo saw the attack from a nearby house he was working on.

He said the dog bit into the child’s neck while shaking him.

Mr. Boodoo told reporters it was an unfortunate incident.

He said along with Amaziah’s grandmother he tried to assist.

Mr. Boodoo said efforts were also made to resuscitate the child.

Police were called to the scene and it is reported the dog attacked them as well.

They were forced to shoot and kill the dog.

The Leader of the Jamaat al Muslimeen Imam Yasin Abu Bakr says he is not threatening anyone and denies giving the State and national security agencies an ultimatum.

He says the Jamaat is not in the mindset to threaten anyone.

During a sermon at Jumaah last Friday Imam Abu Bakr, who staged an attempted coup in the country in 1990, sent a warning to government, police, army and the coast guard.

He said too many young black men and women are being killed and are made to suffer.

He said any further injustice would be met with reprisals from Allah.

The video has gone viral on social medial with many expressing concerns.

On Saturday Acting Commissioner of Police Macdonald Jacob said the video is being reviewed by the TTPS.

But in a release last evening Mr. Abu Bakr said he only highlighted a number of issues, including what he termed as extra judicial killings of persons of African descent.

Pointing to the media, he said at no time he sought to threaten or give an ultimatum to the authorities.

He said any other interpretation was not the intention of the sermon and those seeking to bring negativity should desist from doing so.

Mr. Abu Bakr said he has worked with the government to provide aid to persons affected by the pandemic.

Head of the Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers Association Antonia De Freitas says while it is all good and well to celebrate the high achievers, other students cannot be ignored.

Ms. De Freitas says consideration must be given to motivating those who did not do as well in the exams.

The association president says the way society views education has to change.

She says proper planning must be done to rectify the situation.

Rousillac Presbyterian School takes the first place in the Secondary Entrance Assessment.

Nineteen thousand, five hundred and forty-four students got their results yesterday after writing the exam in July this year.

In announcing the top performers at a ceremony yesterday, Education Minister Dr. Nyan Gadsby Dolly said it was an historic year for the examination.

Dr. Gadsby Dolly also named other students who excelled.

She spoke of the effects of the pandemic on education saying it will contribute to a decline in performances.

Also addressing the gathering was Minister in the Ministry of Education Lisa Morris Julian.

The Minister said the nation’s students showed resilience.

High scoring students include Aisha Lewis of The Audrey Jeffers School For The Deaf, and Curlan Highley from The Cascade School For The Deaf.

Girls have also topped the examination in Tobago.

The number one performer is Jole St. John of the Scarborough Methodist Primary.

Health officials continue to express concerns about the rate of COVID infections in Tobago and the county of Victoria.

Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Roshan Parasram says these 2 areas continue to top the list of high COVID-19 infections.

At yesterday’s COVID-19 media briefing, Dr. Parasram listed the districts and their percentages in COVID cases.

In its latest update yesterday, the division of health said there were 8 new infections taking the active caseload in Tobago to 434.

No new deaths were recorded.

And General Manager, primary health care services, of the North Central Regional Health Authority Dr. Abdul Hamid, said persons suffering from diabetes and obesity are at greater risk of hospitalisation and death from COVID-19.

He said persons with heart disease and hypertensions are also at risk.

Dr. Hamid said at least 300,000 adults suffer with hypertension.

He said they must take the necessary precautions to avoid contracting the virus.

He said getting vaccinated is the only away to fight the virus.

In Diego Martin a protest follows the police involved killing of Jonah ‘Kirby’ George.

Police yesterday shot and killed 21-year-old Mr. George at Covigne Road in Diego Martin.

Officers say they had to fire shots at Mr. George because their lives were in danger when he pointed a gun at them.

Residents in the area are disputing the police officers claims.

The incident which occurred at around 5:30pm, led to Mr. George’s neighbours and friends demanding justice.

One of them tearfully explained Mr. George was no criminal.

Others say it was a set up.

Officers used pepper spray to disperse some angry residents.

Fires were lit along the roadway.

Armed police went into the area to quell the demonstration.

Another resident said the police at the scene could have approached the situation differently

Police say they had information that Mr. George not only sold marijuana but also had guns and ammunition.

A 37-year-old employee of the Children’s Authority is ordered to stay away from a now 19-year-old boy having been charged with 1 count of serious indecency.

Kevin Duke, of Rockley Vale, Scarborough, appeared before Magistrate Jo-Anne Connor at the Scarborough Magistrates’ Court yesterday where he was granted $80,000 bail with a surety or $10,000 cash alternative.

Mr. Duke was ordered to have no contact with the boy and to keep 50 feet away from him at all times.

The TTPS says the charge stemmed from an alleged incident, which occurred in October of 2019.

Mr. Duke has to return to court on September 30^th.

The Children’s Authority of Trinidad and Tobago has issued a statement assuring that any report of abuse, even if it involves an employee, will be investigated.

The authority says when the matter of the employee was brought to its attention; it immediately conducted its investigation procedure.

It says this resulted in the suspension of the employee and commencement of criminal investigations by the Child Protection Unit of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service.

The authority assures the public that the organisation continues to demand the highest standard of conduct from all its employees and it remains committed to the protection of the nation’s children.

The Ministry of Education says the Secondary Entrance Assessment results for 2021 will be released on Thursday.

The Ministry says parents and guardians can collect the results at their children’s respective schools or relevant district offices.

The Ministry is reminding parents/guardians they must adhere to all the necessary health and safety protocols.

It also notes only one parent/guardian should visit the school or district office to collect the results. 

The Ministry says the parent/guardian must contact the respective school or district office for scheduling the time for collection of their child/ward SEA results. 

Meanwhile there is another call for parents and guardians to ensure their children are vaccinated.

The call comes from epidemiologist Dr. Avery Hinds.

He says now that face-to-face learning is set to resume next month for some students, parents must ensure the children are inoculated before they get back to schools.

He was speaking at the COVID-19 media briefing yesterday.