Abstract
The arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Caribbean triggered the need to coordinate and accelerate mechanisms to assess the public health threat of the disease and to facilitate an integrated emergency response across multiple small island developing states. The Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA), as the named public health institution within the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) structure, led in this effort by formulating a multidisciplinary Expert Advisory Group (EAG) to guide aspects of the pandemic response. We describe and explore the multisectoral collaborative effort of the EAG from March 2020 to October 2021 to illustrate sustained solution-oriented dialogue to mitigate the effects of the n-SARS-CoV-2 in the region. This chapter presents the narrative from the perspective of the EAG itself (drawing on minutes, grey literature, and published studies), highlighting mechanisms for rapid tool-up and capacity building. Specific actions included enhancing laboratory capacity and monitoring the emerging epidemiological manifestations of COVID-19 in paediatric populations. The need to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and other emerging or re-emerging diseases in the face of multiple economic, social, and climate-related threats will continue to demand a whole-of-society response. The success achieved in the Caribbean through multisectoral interdisciplinary collaboration is broadly applicable to low-resource regions globally.
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Notes
- 1.
The Caribbean Environmental Health Institute (CEHI), Caribbean Epidemiology Centre (CAREC), Caribbean Food and Nutrition Institute (CFNI), Caribbean Health Research Council (CHRC), and Caribbean Regional Drug Testing Laboratory (CRDTL)
- 2.
The Security Cluster includes Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS), Regional Security Systems (RSS), and Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA).
- 3.
Regional and International agencies supporting the health security meeting mechanism: Agence française de développement (AFD), in collaboration with Public Health England (PHE), Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Commission, CARICOM Health Desk, Netherlands National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), and Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).
- 4.
The data populating the figure are drawn from authors’ discussions with Dr. Edmund Blades (EAG member with responsibility for microbiology in Barbados) (March 2022), supplemented by EAG minutes.
- 5.
Populations for Caribbean islands whose quarantine or isolation systems are described: Barbados 287,375, Jamaica 2,984,538, Bahamas 389,482, Anguilla 15,150 (World Population Clock 2022).
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Acknowledgements
We want to thank the members of the COVID-19 Expert Advisory Group members (present and past):
We also wish to acknowledge the Paediatric COVID Collaborative Group and countries for providing access to records for review, providing patient care, and facilitating the survey during inception or implementation. The members of the Paediatric Collaborative Group include Professor Ian Hambleton, Dr. Maritza Fernandes, Dr Corrine Sin Quee, Dr Paula Michele Lashley, Dr Virendra Singh, Brandon Gilbert (medical student), Dr Sandrica Young-Peart, Dr Richelle-Ann Brown, Dr Carolyn Taylor-Bryan, Dr. Michelle-Ann Richards Dawson, Dr. Jacqueline Wright James, Dr. Bovette Butler, Dr. Jacqueline Dunkley Thompson, Dr. Celia Patterson, Dr. Ludrick Morris, Dr. Anona Griffiths, Dr. Curtis Pryce, Dr. Kerry McKenzie, Dr Emmeline Lerebours, Dr Indira Singh-Minott, Dr Joycelyn Walter Thomas, Dr Beverly Nelson, Dr Jozan Braithwaite, Dr Tracia James Powell, Dr Cecelia Henny-Harry, Dr Abigail Harrison—Kong, Professor Maureen Samms-Vaughan, Professor Jennifer Knight-Madden, Professor Celia Christie, Professor Helen Trotman-Edwards, Dr Roxanne Melbourne-Chambers, and Professor Minerva Thame.
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St John, J., Evans-Gilbert, T., Greaves, N., Blades, E., Campbell, M.H. (2023). Regional COVID-19 Pandemic Response in the Caribbean: Contributions of the Caribbean Public Health Agency Expert Advisory Group. In: Roberts, S., DeShong, H.A.F., Grenade, W.C., Devonish, D. (eds) Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Covid-19 and the Caribbean, Volume 1. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-30889-5_21
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