Thursday, April 9, 2020 KINGSTON, Jamaica — OBSERVER ONLINE can now confirm that the educator who was brutally slain earlier today (April 9) in the St Andrew community of Queensbury was a vice-principal of Excelsior High School.
She is 54-year-old Colleen Walker, who has worked at the Mountain View Avenue school for the last 12 years, according to a family member who was on the scene.
Walker is survived by three sons, one of whom is a medical doctor. It is understood that one of Walker's sons was celebrating his birthday today....
MORE...Earlier Reports (5:15 pm ET) Police investigators are now at a scene in Queensbury, St Andrew where a 54-year- old woman said to be the vice principal at a Corporate Area High School was fatally shot about 5.15 this afternoon.
Initial reports are that the woman was cutting her hedge at home when she was approached by a man on foot.
The man walked away before turning back. He then opened fire hitting the woman several times before making his escape.
U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is in intensive care due to symptoms of coronavirus that have “worsened,” according to a representative from 10 Downing Street.
“Over the course of this afternoon, the condition of the Prime Minister has worsened and, on the advice of his medical team, he has been moved to the Intensive Care Unit at the hospital,” the representative said in a statement.
Johnson was admitted to a hospital on Sunday because he “continues to have persistent symptoms of coronavirus,” a representative said at the time. DEVELOPING STORY
Patricia Duncan-Sutherland (second left), chairman, JMMB Joan Duncan Foundation, presents a cheque from the JMMB Trust Fund to Rayvon Stewart on June 9, 2019 while (from left) Professor Paul Golding, dean, College of Business and Management, UTech, Jamaica; Donna Duncan-Scott, group executive director, culture and human development, JMMB Group; and Nigel Cooper, head of the Joan Duncan School of Entrepreneurship, Ethics and Leadership, UTech, look on.
BY ARTHUR HALL Editor-at-large halla@jamaicaobserver.com Tuesday, March 31, 2020
UNIVERSITY of Technology (UTECH), Jamaica student Rayvon Stewart is on top of the world this morning after his invention “XERMOSOL” was yesterday named by Commonwealth Secretary General Baroness Patricia Scotland as a possible key weapon in the fight to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
“Words can't express my feelings. I stood in shock for like 10 minutes or maybe a little more [when I heard]. Words really can't express my feelings,” Stewart, a final-year student in the School of Computing and Information Technology at UTech told the Jamaica Observer
“The first thing that came to my mind is that, finally, I can start implementing and trying to save humanity.
“This is something that the world really needs and, finally, they are seeing that there is a need for it and, sadly, persons had to start dying before they saw the need,” added Stewart.
XERMOSOL is a simple device that uses ultraviolet light technology to kill bacteria found on doorknobs, thereby reducing the risk of an individual contracting a germ upon contact.
SCOTLAND... the potential impact of Rayvon’s invention could now be even more important as the world battles the frightening COVID-19 pandemic
The innovation would be particularly useful in public spaces, such as hospitals and health care facilities, in reducing the spread of bacteria and viruses. The unique device is simpler than similar products, which require the installation of new doorknobs.
In an opinion piece released yesterday, the Commonwealth secretary general noted that, after the outbreak of the lethal bacteria Klebsiella in Jamaica five years ago, Stewart set about finding a way to curb the spread of harmful germs. “I made a determined decision that I was going to find a solution to limit the transfer of pathogens to multiple surfaces, thereby saving lives,” Scotland quoted Stewart as saying at the time.
Klebsiella, like COVID-19, is spread from person to person or via contaminated surfaces. It can be killed by hand-washing with warm, soapy water.
“I met Rayvon at the Commonwealth Health Ministers Meeting in Geneva last year. He was among the finalists short-listed for last year's Commonwealth Health Innovation Awards,” Scotland said.
“He took part in an exhibition on the theme 'Universal Health Coverage: Reaching the unreached, ensuring that no one is left behind', which highlighted how young people are tackling age-old challenges with modern technology and disruptive thinking.
“The event underlined [the] Commonwealth['s] commitment to empowering young people as outlined in our charter, and also our contribution to achieving the sustainable development goals,” said Scotland. more
