(2020-03-02). Islamabad to ask UK to extradite 'absconder' ex-PM Sharif for 'faking' medical condition. rt.com 
The Pakistani government has said it will ask the British authorities to deport billionaire ex-PM Nawaz Sharif, sentenced to seven years for corruption, accusing him of faking medical problems to secure bail on health grounds. | Islamabad announced on Sunday that the former Pakistani PM is an "absconder" who has failed to uphold the terms and conditions of the bail that had been granted to him on medical grounds. | Sharif traveled to London in November, purportedly to receive medical treatment, after he was granted bail. However, Sharif has yet to be admitted to a hospital in the UK, indicating that he "faked"
(2020-03-02). China closes 1st 'pop-up' coronavirus hospital, built in 10 days, after last group of recovered patients discharged. rt.com 
Authorities in Wuhan have closed the city's first makeshift hospital after discharging the last batch of 34 recovered coronavirus patients, as the rate of infection in the city has dropped dramatically. | Wuhan was the site of the original outbreak of the coronavirus epidemic, and the city's response, building a new hospital in less than two weeks to handle Covid-19 patients, was seen as a modern marvel with the total number of hospital beds in the city eventually going from 5,000 to 23,000. | The hospital's last patients were given the all clear late Monday, according to state broadcaster CCTV, amid a shar…
(2020-03-02). ENTIRE regional govt of Italy's Lombardy region to be screened for coronavirus after official tests positive for illness. rt.com 
Members of the local government in Lombardy, Italy will undergo medical screening, after tests revealed that a regional councilor tested positive for coronavirus. Italy has reported hundreds of new cases of the deadly illness. | Lombardy's regional governor, Attilio Fontana, has reportedly quarantined himself after his government councilor for economic development was found to be carrying the virus. All members of the local government will now be required to be tested for the illness. Necessary procedures keeping with established protocols will be activated, depending on the results, the regional government sa…
(2020-03-02). The Viral Blame Game: Xenophobia, Attribution and Coronavirus. counterpunch.org Moralising the way diseases and viruses are transferred is a very human, and particularly nasty trait. "We don't need this kind of riff-raff on our shores," screamed The New York Times in 1892 in response to Russian Jewish immigrants arriving at Ellis Island by boat. (The occupants hosted lice which, in turn, led to typhus.)
(2020-03-02). Saying Government-Funded Healthcare's Too Costly is Nuts…Unless You Think the US Uniquely Can't Do It. counterpunch.org The new corporate media and conservative Democratic argument against front-runner Bernie Sanders' eminently logical proposal for creating a single-payer government health insurance program that he calls "Medicare for All" is that it would destroy the huge health insurance industry and put 1.8 million insurance industry employees out on the street. That is about the stupidest
(2020-03-02). Is Medicare for All Bad for Union-Negotiated Healthcare? zcomm.org The argument that Medicare for All will hurt workers because it abolishes hard-earned healthcare benefits of unionized workers has repeatedly been used against Sanders and Warren. But does the criticism have any basis?
(2020-03-02). A progressive agenda for COVID-19 pandemic preparedness. fightbacknews.org Minneapolis, MN – As COVID-19 spreads in the United States, the potential exists for the corporate health care system to be overwhelmed. American capitalism has developed a health care system well-equipped with fancy technologies and expensive medical devices, but poorly-equipped to do basic public health. There is no profit in the basics of health care and disease prevention. | COVID-19 is the disease caused by a new type of coronavirus circulating the world. The virus, SARS-CoV-2, passed from bats to mammals to people in Wuhan China in December 2019. | For about a month the virus remained isolated in China. Chi…
(2020-03-02). SSP Commissioner Deletes Harassing Posts, Commits to "Professional Interactions" in Future. indybay.org Damon Bruder, Supervisor Ryan Coonerty's appointee to Santa Cruz County's Syringe Services Program (SSP) Advisory Commission, has deleted the harassing and bullying statements he made on on Facebook on February 14 about County Health officer Rachel McCullough-Sanden. Bruder, who was complaining about delays in the publication of the monthly public SSP report to the County's website, called McCullough-Sanden "daft" and made other harassing statements on social media posts that displayed a disparaging photo of her. McCullough-Sanden is an Epidemiologist and HIV Surveillance Coordinator at the Santa Cruz County Heal…
(2020-03-02). Toxic Agriculture and the Gates Foundation. counterpunch.org The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation was launched in 2000 and has $46.8 billion in assets (December 2018). It is the largest charitable foundation in the world and distributes more aid for global health than any government. One of the foundation's stated goals is to globally enhance healthcare and reduce extreme poverty. The Gates Foundation
(2020-03-02). San Francisco Chinatown Rally: "The Virus is Our Enemy, Not China" indybay.org Although there has been only one death from the coronavirus in the U.S., the nation's Chinatowns are seeing a large decline in customers as fear about the viral outbreak spreads. On February 29, hundreds rallied in Portsmouth Square, the heart of San Francisco's Chinatown, to decry anti-Chinese racism and show support for Wuhan.
(2020-03-02). A Bourgeois Hero Would Be Something To See! counterpunch.org Progress is reaction. Civilization is its discontents. — Peter Lamborn Wilson, The New Nihilism …as Nietzsche said somewhere, one cannot understand disease unless one has been sick…this is the essential Nietzschean position : to have been sick and to have gotten better. — Ibid Mother, you had me But I never had you I wanted
(2020-03-02). Coronavirus Confirmed for Russian Citizen Who Returned From Italy. sputniknews.com According to the country's health authorities, the patient is in a satisfactory condition, and his symptoms are mild.
(2020-03-02). Coronavirus rapidly spreads across Europe. yenisafak.com Fresh cases of coronavirus were reported on Monday across Europe, raising concerns about public health.At least 35 people have died in Italy from the virus officially known as COVID-19, with 1,689 cases confirmed so far in the country, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.Greece reported three new cases over the weekend, with the total number of cases reaching seven.France confirmed 130 coronavirus cases on Sunday evening, rising from 100 recorded earlier in the day.Some 116 of the reported ill were hospitalized, nine of those in serious clinical situations. Previously, 12 cases had…
(2020-03-02). Coronavirus: Myanmar bars entry of cruise ship. yenisafak.com Myanmar has refused the entry of a tourist cruise ship in the country's commercial capital out of fear of the coronavirus epidemic, which has a large presence in Southeast Asia. | Myanmar, which to date has no confirmed case of coronavirus, was a scheduled four-day stopover for The Silver Spirit, operated by Bahamas-based Silver Sea Cruises, in Yangon, but the government on Monday reversed the permission to dock. | Khin Khin Gyi, deputy director at the Health and Sports Ministry, said the decision was made at an emergency meeting held in the capital Nay Pyi Taw late Sunday. | "The main reason is that the cruise s…
(2020-03-01). COVID-19 Coronavirus: A Fake Pandemic? Who's Behind It? Global Economic, Social and Geopolitical Destabilization. globalresearch.ca The media hype and disinformation campaign regarding the spread of the COVID-19 novel coronavirus have created a Worldwide atmosphere of fear and uncertainty following the launching of a global public health emergency by the WHO on January 30th.
(2020-03-01). UN releases emergency funds to help vulnerable countries fight coronavirus COVID-19. news.un.org $15 million dollars has been released from the UN's Central Emergency Fund to help fund global efforts to contain the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus, particularly vulnerable countries with weak health care systems.
(2020-03-01). Missteps at the CDC Have Set Back Its Ability to Detect Spread of Coronavirus. truthout.org As the highly infectious coronavirus jumped from China to country after country in January and February, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lost valuable weeks that could have been used to track its possible spread in the United States because it insisted upon devising its own test. | The federal agency shunned the World Health Organization test guidelines used by other countries and set out to create a more complicated test of its own that could identify a range of similar…
(2020-03-01). Video: The WHO's Vaccine Experts Inadvertently Communicate to the World that "Vaccine Hesitancy" Makes Scientific Sense. globalresearch.ca In this expose, the WHO vaccine experts admit that: | Vaccines can be fatal. | The design of safety studies makes it difficult to spot problems. | Safety monitoring is inadequate. | Vaccine adjuvants increase risk. | "The FDA receives 45% of its annual budget …
(2020-03-01). Trump Says Ready to Lend Helping Hand to Coronavirus-Hit Iran 'If They Ask'. iranian.com The United States is ready to provide assistance to Iran, which is struggling with the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), US President Donald Trump announced after imposing additional travel restrictions on Iran. "If we can help the Iranians
(2020-03-01). With Another Win in South Carolina Primary, 'Medicare for All Is Four for Four'. commondreams.org "Support was 57 percent to 38 percent in Iowa, 58 percent to 37 percent in New Hampshire, 62 percent to 35 percent in Nevada, and 50 percent to 44 percent in South Carolina." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2020-02-29). Virus Claims First Fatality in U.S.; Washington State Declares Emergency. truthdig.com 
The governor of Washington state declared a state of emergency Saturday after a man died there of COVID-19, the first such reported death in the United States. More than 50 people in a nursing facility are sick and being tested for the virus. | Gov. Jay Inslee directed state agencies to use "all resources necessary" to prepare for and respond to the coronavirus outbreak. The declaration also allows the use of the Washington National Guard, if necessary. | "We will continue to work toward a day where no one dies from this virus," the governor vowed. | Health officials in California, Oregon and Washington state are…
(2020-02-29). Debate Moderators Frame Questions to Define Acceptable Politics. fair.org 
With Super Tuesday around the corner, the Democratic presidential debates are coming to a close. The debates are ostensibly an exercise in democracy, a chance for voters to evaluate candidates' positions in order to cast a better informed vote in the nominating contest. But a review of three of the most frequent topics of debate starkly demonstrates how media hosts use their platform less to inform voters in an evenhanded way than to define which positions—and candidates—are acceptable, and which are not. | Healthcare: Both Bernie Sanders…
(2020-02-29). 1st US coronavirus death: Trump imposes more travel restrictions, says risk still 'very low' after woman dies in Washington state. rt.com 
President Donald Trump on Saturday addressed fears surrounding the coronavirus, as health officials have announced the first US death from the virus in Washington State. | The first US death from the virus was announced on Saturday by Washington State health officials. No details were given, except that it occurred in King County. | The deceased was a "medically high-risk patient in her late 50s," President Trump announced at his White House press conference on Saturday afternoon. While admitting more cases within the US are likely, the president said 15 of the 22 citizens who contracted the virus have "recove…
(2020-02-29). Reuters issues correction, deletes tweet after backlash for reporting 'just 1 American with coronavirus in hospital: VP Pence'. rt.com 
Reuters raised quite a few eyebrows, invoking a storm of online mockery after it posted an ambiguous tweet about Mike Pence's handling of the coronavirus crisis, prompting some to fear for the VP's health. | Punctuation is important, especially in the middle of a global health crisis, and Reuters learned this the hard way after it got pilloried by netizens for leaving too much room for interpretation in a recent tweet about the coronavirus situation in the US. | "Just one American with coronavirus still in hospital: Vice President Pence," the agency reported early on Saturday in an attempt to convey the words…
(2020-02-29). Lack of Paid Sick Days and Large Numbers of Uninsured in US Increase Risks of Spreading the Coronavirus. commondreams.org Protesters in 2015 rallied outside a Wendy's in Baltimore in support of The Healthy Working Families Act which would require businesses with 10 or more employees to provide up to seven paid sick days a year. (Image: Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2020-02-29). China is Confronting the COVID-19 Epidemic. Was It Man-Made? An Act of of Bio-warfare? globalresearch.ca The new coronavirus, 2019-nCoV, also called COVID-19, has as of this date resulted in more than 3,000 deaths and infected more than 80,000 people Worldwide, the vast majority of them in China. The epidemic is largely confined to Mainland China.
(2020-02-29). UN health agency warns against coronavirus COVID-19 criminal scams. news.un.org The World Health Organization (WHO) is warning that criminals are taking advantage of the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus, to steal money or sensitive information.
(2020-02-29). WHO says coronavirus danger is "very high" wsws.org The World Health Organization (WHO) has upgraded its assessment of the danger posed by the coronavirus to "very high," but stopped short of calling the outbreak a pandemic.
(2020-02-29). Ecuador Confirms First Case of Coronavirus Imported From Spain. telesurenglish.net Ecuador's Health Minister Carolina Andramuño Saturday confirmed that an Ecuadorian citizen, who returned from Madrid, is affected by the Covid-19. | RELATED: | The patient is a 70-year-old woman who arrived in Guayaquil city on Feb. 14. Upon entering the country, she had no symptoms of the disease; at this time, however, she is in critical condition. | Ecuadorian authorities also reported that about 80 people who had…
(2020-02-29). CNN Host Michael Smerconish Rebuked for Comparing Sanders Surge to Spread of Coronavirus. commondreams.org "Nice to wake up to discover that CNN is giving a platform to the idea that the left is a disease. That's never led to anything bad happening before." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2020-02-29). As Trump Cries 'Hoax,' Nurses in California Warn Quarantines of 124 Health Workers Show US Hospitals Remain Unprepared for Coronavirus. commondreams.org Warning from frontline health providers comes as Trump accuses those criticizing his handling of the crisis as perpetrating a "new hoax" against him. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2020-02-28). Trump touts biodefense strategy but slashes funding to detect and combat outbreaks like coronavirus. mronline.org 
t the end of January, at a time when the coronavirus outbreak that began in China was dominating international headlines, The White House announced it was forming a new task force to address the growing crisis, one headed by the secretary of health and human services, Alex Azar. |
(2020-02-28). Experts: Government, business must step up fight against corona virus. peoplesworld.org 
WASHINGTON—Presenting solid facts and contradicting GOP President Donald Trump's rosy assurances, federal health officials are warning the country to take precautions against the spread of the coronavirus in the U.S. — and a warning signal went up just after Trump's press conference this week on the looming medical emergency. Meanwhile, two experts on infectious diseases …
(2020-02-28). 'The Shillary Show?' Hillary Clinton is launching a podcast and Twitter isn't on board. rt.com 
News that failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is planning to launch her very own podcast has been met with a collective eye roll and plenty of sarcasm on social media. | Clinton is planning to launch the podcast in late spring, "just in time for her to have a powerful new megaphone during the 2020 election," Politico reported on Thursday. | The show will be co-produced by iHeartMedia, which distributes a bevy of right-wing radio shows as well as the left-wing Joe Rogan Experience, which has endorsed Clinton's 2016 archrival Bernie Sanders for president. | As if a literal plague weren't bad enough, Hi…
(2020-02-28). Doctors Without Borders: Cheap Coronavirus Diagnostic Kits Needed in War-Torn Areas & Refugee Camps. democracynow.org 
Across the U.S., officials report a severe shortage of test kits for coronavirus. New York officials say they're preparing their own kits, after kits distributed by the Centers for Disease Control failed validation tests. Meanwhile, new cases of coronavirus continue to spring up worldwide, with Nigeria reporting its first case and one of Iran's vice presidents testing positive. We discuss how MSF USA, or Doctors Without Borders USA, is responding to coronavirus, with the organization's executive director, Avril BenoàÆt.
(2020-02-28). Congressman threatens Don Jr. with 'serious altercation' over claim Dems 'HOPE' people get coronavirus & die so as to derail Trump. rt.com 
Democratic Rep. John Garamendi had some harsh words for Donald Trump Jr. after the president's son said Dems "seemingly hope" the coronavirus comes to the US and "kills millions." | The coronavirus is not only a pandemic, it's also now a political tool for Republicans and Democrats to lob across the aisle at each other. | California Congressman Garamendi perhaps went further than any politician has so far when he spoke about the disease and the political response to it in the US while appearing on MSNBC on Friday. Garamendi was particularly upset with Donald Trump Jr. over an earlier statement the president's…
(2020-02-28). Coronavirus COVID-19 risk increased to 'very high' but containment still possible. news.un.org Countries must act quickly and robustly to contain the coronavirus COVID-19 epidemic, the World Health Organization said on Friday, as it raised the global risk assessment of the infection to "very high".
(2020-02-28). 'Mayhem' in Syria's Idlib amid ongoing violence, as Guterres urges immediate ceasefire. news.un.org Rapidly escalating conflict in northwest Syria has created healthcare "mayhem", amid reports of displaced people moving closer to the Turkish border in search of shelter, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday, as the UN Secretary-General appealed for all warring parties to "step back from the edge of further escalation."
(2020-02-28). Prominent Iranian physician clears up misconceptions about outbreak & impact of sanctions. iranian.com Prominent Iranian physician & member of the Health Ministry Minoo Mohraz has for her part defended the health ministry's data but has also said the number of people infected has been underreported because sanctions had blocked access to diagnostic kits: twitter.com/SinaToossi/status/1233409214… twitter.com/SinaToossi/status/1233409467… twitter.com/SinaToossi/status/1233409591… twitter.com/SinaToossi/status/1233409679… twitter.com/SinaToossi/status/1233409919… twitter.com/SinaToossi/status/1233410030… twitter.co…
(2020-02-27). "Pence Is Not a Medical Expert": Is the Trump Admin Ready to Stop a U.S. Coronavirus Pandemic? democracynow.org 
The coronavirus disease that was first diagnosed in China's Hubei province has now spread to at least 47 countries and every continent except Antarctica. The World Health Organization has declared the outbreak an international health emergency. President Trump sought to play down the threat from coronavirus and announced Vice President Mike Pence would be his point person to coordinate government efforts to prevent a widespread outbreak. As Trump spoke, a new milestone in the novel coronavirus outbreak was reported, in a possible example of community spread: A person was diagnosed with the virus in Northern Calif…
(2020-02-27). Contradicting Trump, federal health officials warn of coronavirus spread. peoplesworld.org 
WASHINGTON—Presenting solid facts and contradicting GOP President Donald Trump's rosy assurances, federal health officials are warning the country to take precautions against the spread of the coronavirus in the U.S.—and a warning signal went up just after Trump's press conference. Health officials stressed common-sense precautions people can take to prevent the spread of infection: Thorough …
(2020-02-27). No escape from low growth. mronline.org 
Discussions on the state of the world economy centre around the likely negative impact of the novel coronavirus epidemic and the potential positive effect of the truce reflected in the "phase 1" trade deal between China and India. |
(2020-02-27). How the Climate Crisis Is Making the Spread of Infectious Diseases Like Coronavirus More Common. democracynow.org 
Sonia Shah is an investigative science journalist and author of "Pandemic: Tracking Contagions, from Cholera to Ebola and Beyond." Her new book is titled "The Next Great Migration: The Beauty and Terror of Life on the Move" and will be published in June. She says the climate crisis is making outbreaks of infectious diseases more common, with the destruction of natural animal habitats and the changes in migration bringing humans and animals into ever-closer contact and making new pathogens more likely. Her latest article, published in The Nation, is titled "Think Exotic Animals Are to Blame for the Coronavirus? Th…
(2020-02-27). No country should make 'fatal' mistake of ignoring COVID-19: Tedros. news.un.org All countries should do more to prevent the spread of COVID-19 coronavirus and none should make the "fatal" mistake of assuming that it won't be affected, UN health agency chief, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said on Thursday.
(2020-02-27). Iranian Vice-President Contracts Coronavirus — Reports. iranian.com Iran has 245 confirmed cases of infection with the COVID-19 disease, including 26 virus-associated deaths. The Islamic Republic's deputy health minister tested positive for the virus earlier this week. The Iranian vice president for women and family affairs, Masoumeh Ebtekar, has come down with the new strain of coronavirus, media reported Thursday. "Ms. Ebtekar showed …
(2020-02-26). Headlines for February 26, 2020. democracynow.org CDC Warns of "Severe" Disruption to Daily Life in U.S. as Coronavirus Spreads, DHS Secretary Grilled over Coronavirus Preparedness as Trump Downplays Risks, Two Billionaires Join Democratic Debate in SC as Rivals Target Bernie Sanders, At Least 24 Killed in India After Hindu Nationalists Attack Muslim Demonstrators, President Trump Wraps India Trip with Praise for $3.5 Billion Weapons Deal, 20 Civilians Killed in Syria's Idlib as the Red Cross Pleads for a Ceasefire, Airwars Reports U.S.-Led Strikes Killed Up to 139 Somali Civilians Since 2007, Supreme Court Rules Border Patrol Agents Who Shoot into Mexico Can't…
(2020-02-26). COVID-19: More new virus cases outside China than in, 'no time for complacency', says UN health agency. news.un.org The number of new COVID-19, or coronavirus, infections outside China has outpaced those inside the country for the first time, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
(2020-02-25). Iran deputy health minister has coronavirus: Adviser. iranian.com Tehran previously stated that at least 95 people had been diagnosed with the dangerous disease. The majority of confirmed cases in the country come from the city of Qom – a centre of traditional pilgrimage for Shia Muslims, with at least 15 Iranians dying from the disease. Iran's Deputy Health Minister Iraj Harirchi has tested …
(2020-02-23). Trump Betrays His Promise to Protect and Fight for American Workers. zcomm.org Campaigning for the presidency in 2016, Donald Trump promised that, if he was elected, "American worker[s] will finally have a president who will protect them and fight for them." Has he kept this promise? When it comes to protecting workers' health and safety, his administration has been a disaster. Once in office, Trump packed the
(2020-02-20). Bernie Sanders Says "Will of the People" Should Decide Democratic Nomination, Not Party Insiders. democracynow.org 
As the primary season heads into the Nevada caucuses on Saturday, we unpack the ninth Democratic presidential debate in a roundtable on the tensions at work on the Las Vegas debate stage. Senator Bernie Sanders, currently the front-runner in the race, said the candidate with the most delegates should become the nominee; all his rivals on stage suggested they would be open to a brokered convention, with superdelegates and other party insiders potentially deciding the nomination. | We continue our discussion with Katrina vanden Heuvel, editorial director and publisher of The Nation; Raquel Willis, journalist, activ…