(2020-03-04). Confirmed coronavirus cases in Britain rise to 85 — ministry. rt.com 
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Britain rose to 85 on Wednesday in the biggest daily jump since it was first detected in the country, Health Ministry figures show. The number of confirmed cases was 51 on Tuesday. | British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he would cut the number of days workers must wait before they qualify for the state minimum sick pay if they are isolating themselves because they may have coronavirus. | Johnson told parliament that emergency coronavirus legislation would include measures to allow the payment of statutory sick pay from the first day of absence instead of four d…
(2020-03-04). California reports 1st coronavirus death, putting US total at 11. rt.com 
The first death from the COVID-19 coronavirus has been reported in California, upping the death toll in the US to 11. The victim was an elderly person who got exposed to the virus on a cruise ship. | Health officials in Placer County, northeast of the state capital of Sacramento, said the victim was the second person in the county to test positive for the virus, and had other health problems that contributed to the death. | "While most cases of COVID-19 exhibit mild or moderate symptoms, this tragic death underscores the urgent need for us to take extra steps to protect residents who are particularly vulnerabl…
(2020-03-04). Coronavirus: a disaster of capitalism's making. mronline.org 
What to do if confronted with an extremely contagious virus that medical experts say they have not seen before and don't understand, and which is fast spreading and killing hundreds of people? a) Take precautionary measures to stop the virus spreading and prepare the health system for a potential shock? Or b) Ignore it, blithely […] |
(2020-03-04). Coronavirus has affected almost all Iranian provinces, President Rouhani says. rt.com 
An outbreak of novel coronavirus has affected almost all of Iran's provinces, President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday. His statement was published on the official presidency website. | "This disease is a widespread disease," he said. "It has reached almost all our provinces and in one sense it's a global disease." | Deputy Health Minister Alireza Raisi was quoted on Tuesday as saying that 2,336 cases of COVID-19 had been confirmed in Iran. | On Wednesday, Health Ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpur said that 92 people have died in Iran from the novel coronavirus, while 2,922 have been infected.
(2020-03-04). 15 Italian tourists diagnosed with Covid-19 in India. rt.com 
A group of tourists from Italy, who were screened on arrival in India, have tested positive for coronavirus, the country's media reported citing health authorities. The news comes as India struggles to avoid the outbreak. | Some 15 Italians have been kept in preventive quarantine since Tuesday, New Delhi's All India Institute of Medical Sciences confirmed to the media. Another Italian tourist and his wife had previously shown initial symptoms of Covid-19 in the city of Jaipur. | India has introduced some pre-emptive measures in an effort to keep the epidemic at bay. It suspended visas issued to nationals from…
(2020-03-04). Parliament urged to take measures to prevent the 'next asbestos'. thecanary.co 
Thousands of construction workers are being put at risk by breathing in tiny dust particles when they drill or cut stone, a new report has stated.Workers are being put at risk of developing silicosis — a chronic lung disease caused by the inhalation of silica dust.Silicosis occurs when the body's immune system tries to remove the tiny particles of dust, resulting in swelling and scarring of the lung tissue.The condition usually develops after being exposed to silica for at least a decade but some are affected sooner.Symptoms include a persistent cough, shortness of breath with weakness and tiredness.There is…
(2020-03-04). Protect Putin from Covid-19: Kremlin's new mission as epidemic spreads worldwide. rt.com 
He's known for his tough-guy image and 'action man' stunts, like facing down a tiger and flying a motorized hang glider, but even Russia's President Vladimir Putin isn't immune to coronavirus fears. | His spokesman has revealed that the Kremlin is taking extra steps to protect the President from Covid-19, lest the nation's first citizen be struck down by the ailment. | "Everything that is necessary to prevent the coronavirus from entering the president's proximity is being done." Dmitry Peskov said, "In fact, the [measures we are taking] are ordinary preventive hygiene measures that can be taken by all citizen…
(2020-03-04). 'Unsanitary & dangerous!' Trump concern-trolls 'Mini Mike' over awkward finger-licking amid coronavirus epidemic. rt.com 
US President Donald Trump cautioned his billionaire Democratic rival Mike Bloomberg about the gross-out unhygienic behavior on display in a TikTok video apparently posted by his campaign. Score one for the mega-troll. | "Don't lick your dirty fingers," Trump tweeted at his adversary "Mini Mike" on Tuesday evening as voting results for Super Tuesday primaries began to surface. "Both unsanitary and dangerous to others and yourself!" | Mini Mike, don't lick your dirty fingers. Both unsanitary and dangerous to others and yourself!
(2020-03-04). Supreme Court dumps fate of Affordable Care Act right into height of election campaign. peoplesworld.org 
WASHINGTON—The U.S. Supreme Court has dumped the fate of the Affordable Care Act right into the height of the 2020 election campaign. But it won't rule on whether the ACA survives until after the Nov. 3 balloting—and that pisses off ACA backers no end. But in the meantime, those supporters, including Teachers President Randi Weingarten, …
(2020-03-04). Headlines for March 4, 2020. democracynow.org Bernie Sanders Wins California as Joe Biden Sweeps the South on Super Tuesday, GOP's Jeff Sessions Faces Runoff in Bid to Reclaim Alabama Senate Seat, Texas Rep. Henry Cuellar Narrowly Beats Progressive Challenger Jessica Cisneros, San Diego Progressive Georgette Gómez to Face Billionaire Heiress Sara Jacobs for CA House Seat, Health Officials Warn Coronavirus Is Far Deadlier Than the Flu, Syrian Forces Recapture Strategic City as Turkey Shoots Down Syrian Warplane, Iranian Security Forces Killed 23 Children During November Protests, At Least 24 Killed as Tornadoes Lash Central Tennessee, Wells Fargo Says It Won'
(2020-03-04). High cost of health care, lack of paid time off, leave US workers vulnerable to coronavirus outbreak. wsws.org The Trump administration, primarily concerned with the impact on the stock market, has sought to downplay the seriousness of the threat to public health.
(2020-03-04). Daring to Kiss: Coronavirus and the Butterfly Effect. globalresearch.ca At some point, it seemed like a slow burner, gathering attention with each press release from the World Health Organisation. When talking about a threat, language is everything. With more cases of COVID-19 being identified, the panic that comes from …
(2020-03-04). A 'major wake up call' reveals the impact of Tory rule on our children. thecanary.co A new report from leading doctors has issued a "major wake up call" about the shocking impact of Tory rule on a generation of babies, children, and young people. Above all, the report highlights the rising levels of inequality and poverty our children are facing. "Health outcomes for children from disadvantaged backgrounds", the report found are, "up to four times worse than those from more advantaged backgrounds". And the report shows the heartbreaking physical and mental impact on the rising numbers of children living in poverty. | State of Child Health 2020: | On 4 March, the Royal College of Paediatri…
(2020-03-04). Australia's health system could be overwhelmed by large-scale coronavirus outbreak. wsws.org Federal and state governments plan repressive measures to forcibly quarantine people and curtail public gatherings.
(2020-03-04). Liberals Explain Things to Me … My Soul Rebels. counterpunch.org that awareness of a ubiquitous, arbitrary death—which descends like a medieval plague on the just and the unjust alike, without warning or reason—is, I think, central to our experience of the 20th century. — A. Alvarez, The Savage God: A Study of Suicide "The books we need are the kind that act upon us like
(2020-03-04). Turkey to hold coronavirus video call with nine countries. yenisafak.com Turkey announced it would begin sharing information on how to deal with the ongoing novel coronavirus outbreak with nine countries including Iran via online communication applications Skype and Zoom.Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said the countries' medical boards would start efforts on Wednesday to organize video conferences on such applications as Skype and Zoom with Turkey on its current precautions to keep the disease outside the country's borders.At least nine countries requested such meetings to learn about Turkey's approaches to protect against the coronavirus, Koca added, while speaking to reporte…
(2020-03-04). Coronavirus kills 92 in Iran amid rising death toll. yenisafak.com The death toll from the new coronavirus in Iran climbed to 92, the Health Ministry announced on Wednesday.A total of 15 more people died of the disease as 586 new cases were reported across the country in the last 24 hours, Kianoush Jahanpour, a ministry spokesman, said at a news conference in the capital Tehran.The latest figure brought the total number of infections to over 2,900, the official said.Most of the new cases were detected in Tehran and Gilan provinces, according to the spokesman.Jahanpour said 552 patients infected with the coronavirus were successfully treated and discharged from hospitals across I…
(2020-03-04). Coronavirus cases surge to 240 in Germany. yenisafak.com The number of coronavirus cases in Germany has jumped to 240, the country's disease control agency announced on Wednesday.Germany's most populous state North Rhine-Westphalia recorded 111 cases, followed by the southeastern state of Bavaria with 44 new cases, according to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI).The number of confirmed coronavirus in the German capital of Berlin rose to 6. The recent statistics marked an increase of 52 cases in 24 hours.16 patients, who were diagnosed earlier with the novel coronavirus, have reportedly recovered.No deaths have occurred in Germany so far in connection with the new virus.-…
(2020-03-04). Italy may close schools all over country due to coronavirus. yenisafak.com The Italian government is considering closing schools all over the country due to its coronavirus outbreak, but no decision has been taken yet, a government source said on Wednesday.At the moment only schools in the northern regions most affected by the epidemic are closed.Seventy-nine people had died of the highly contagious illness in Italy up to Tuesday, with more than 2,500 confirmed cases.
(2020-03-04). Putin is Protected From Coronavirus – Kremlin. sputniknews.com The virus has spread to some 70 countries, with up to 94,000 infected around the world. Apart from China, where the disease first emerged, the biggest outbreaks have been registered in Iran, South Korea, and Italy.
(2020-03-04). The 'implied-truth effect': Why labelling things as 'fake news' simply doesn't work how Big Tech wants. rt.com 
Ever since the shock outcomes of the 2016 US presidential election and Brexit referendum, Big Tech has vowed to stamp out fake news once and for all. However, a new study indicates they may have missed the point entirely. | Despite employing hordes of fact-checkers whose sole-purpose is to differentiate the 'truth' from the plague of Fake News™, the unintended consequences of this war on disinformation are that it doesn't necessarily increase critical thinking among the general population on social media, rather it sends people into the arms of the next great swindler who has yet to be found out by the h…
(2020-03-04). Feature or Bug? Super Tuesday Plagued by Long Lines, Closed Polling Stations and Systemic Failure. mintpressnews.com 
Things got so bad that some voters claimed that if a similar situation occurred in states such as Iran, the US government would intervene to "restore democracy."
(2020-03-03). Experts Warn U.S. Health Care System Is 'Woefully Unprepared' for Coronavirus. truthdig.com 
In an open letter, National Nurses United members call on the federal government to increase screenings, make vaccines free and more.
(2020-03-03). The US Is Not Prepared For Coronavirus: We Need To Take Action. dissidentvoice.org 
The coronavirus (COVID-19) is in its very early stages in the United States so it is too early to predict its full impacts. The World Health Organization reports that COVID-19 has stricken more than 86,000 people around the world, killing nearly 3,000 and has spread to at least 60 countries. The global march of COVID-19 looks unstoppable. On …
(2020-03-03). Headlines for March 3, 2020. democracynow.org Super Tuesday Kicks Off as Moderate Dems Coalesce in Support of Joe Biden, 6 Dead in Washington from Coronavirus, as Criticism Mounts over CDC Handling of Outbreak, U.S. to Start Troop Withdrawal as Taliban Vows to Resume Attacks and Afghan Gov't Rejects Prisoner Swap, Migrant Child Drowns Off Greek Coast, Refugees Attacked as Asylum Crisis Deepens, Iraqi Power Vacuum as Caretaker PM and Designated Successor Both Walk Away from Post, Benjamin Netanyahu Holds Lead Over Rival Benny Gantz But Falls Short of Outright Majority, Report: 80,000+ Uyghur Muslims Forced into Factory Labor for Nike, Apple, Revolutionary Nic…
(2020-03-03). Four Numbers That Scream 'Vote for Bernie!'. commondreams.org A Bernie Sanders supporter holds up a sign in support of Sanders' healthcare proposals at a February rally in Pittsburgh, PA in 2016. (Photo: Mark Dixon/flickr/cc) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2020-03-03). Coronavirus hits Russia as further news emerges of healthcare system in crisis. wsws.org A man returning from Italy tested positive for the coronavirus in Moscow on the same day that a federal audit revealed that thousands of the country's healthcare facilities for children lack running water, heat, and sewage systems.
(2020-03-03). US Is Not Prepared for Coronavirus. We Need a Massive Expansion of Health Care. truthout.org The coronavirus (COVID-19) is in its very early stages in the United States so it is too early to predict its full impacts. The World Health Organization reports that COVID-19 has Six people have already died f…
(2020-03-03). Lack of preparedness puts US health care workers at greatest risk from coronavirus. wsws.org The risks facing health care workers are bound up with the lack of preparedness of US hospitals and other health care facilities, the underfunding of public health and the subordination of medical care to profit.
(2020-03-03). DR Congo: With Ebola on the wane, UN agencies prepare to combat coronavirus. news.un.org After more than a year of battling an Ebola virus outbreak that killed more than 2,200 people, UN officials are "cautiously optimistic" that the epidemic in the northeast Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) will soon be history as the country gears up to face the emerging threat of coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
(2020-03-03). China Treating Coronavirus COVID-19 with Intravenous Vitamin C. globalresearch.ca Intravenous vitamin C is already being employed in China against COVID-19 coronavirus. I am receiving regular updates because I am part of the Medical and Scientific Advisory Board to the International Intravenous Vitamin C China Epidemic Medical Support Team. Its …
(2020-03-03). Public Citizen Urges the FDA, Pharmaceutical Companies to Publicly Release Name of Any Drug Involved in Shortages Caused by the Novel Coronavirus Epidemic. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2020-03-03). Nation's Fractured Public Health System Under Trump 'Woefully Unprepared' for Coronavirus, Nurses and Experts Warn. commondreams.org "It is critical that the federal government take quick and meaningful steps to urgently protect the public from this outbreak." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2020-03-03). Iran reports increasing number of deaths. iranian.com Ali Reza Raisi, a Health Ministry official, said 77 people have died and 2,336 have been infected by the coronavirus in Iran. Raisi spoke at a news conference in the Iranain capital, Tehran. Iran's supreme leader orders armed focrs to combat coronavirus Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ordered the Islamic Republic's armed forces to assist its …
(2020-03-03). World Health Organization accuses BBC Persian of lying about Coronavirus deaths in Iran. iranian.com WHO chief says no evidence of Iranian cover-up in virus crisis. The World Health Organization's fact-checking mechanisms have not found concrete proof that Iran has been covering up the severity of the coronavirus crisis, says the WHO's director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
(2020-03-03). Our For-Profit Health Care System is Unjust—Only Medicare For All Can Fix It. commondreams.org Members of National Nurses United (NNU), along with a broader coalition of pro-Medicare for All organizations rallied outside of the national headquarters of PhRMA in support of Medicare for All on April 29, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo: NNU/flickr/cc) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2020-03-02). Coronavirus highlights dangers of Trump's destruction of the public sphere. peoplesworld.org 
It's easy to sell people on lower taxes and them to hate paying taxes altogether. Few politicians, even those who promise to provide health care, better public education, student debt relief, and so on, rarely explain in detail what Americans are getting in return for the investments their taxes fund or the bills they pay. …
(2020-03-02). Death Toll Rises in Iran, Middle East Epicenter of Coronavirus, Amid U.S. Sanctions & Gov't Negligence. democracynow.org 
The official coronavirus death toll in Iran, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in the Middle East, has risen to at least 54 — the highest number of fatalities outside of China, where the outbreak began. Experts say the real number of people who died from the disease may be as high as 200. This comes after Iran's deputy health minister, Iraj Harirchi, posted a video on social media last week acknowledging he contracted coronavirus. Just one day before, he seemed ill at a press conference, where he downplayed the spread of coronavirus in the city of Qom and said mass quarantines were unnecessary. Iran…
(2020-03-02). Declaring commitment to 'peace and stability' for Libya, top UN envoy steps down as stress takes its toll. news.un.org After serving more than two years as the UN's Special Representative in charge of finding a way to a lasting peace in war-torn Libya, Ghassan Salamé – who also heads up the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) – handed in his resignation on Monday, citing failing health caused by the immense stress of the job.
(2020-03-02). Can We Trust the Government to Respond to the Coronavirus in a Fair and Effective Manner? aclu.org A group of over 450 public health experts signed a It is essential that all govern…
(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). COVID-19: 'Top priority' must be on containment, insists WHO's Tedros. news.un.org Containing the COVID-19 coronavirus epidemic should still be everyone's "top priority", UN health agency chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Monday.
(2020-03-02). Charter School Promoters Celebrate Charter School Failure. dissidentvoice.org 
Even worse than the persistently high failure rate of brick-and-mortar charter schools is the extraordinary failure rate of cyber charter schools year after year. Even the nature and scope of corruption in these deregulated online schools is more troubling than the corruption that has long plagued brick-and-mortar charter schools nationwide. The abysmal performance of cyber …
(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). 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
(2020-02-29). 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). 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.
(2020-02-28). 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). 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). Toxic Agriculture and the Gates Foundation. dissidentvoice.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 …