US ramps up sanctions devastating Venezuela's health sector as coronavirus spreads
Leonardo Flores | thegrayzone.com | 2020-03-17
Promising to "smash" Venezuela's government during a "maximum pressure March," Trump has imposed crushing sanctions that force Venezuela to spend…
thegrayzone.com/2020/03/17/us-sanctions-…
Together, Biden and Sanders COVID-19 plans provide immediate and systemic response
Mark Gruenberg | peoplesworld.org | 2020-03-17
WASHINGTON–If you want the global view of how the U.S. health care non-system is ill-equipped to help people cope with the coronavirus pandemic, Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Bernie Sanders, Ind-Vt., has a solution for you. It's in his speech on March 12. If you want point-by-point, detail-by-detail proposals on what the federal government can and …
peoplesworld.org/article/together-biden-…
Bolsonaro's Son Confirmed Father's Positive Coronavirus Test, Then Lied About It
Glenn Greenwald | zcomm.org | 2020-03-17
The question of Bolsonaro's health remains shrouded in mystery. And that mystery is now fueled by his son inadvertently starting a war with a news outlet they trained their followers to worship: Fox News…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/bolsonaros-son-con…
UK doctors speak out on coronavirus pandemic
wsws.org | 2020-03-17
Reporters for the World Socialist Web Site spoke to two medical doctors on how the coronavirus pandemic is affecting Britain's National Health Service and their concerns for the future.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/03/17/doct…
Brazil: Bolsonaro to Be Denounced for Risking the Population
telesurenglish.net | 2020-03-17
The Socialism and Liberty Party (PSOL) lawmaker Marcelo Freixo will denounce Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro before the World Health Organization (WHO) for putting the population at risk by promoting the concentration of people in a political act against of the National Congress and the Federal Supreme Court held in Brasilia on March 15. | RELATED: | Bolsonaro Claims His Second COVID-19 Test Was Negative | At an event called by those who long for the return to a military regime, Bolso…
telesurenglish.net/news/Brazil-Bolsonaro…
We Have Met the Enemy, But It May Turn Out to Be Not a Virus But Us
Dave Lindorff | zcomm.org | 2020-03-17
If people think things have gotten bad quickly in Italy, where the whole country is currently on lockdown in an attempt to try and slow the coronavirus pandemic's spread, wait until the disease really gets going her in the US, where it arrived later. We ain't seen nothing yet…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/we-have-met-the-en…
US Indifference to Public Health: The Shame of the Nation
Stephen Lendman | globalresearch.ca | 2020-03-17
Both right wings of the US one-party state serve privileged interests exclusively at the expense of public health and welfare. | It's been this way throughout the nation's history, notably since the neoliberal 90s, especially post-9/11 when Republicans and undemocratic Dems …
globalresearch.ca/us-indifference-public-health/5706599
The UK and Spain make coronavirus plans to use private healthcare, with one glaring difference
Tracy Keeling | thecanary.co | 2020-03-17
Both the UK and Spain have made plans to use private healthcare facilities to help tackle the coronavirus pandemic. But there's a glaring difference between the policies. One that speaks volumes about the Conservative government. | Public good vs private profit: | The Spanish government announced that it was going to requisition private healthcare facilities and healthcare equipment suppliers and manufacturers. The government gave companies 48 h…
thecanary.co/discovery/analysis-discovery/2020/03/17/the-uk-and-spain-make-coronavirus-plans-to-use-private-healthcare-with-one-glaring-difference/
Coronavirus for All
Seiji Yamada | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-17
Our government will compensate the petroleum, airline, cruise ship, hotel, and sports and entertainment industries for their losses. Socialism for corporations is the first order of the day. But if we want to get through the coronavirus with grandma and grandpa alive, we must have Medicare for All. Or would you rather have Coronavirus for All?
counterpunch.org/2020/03/17/coronavirus-…
Insurance Industry Ramps Up Propaganda Against Medicare for All Amid Pandemic
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-03-17
As the coronavirus pandemic spreads across the United States, laying bare the myriad dysfunctions and inefficiencies of America's for-profit healthcare system, a powerful insurance industry front group is openly ramping up its campaign against systemic healthcare reforms that experts say would help mitigate the outbreak and guarantee essential care for all…
truthout.org/articles/insurance-industry…
Hospitals in England told to postpone 'non-urgent' operations for 3 MONTHS amid coronavirus crisis
rt.com | 2020-03-17
NHS England is cancelling all routine surgery from April 15 for a period of at least three months, and discharging all inpatients as a matter of great urgency, to help deal with the Covid-19 outbreak. | The latest measures revealed by health bosses on Tuesday would see hospital patients who are 'medically fit' sent home to free up staff and beds as the UK attempts to stem the spread of the deadly disease. | In a letter sent to health trusts across the country, NHS heads claimed that the novel coronavirus presented the national healthcare system with "arguably the greatest challenge it has faced since its crea…
rt.com/uk/483345-uk-coronavirus-plans-nh…
Black Plague, Spanish Flu, Smallpox: All Hold Lessons for Coronavirus
Staff | truthdig.com | 2020-03-17
Pandemics are nothing new in history, and their long record across the ages and continents has much to teach us about how best to handle the current outbreak, writes California State University professor Ibrahim Al-Marashi in a fascinating piece at the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. | Al-Marashi begins with a tour through the animal origins of both common viruses and lethal pathogens, of which COVID-19 is just the latest example. Three-quarters of infectious diseases result from what he calls "zoonotic spillovers," mostly from common farming…
truthdig.com/articles/black-plague-spani…
Years of Austerity Weakened the Public Health Response to Coronavirus
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-03-17
Years of austerity at all levels of government, combined with profiteering in the health care sector and the Trump administration's bungled response, have severely weakened the nation's ability to combat the coronavirus outbreak and is putting public health workers on the front lines of the crisis in danger, according to experts and labor advocates. | Underfunded and overworked public health departments are tasked with tracking and stopping the spread of the disease. Hospitals and emergency rooms ar…
truthout.org/articles/years-of-austerity…
Pandemic: The Invention of a Disease Called Fear. People are being "Herded". Disrupting the World Economy
Julian Rose | globalresearch.ca | 2020-03-17
The word 'pandemic' bears a similarity to the word 'panic' and indeed 'pandemonium'. In fact 'pandemic' evokes an almost instant flush of fear in those easily manipulated by mass media, before any details have even touched the surface or context …
globalresearch.ca/pandemic-invention-disease-called-fear/5706596
American Unexceptionalism & COVID-19
Kary Love | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-17
During the SARS-1 epidemic scare in 2002-4, America invaded Iraq. If you followed science, you would know that SARS-1, was a coronavirus that caused an acute respiratory disease that killed on average about 11 out of every 100 infected (but sometimes more depending on health care infrastructure), and was a pandemic bullet the world barely…
counterpunch.org/2020/03/17/american-une…
'If I had to go to the pub, I'd go': PM BoJo's dad defies own son's advice ONE day after new Covid-19 measures (VIDEO)
rt.com | 2020-03-17
Boris Johnson's father Stanley has vowed that coronavirus won't put him off ordering a pint of beer, despite the UK government
'Shocking and callous': Tory MP rejects concerns over coronavirus low sick pay claims, tells constituent to 'get a life'
rt.com | 2020-03-17
A Conservative MP has felt the fury of Britons scared about the effect of the Covid-19 pandemic on the poor, after telling one of her constituents concerned about low sick pay to "get a life." | While the coronavirus outbreak is causing heightened tensions amongst citizens around the globe, lawmakers in various countries are attempting to allay fears with a series of measures to tackle the spread of the deadly disease. | However, it would appear Pauline Latham
Covid-19 pandemic could continue for 2 YEARS, German health expert warns
rt.com | 2020-03-17
A senior German disease control expert has warned that the coronavirus pandemic could continue for two years, depending on how long it takes for an effective vaccine to be developed and if people develop immunity after illness. | Speaking on Tuesday, the Robert Kock Institut's (RKI) president, Prof. Lothar Wieler, said pandemics tend to run their course in waves, and factors influencing how it unfolds from this point include how many people become immune to it after contracting the virus
Cuban Drug Could Save Thousands of Lives in Coronavirus Pandemic
Steve Sweeney | globalresearch.ca | 2020-03-17
Cuban medicine could treat thousands of coronavirus patients as production of a "flagship" drug known to combat the disease is set to increase significantly, pharmaceutical bosses said at a press conference on Friday. | President of the BioCubaFarma group Eduardo Martinez…
globalresearch.ca/cuban-drug-could-save-thousands-lives-coronavirus-pandemic/5706643
Pandemic: The Invention of a Disease Called Fear. People are being "Herded". Disrupting the World Economy
Julian Rose | globalresearch.ca | 2020-03-17
The word 'pandemic' bears a similarity to the word 'panic' and indeed 'pandemonium'. In fact 'pandemic' evokes an almost instant flush of fear in those easily manipulated by mass media, before any details have even touched the surface or context …
globalresearch.ca/pandemic-invention-disease-called-fear/5706596
From The Plague Doctor to Plague Culture
Julian Vigo | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-17
In Italy and France during the 17th century, the plague doctor was a physician who treated victims of the bubonic plague. He would dawn a plague mask which usually resembled the face of a white bird to include a curved beak and glass, goggle-like eye holes. Inside the beak or nose-case were placed various aromas–often…
counterpunch.org/2020/03/17/from-the-pla…
Plagues, Pandemics, Paintings, and Personal Gain
Raouf Halaby | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-17
After a lot of Trump Administration obfuscation, dillydallying, denial, sloppy planning, incompetence, inaction, and indecision about the spread and the combatting of the Coronavirus in the United States, and, after much criticism by Democrat politicians and the "liberal" media, the White House apprised the nation that at 9: 00 p.m. EDT, March 11, 2020, President Donald…
counterpunch.org/2020/03/17/plagues-pand…
Cuba's Contribution to Combatting COVID-19
Helen Yaffe | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-17
COVID-19 surged in the Chinese city of Wuhan in late December 2019 and by January 2020 it had hit Hubei province like a tidal wave, swirling over China and rippling out overseas. The Chinese state rolled into action to combat the spread and care for those infected. Among the 30 medicines the Chinese National Health Commission selected to fight the virus was a Cuban anti-viral drug Interferon Alpha 2b. This drug has been produced in China since 2003, by the enterprise ChangHeber, a Cuban-Chinese joint venture.
counterpunch.org/2020/03/17/cubas-contri…
Iran's supreme leader issues fatwa banning 'unnecessary travel' as coronavirus death toll mounts
rt.com | 2020-03-17
The supreme leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has made a religious ruling that prohibits "unnecessary travel" in the country in a bid to stop the spread of Covid-19. Iran's death toll from the outbreak is nearing 1,000. | The fatwa urges citizens to respect the orders of the health authorities and to refrain from traveling across the country without a valid reason. The supreme leader has final say on all state affairs and the decree published on Tuesday is a rare move on his part. | Iranian authorities called upon the citizenry to avoid traveling, closing major Shia Muslim holy sites on Monday in a bid t…
rt.com/news/483337-iran-coronavirus-trav…
ILWU & Migrant Organizations Defend Grand Princess Crew & US Workers
Labor Video Project | indybay.org | 2020-03-17
The Bay Area ILWU and migrant rights organizations joined together to support the Grand Princess crew health and safety as. well as the health and safety conditions of longshore workers and all port workers. They also discussed the fight of all working people to defend and protect their health and safety rights.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/03/14/1883152…
Health official warns that 150,000 Australians could die in coronavirus pandemic
wsws.org | 2020-03-17
Many of these people will die as a direct result of the failure of the governments, both federal and state, to take the urgently needed action and allocate the necessary medical resources.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/03/17/aust…
Australian governments invoke emergency powers amid COVID-19 disaster
wsws.org | 2020-03-17
These laws contain powers only previously used in wartime, such as arbitrarily detaining, imprisoning or imposing massive fines on people, to be imposed now in the name of protecting public health.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/03/17/emer…
Guyana: Vote Recount Suspended Once Again
telesurenglish.net | 2020-03-17
Guyana suspended the vote count again after the Electoral Commission's headquarters was sprayed with pesticides on Monday, Telesur's special envoy in the country Alejandro Kirk, said Tuesday. | RELATED: | Guyana: High Court Urges Recount in Largest Electoral District | "On Monday, Guyana's health ministry suddenly decided to spray the commission's headquarters with pesticides," Kirk said. | As a result, "the police were forced to evict the Caribbean Community of Nations (Caric…
telesurenglish.net/news/guyana-votes-rec…
Ohio governor vows to delay primary vote over coronavirus emergency despite judge's ruling
rt.com | 2020-03-17
Dueling press reports and statements have created major confusion over the upcoming primary vote in Ohio
Health secretary announces emergency measures for NHS Scotland
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2020-03-17
Scotland's NHS has been formally placed on an emergency footing to help it deal with a "substantial and sustained" increase in coronavirus cases.Health secretary Jeane Freeman revealed the move as she updated MSPs at Holyrood on the Covid-19 outbreak.Speaking after first minister Nicola Sturgeon warned "the next weeks and possibly months will be immensely difficult", the Health Secretary outlined some of the measures being implemented. | She also warned Scots more stringent steps might be needed to combat the spread of the virus
The Stop5GL Foundation Takes Netherlands Government to Court over 5G Rollout, Citing Health Concerns
telecompaper | globalresearch.ca | 2020-03-17
The Stop5GNL Foundation has filed a suit summary proceedings against the Dutch government, to stop it from rolling out 5G. The foundation believes the deployment is unlawful because it does not protect citizens against the consequences of radiation exposure from …
globalresearch.ca/dutch-foundation-takes-government-court-5g-rollout-citing-health-concerns/5706502
Concerns over supply shortage of protective gear for frontline health workers
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2020-03-17
There are "critical" shortages of laboratory equipment, medical devices and protective equipment in some countries, European health leaders have said.The European branch of the World Health Organisation (WHO) said it was aware of some shortages and was also monitoring the potential risk of a disruption to medicine supplies.It comes after officials in Britain faced renewed calls to keep frontline staff healthy and ensure they have enough protective equipment to continue caring for patients. | "Health facilities have to have the necessary equipment to care for those seriously affected and to protect health workers…
thecanary.co/discovery/news-discovery/2020/03/17/concerns-over-supply-shortage-of-protective-gear-for-frontline-health-workers/
The Stop5GL Foundation Takes Netherlands Government to Court over 5G Rollout, Citing Health Concerns
telecompaper | globalresearch.ca | 2020-03-17
The Stop5GNL Foundation has filed a suit summary proceedings against the Dutch government, to stop it from rolling out 5G. The foundation believes the deployment is unlawful because it does not protect citizens against the consequences of radiation exposure from …
globalresearch.ca/dutch-foundation-takes-government-court-5g-rollout-citing-health-concerns/5706502
The Senate Must Pass the Families First Coronavirus Response Act
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-03-17
The coronavirus pandemic has laid bare how ill-prepared the U.S. is to address basic human needs. Unlike every other wealthy nation, the U.S. fails to provide access to health care for everyone, paid time off for workers who are sick, safety standards to protect health workers, adequate payment to caregivers for people with disabilities, or financial support for businesses in times of natural disasters or widespread illness. | The House of Representatives, led by Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Representative R…
truthout.org/articles/the-senate-must-pa…
As coronavirus cases surge in Canada, Trudeau prioritizes tougher border controls
wsws.org | 2020-03-17
Although the number of confirmed coronavirus cases more than doubled in the past two days to 425, Trudeau offered nothing in the way of additional support for the already overstretched health care system.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/03/17/caco…
The impact of the coronavirus crisis in Florence
wsws.org | 2020-03-17
The inadequacies are largely due to the constant cuts that have been made to the national health system over the last two-three decades, under every government, whether center-right or center-left.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/03/17/ital…
After handful of tests, West Virginia officials claim zero coronavirus cases
wsws.org | 2020-03-17
The state has, by many metrics, the unhealthiest and poorest adult population in the US, putting a majority in higher risk categories for COVID-19.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/03/17/wvir…
Airbus & Volkswagen stop production as Covid-19 brings Europe to screeching halt
rt.com | 2020-03-17
European aviation giant Airbus has decided to pause production and assembly activities at its French and Spanish facilities for the next four days to contain the spread of coronavirus. | "This will allow sufficient time to implement stringent health and safety conditions in terms of hygiene, cleaning and self-distancing, while improving the efficiency of operations under the new working conditions," the company said in a statement on Tuesday, adding that it will allow its staff to work remotely wherever possible. | Airbus' announcement came shortly after France and Spain imposed drastic measures to battle the…
rt.com/business/483293-airbus-volkswagen…
5G: "The End of All Things". The Health Impacts of Electromagnetic Radiation
Dr. Gary Null | globalresearch.ca | 2020-03-17
We have become thoroughly accustomed and habituated to endless advertising by drug makers to buy into the promises of pharmaceutical drugs or to consent to the nutritional value of junk food. Yet the drug and food industries are completely indifferent …
globalresearch.ca/5g-end-all-things/5706587
With US Hospitals Unprepared for COVID-19, European Students Urged Home
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-03-17
The biggest college in Norway urged students to return from countries with "poorly developed" health systems
S.C. County Issues Shelter-in-Place with No Shelter or Facilities for Those Outside
Robert Norse | indybay.org | 2020-03-17
Several hours ago the County of Santa Cruz Health Services Agency followed up on actions by San Francisco, Marin, Santa Clara, Alameda, Contra Costa, and San Mateo counties declaring much public assembly a misdemeanor. Meanwhile acting City czar Martin Bernal has declined to provide portapotties, open bathrooms, provide vacant hotel and motel rooms, or declare an eviction moratorium for folks outside and hard-pressed renters inside.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/03/16/1883159…
Coronavirus as a Way of Life
Binoy Kampmark | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-17
"Anything we say in advance of a pandemic happening is alarmist; anything we say afterwards is inadequate."
With US Hospitals Unprepared for COVID-19, European Students Urged Home
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-03-17
The biggest college in Norway urged students to return from countries with "poorly developed" health systems
Pandemic Stalks But Congress Still Fails to Pass Emergency Legislation
sputniknews.com | 2020-03-17
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Dr. Krutika Kuppalli, an infectious disease physician and vice chair of an Infectious Disease Society of America committee, and Dr. Jason Kindrachuk, an assistant professor of viral pathogenesis and Canada Research Chair in molecular pathogenesis of emerging viruses.
sputniknews.com/radio_loud_and_clear/202…
Chinese Scientists Begin Recruiting Volunteers for Clinical Trials of COVID-19 Vaccines
sputniknews.com | 2020-03-17
MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Chinese scientists have begun a recruitment drive for volunteers to take part in clinical trials to test the safety and effectiveness of newly developed vaccines for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), Wang Junzhi, a scholar at the Chinese Academy of Engineering, said during a press conference on Tuesday.
sputniknews.com/asia/202003171078595963-…
US States Take Charge of COVID-19 Response
sputniknews.com | 2020-03-17
On this episode of The Critical Hour, Dr. Wilmer Leon is joined by Dr. Yolandra Hancock, board-certified pediatrician and obesity medicine specialist who combines her hands-on clinical experience and public health expertise.
sputniknews.com/radio_the_critical_hour/…
Morocco confirms 2nd death from coronavirus
yenisafak.com | 2020-03-17
Morocco confirmed a second death from the novel coronavirus on Tuesday, according to the health ministry.A 75-year-old man from Sale city in north-western Morocco had died from the disease, the ministry said in a statement.The ministry said a Moroccan national in Casablanca who recently visited France was infected with the virus, taking the total infections in the country to 38.On Sunday, Moroccan authorities created a $1 billion fund to upgrade health facilities and help the country's economic sectors in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.The disease, known as COVID-19, emerged in Wuhan, China last December, a…
yenisafak.com/en/life/morocco-confirms-2…
Islamic finance body sets up fund on coronavirus impact
yenisafak.com | 2020-03-17
The Islamic Development Bank (IsDB Group) is setting up a special $730 million fund to mitigate the negative health and socioeconomic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.The IsDB Group said on Monday that global supply chain disruptions, demand compression, and macroeconomic instability will have severe economic growth and poverty fallout on member countries, if not managed appropriately.The Strategic Preparedness and Response Facility fund is meant to ease the adverse impacts of coronavirus, according to a bank statement.The fund will include $280 million from the Bank and Islamic Solidarity Fund for Development for…
yenisafak.com/en/economy/islamic-finance…
Iran's death toll from coronavirus climbs to 988
yenisafak.com | 2020-03-17
Iran's death toll from the new coronavirus has increased to 988, with 135 new deaths in the past 24 hours, a health ministry spokesman told state TV on Tuesday."The death toll is 988 … with 1,178 new infected people in the past 24 hours, now the total number of infected cases is 16,169 across the country," said Kianush Jahanpur, adding that 5,389 people infected with the virus have recovered.
yenisafak.com/en/world/irans-death-toll-…
Pakistan province denies central government report of country's first coronavirus death
yenisafak.com | 2020-03-17
The death was announced on a web portal the health ministry launched on Tuesday to keep a track of the spread of the virus.The Punjab government disputed the report and said it would confirm the death after laboratory verification of the patient's test results.
yenisafak.com/en/world/pakistan-province…