(2020-03-26). 'Covid-19 could be seasonal': Fauci warns coronavirus is likely to return in 'CYCLES', stresses need for vaccine. rt.com 
Even if the US and other nations battling Covid-19 succeed in beating it back, the illness may return in yearly cycles, warned Anthony Fauci, a top expert on the US coronavirus task force, urging for the fast rollout of a vaccine.
(2020-03-25). For panicking capitalists, resuming profit flow trumps everything. peoplesworld.org 
Public health experts are united in advising Americans: "Keep your ass at home." Trump's panicky insistence on sabotaging that strategy is more than just ignorance and irresponsibility. It's not the "economy" in general he's in a cold sweat about. It's the flow of profits. And in that are revealed some hidden truths about our economy, …
(2020-03-25). Prince Charles tests positive for coronavirus. rt.com 
Prince Charles has tested positive for coronavirus, suffering mild symptoms. He is self-isolating at his home in Scotland with the Duchess of Cornwall, who does not have the virus, Clarence House has confirmed. | A statement released on Wednesday morning, said that it was "not possible to ascertain" from whom His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales had caught the virus, but that he had been continuing to work from home "throughout the last few days as usual." | The 71 year-old Prince – along with his 72 year-old wife Camilla – were tested for the deadly virus by the National Health Service (NHS) in Aberdeenshi…
(2020-03-25). Our leaders are terrified. Not of the virus, of us! dissidentvoice.org 
You can almost smell the fear-laden sweat oozing from the pores of television broadcasts and social media posts as it finally dawns on our political and media establishments what the coronavirus actually means. And I am not talking about the threat posed to our health. A worldview that has crowded out all other thinking for …
(2020-03-25). Spain overtakes China virus toll with 3,434 deaths – government. rt.com 
Spain has now surpassed China in its number of fatalities due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The latest government tally puts the number of deaths at 3,434. | The Spanish health ministry said it has registered 738 new coronavirus deaths since Tuesday. The overall number of cases in the southern European nation has soared to 47,610, from 39,673 the day before. | There have been 3,281 coronavirus death on mainland China so far, according to official statistics. | The country, where the global outbreak started, has managed to quash the Covid-19 epidemic with tight quarantine measures. It still gets its share of new ca…
(2020-03-25). The Coronavirus and the Urgent Need to Redefine National Security. counterpunch.org 
For far too long, the United States has been wastefully spending its precious budgetary resources on a nineteenth-century military strategy and a strategic arms policy that has brought no advantages to the American people. For the past three decades, our national security policies have been ineffectual and irrelevant to the genuine threats we face today. These threats do not emanate from Russia or China. Rather, they stem from an underfunded and highly vulnerable public health system, a cyber world that is out of control, and a crumbling infrastructure. In 2017, the American Society of Civil Engineers gave a grad…
(2020-03-25). Is there a doctor in the house? Nevada state medical team that banned malaria drug for coronavirus lacks qualification. rt.com 
Nevada's top health officials lack the qualifications one might expect in leaders making public health recommendations for the US, but that hasn't stopped them from attacking a potential Covid-19 treatment. | Trump's detractors in the Nevada state health department have moved heaven and earth to stop doctors in the state from prescribing two drugs the president deemed promising for treatment of coronavirus, insisting he's not qualified enough for his opinion to outweigh a lack of medical consensus. However, a few Twitter detectives discovered on Wednesday that these "professionals" don't seem to have all the n…
(2020-03-25). Macron drafts in French army to help with 'health & logistics' in coronavirus crisis. rt.com 
French President Emmanuel Macron has announced the launch of a military operation called 'Resilience' to help with "health, logistics and protection" as the country battles an increasing level of coronavirus infections. | During a visit to a military hospital on Wednesday, Macron revealed the plan, saying it "will be entirely devoted to helping and supporting the population, as well as supporting public service to deal with the Covid-19 epidemic." | The news comes after French health authorities confirmed an additional 231 deaths from the coronavirus, bringing the state's total to 1,331. The tally so far has o…
(2020-03-25). Not enough rooms in hospitals, 'many can't make it and die at home', says mayor at epicenter of Covid-19 outbreak in Italy. rt.com 
Hospitals simply lack the space and resources to help everyone, confining many to die from Covid-19 at home, warned Giorgio Gori, the mayor of Bergamo in Italy's northern Lombardy region, which was hit hardest by the virus. | The healthcare system has been entirely overwhelmed by the outbreak, Gori told Il Messaggero on Wednesday, with everyone "working from 8am till we collapse exhausted in the evening." | "Too many people are arriving in hospitals late and in grave condition, requiring intubation in intensive care units," Gori said, adding that more than 300 people died last week in Bergamo region alone. | M…
(2020-03-25). Italy's coronavirus death toll DIPS to 683 in one day, rising above 7,500 in total. rt.com 
Health officials in Italy have reported a drop in the daily death toll from the Covid-19 outbreak following a spike in fatalities on Tuesday. The country has suffered the highest losses in the world from the pandemic. | Italy recently overtook China as the epicenter of the outbreak, with the number of deaths there from the rapidly-spreading novel coronavirus. On Saturday, single-day fatalities hit a new high at 793 before falling on Sunday and Monday, however it climbed again on Tuesday. | Overall, the number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 rose to 74,386 on Wednesday, from 69,176 the day prior, Italy's Civil P…
(2020-03-25). Italian workers to strike after bosses put profits over health with coronavirus loopholes. peoplesworld.org 
Metalworkers in Italy's Lombardy region are set to walk out for 24 hours on Wednesday. The region's three main metalworker unions—FIOM, FIM, and UILM—warned that bosses are exploiting loopholes and exceptions in a government decree that forces businesses to close due to the coronavirus. They said that the government list "has been excessively extended, covering …
(2020-03-25). Julian Assange denied bail by London court. rt.com 
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been denied bail by a London court after his lawyers argued that the Covid-19 pandemic posed a serious threat to his health in light of his pre-existing conditions. | Judge Vanessa Baraitser ruled that the global pandemic "does not provide grounds" for Assange's release. | Also on rt.com | | The judge also cited Assange's "past conduct" which she said "shows the lengths he is prepared to go to avoid extradition…
(2020-03-25). The Decade Of Transformation Is Here: Remaking Health Care. dissidentvoice.org 
We've been writing for a while that the 2020's would be a decade when multiple crises would come to a head and we would have an opportunity for major transformations if we were organized to mobilize and demand them. The current coronavirus pandemic, economic collapse, and falling oil prices are three events that are creating …
(2020-03-25). Timeline: Early testing failures and Trump inaction crippled U.S. coronavirus response. peoplesworld.org 
WASHINGTON (AP)—A series of missteps at the nation's top public health agency caused a critical shortage of reliable laboratory tests for the coronavirus, hobbling the federal response as the pandemic spread across the country like wildfire, an Associated Press review found. President Donald Trump assured Americans early this month that the COVID-19 test developed by the …
(2020-03-25). Anti-aging game changer: Scientists successfully 'reset' cells from 114yo 'supercentenarian'. rt.com 
For years, scientists have sought to understand the mystery behind supercentenarians, or people who live more than 110 years. Now, researchers have overcome the first obstacle in cracking the secret code of long, healthy life. | For some as yet unknown reason, supercentenarians are resistant to diseases such as Alzheimer's, heart disease and cancer. In an effort to emulate this apparent medical miracle, scientists successfully reprogrammed cells from a 114-year-old woman, the first time such a feat had been managed in history. | "Why do supercentenarians age so slowly?" says study author Evan Y. Snyder. "We ar…
(2020-03-25). Bulgaria bans entry of trucks en route to Turkey as Ankara imposes Covid-19 restrictions. rt.com 
Bulgaria has imposed a temporary entry ban on trucks from more than 65 countries that plan to pass through the Balkan state en route to Turkey, the Health Ministry said on Wednesday. The decision was taken after Ankara imposed stringent coronavirus restrictions on truck drivers. | A 45-km long line of trucks has already built up at the Bulgarian-Turkish main border checkpoint of Kapitan Andreevo after Turkey banned entry of truck drivers coming from countries with large coronavirus outbreaks, Reuters reports. | Many of the drivers, who have to wait more than 72 hours to cross the border into Turkey, do not hav…
(2020-03-25). Singapore 'not ruling out' holding general election during Covid-19 outbreak. rt.com 
Singapore's government said on Wednesday it was not ruling out holding a general election during the coronavirus outbreak in the city-state, saying strong leadership was needed in a crisis. | Singapore, which must hold a ballot by early 2021, revised its electoral boundaries earlier this month, in a move typically seen as a precursor to calling a vote. Some opposition parties have urged against an election due to health risks. | Speaking in parliament, senior minister Teo Chee Hean said "the present situation is not ideal" but added that because the outbreak could go on for some time, the country could go for…
(2020-03-25). Venezuela's Coronavirus Response Might Surprise You. mintpressnews.com 
Unlike in the United States where coronavirus treatment can cost up to $35,000 and where Trump seems more concerned about the economy than about peoples' lives, Venezuela is handling the crisis by placing value in health over profits.
(2020-03-25). Madrid's Ice Rink Turned to Morgue as Spain Exceeds China in Coronavirus Deaths. democracynow.org 
We go to Madrid, Spain, one of the epicenters of the pandemic in Europe, where health workers account for nearly 14% of the country's infections. Many face limited availability of protective equipment. So many people have died that Madrid's municipal funeral home has stopped collecting bodies. A large ice rink is now being used as a makeshift morgue, and the government plans to extend the state of emergency by another 15 days in order to stop the spread of the coronavirus. "If Madrid was a country, it would actually be fifth in terms of death rate in the entire world," says María Carrión, journalist and former De…
(2020-03-25). New York the 'canary in the coal mine' for U.S. peoplesworld.org 
Doctors at New York hospitals are saying they fear that very soon they will have to make decisions about who lives and who dies because they do not have the equipment they need to treat all of their patients. In a desperate attempt to deal with an unprecedented pandemic, New York's leaders are warning that …
(2020-03-25). Frontline NY Nurses Lack Protective Masks & Ventilators, Say Worst Yet to Come as COVID-19 Spreads. democracynow.org 
As the New York metro area has 60% of all the new coronavirus cases in the United States and is responsible for half the cases all over the country, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said Tuesday the number of hospitalizations is expected to peak in the next 40 days as hospitals are already encountering shortages of equipment needed to protect medical workers and to keep patients alive when the city's COVID-19 cases peak in the coming weeks. We're joined by two people on the frontlines of the pandemic: Sean Petty, a registered nurse in the pediatric emergency room of a public hospital in the Bronx and member of the…
(2020-03-25). WATCH Russian military infection specialists heading for coronavirus-plagued northern Italy. rt.com 
Russian military specialists who arrived in Italy to help with the fight against coronavirus are heading towards the north of the country, which has been affected by the deadly epidemic the worst. | The convoy, composed of 22 trucks and other vehicles, set off for the northern Italian city of Bergamo early on Wednesday. The convoy, escorted by the Italian Carabinieri, has reached Florence, making a brief stop there, the Russian military says. | One hundred Russian military medics and disease specialists were airlifted to Italy over the weekend, landing at Pratica di Mare Air Base 30km (18.6 miles) from Rome…
(2020-03-25). Nurses launch campaign against CDC's OK of bandannas and scarves. peoplesworld.org 
WASHINGTON—National Nurses United launched a scathing social media campaign, centered around a serious—but comic—graphic denouncing the federal government's recommendation that nurses wear bandannas and scarves around their faces if they can't find masks and respirators to wear while testing and treating coronavirus victims. CDC issued the recommendation, which is not mandatory, because the U.S. faces …
(2020-03-25). 'Imprisonment should be last resort…in crisis' — UN rights chief on prisoners' fates amid Covid-19 outbreak. rt.com 
UN human rights chief, Michelle Bachelet, has called on governments around the world to reduce the number of prisoners amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, citing their particular vulnerability to the disease. | The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Bachelet urged the authorities to reduce the number of peopl…
(2020-03-25). Over ONE THIRD of world's population under lockdown over Covid-19 — AFP tally. rt.com 
More than one in three people on Earth are now confined to their homes because of quarantine measures imposed by various nations to combat the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, AFP reports. | A whopping three billion people must stay in their homes or limit their movements in some fashion, as countries around the world embrace ever-tighter quarantine restrictions to stem the spread of the deadly disease — which has already infected more than 416,000 people and claimed more than 18,000 lives globally. | The number provided by AFP amounts to roughly 37 percent of the total world population, which stands at 7.8…
(2020-03-25). 'I'm so happy I can barely speak': Trump responds to Romney's negative coronavirus, gets bashed for 'sarcasm'. rt.com 
President Donald Trump says Senator Mitt Romney not having coronavirus is "really great news," but he followed that up by slamming him as a "RINO" and "terrible presidential candidate." | Romney announced this week he has tested negative for Covid-19 following a move into self-isolation in Utah after he discovered Senator Rand Paul — with whom he'd had recent contact — had tested positive for the disease. | Trump took his usual swipes at his political adversary, though this time in a rather sarcastic fashion. | "This is really great news! I am so happy I can barely speak," the president tweeted in…
(2020-03-25). Last night Julian Assange called me. Here is what we talked about. zcomm.org Whether the epidemic helps deliver the good or the most evil society will depend, of course, on us — on whether progressives manage to band together…
(2020-03-25). California Nurses Association protest in Oakland against lack of protective gear. indybay.org Last Friday, I watched around 4 first responders from a fire truck in Oakland respond to the needs of someone that was hauled off to the hospital. I was shocked that the first responders were not wearing any protective gear or N95 respirators. Barely three days later, nurses from the California Nurses Association and National Nurses United held a protest Monday evening March 23, in front of Kaiser Permanente in Oakland. They protested against the lack of protective gear and weakening of standards by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) needed to protect them from getting sick during the coronavirus COVID-19 pand…
(2020-03-25). Palestine Demands Israel Release Prisoners Amid Virus Outbreak. telesurenglish.net Palestine on Wednesday urged Israel to immediately release over 5,000 Palestinian prisoners from its jails amidst an outbreak of COVID-19 in the country. | RELATED: | In a press statement, the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Israeli Prisons Service (IPS) is not providing proper health protection to Palestinian prisoners, despite an alarming increase of coronavirus cases in Israel. | "Israel is in…
(2020-03-25). FRSO online forum: A people's response to the coronavirus crisis. fightbacknews.org Minneapolis, MN – The world is the midst of a once-in-a-century disease pandemic. COVID-19 is a natural phenomenon that is quickly becoming a human disaster. | Steff Yorek, political secretary of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) states, "We know that all the politicians serve the interests of the rich. We need to demand and win concessions that benefit poor and working people. This will be literally a life or death situation and will fall on those with the least resources the most." | Join us for an on-line forum addressing how capitalism fails to address the public health crisis, brings impending e…
(2020-03-25). 170,000 people sign up to be NHS volunteers. thecanary.co A total of 170,000 people have signed up to be volunteers for the NHS in an "astonishing" response to the coronavirus crisis, according to a senior doctor. | The mass sign-up follows health secretary Matt Hancock's request for 250,000 people to donate their time to help the 1.5 million people isolating for 12 weeks in an attempt to slow the spread of Covid-19. | Stephen Powis, NHS England medical director, said: "Overnight 170,000 people have signed up — that's three a minute to help the NHS. | "It's an absolutely astonishing response." | He told BBC Breakfast: "This is a health emergency, we can all play a…
(2020-03-25). Latest Australian COVID-19 measures driven by concern about profits, not health. wsws.org Prime Minister Morrison channeled Donald Trump and insisted on keeping "the economy" going, regardless of the mounting danger to the health and lives of millions of people.
(2020-03-25). Spain's COVID-19 Death Toll Overtakes China's. telesurenglish.net Spain's coronavirus death toll surpassed Wednesday that of China, where the disease originated, as the country struggles to cope with an accelerating health crisis. | RELATED: | With 3,445 deaths, Spain now has the second-highest number of deaths globally after Italy's 7,503. The country has reported over 47,000 cases, with Madrid and the semi-autonomous region of Catalonia becoming the hotspots of the virus. | "There has been a 20 pe…
(2020-03-25). Health Care Workers Are Facing Burdens That Put Everyone at Risk. thenation.com Health Care Workers Are Facing Burdens That Put Everyone at Risk…
(2020-03-25). San Francisco Dept of Public Health Site Offers Help to Everyone. indybay.org San Francisco now has 178 Coronavirus cases and for the first time today, 1 death. See the Department of Public Health website at www.sfdph.org/dph/alerts/coronavirus.asp The same website has all kinds of helpful tips good for everyone, no matter where you live, translated into Chinese, Filipino, Spanish, Arabic and Vietnamese.
(2020-03-25). Caribbean Governments Join Forces Against COVID-19. telesurenglish.net The Health and Foreign Ministers of the Association of Caribbean States (ACS) held Tuesday the first extraordinary meeting of the regional bloc on COVID-19, during which the delegations proposed joint actions to confront the pandemic. | RELATED: | More than 33 countries, territories, and regional organizations participated in what was called the First Extraordinary Meeting of Health and Foreign Ministers of the ACS, wh…
(2020-03-25). Pregnant? Here's What to Expect While Giving Birth Amid the Coronavirus Pandemic. truthout.org Over the next three months, nearly a million women in the United States will give birth to nearly a million babies — a huge influx of mostly healthy, highly vulnerable patients into a hospital system that's about to come under unprecedented strain. Pregnant women, not surprisingly, are anxious. Those in their third trimester, looking to deliver during an epidemic, are close to frantic. | It's hard to stay calm when reliable information is as scarce as N95 masks and prenatal providers are so busy revampin…
(2020-03-25). War-Torn Libya Announces Its First Case of Coronavirus. telesurenglish.net The Health Minister of the United Nations (U.N.)-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) in Libya, Ahmed Ben Omar, confirmed Tuesday Libya's first case of coronavirus in a brief statement. | RELATED: "The necessary measures have been taken to treat [the patient]," Ben Omar said. | The National Centre for Disease Control said the patient is a 73-year-old man who came back from a trip to Saudi Arabia via Tunisia on March 5. He is now being treated in…
(2020-03-25). Vets Say We Need a Strong VA to Combat Coronavirus and Win Medicare for All. truthout.org Not many know about the Department of Veterans Affairs's (VA) so-called "fourth mission." In 1982, Congress expanded the VA's role beyond providing care, benefits and burial services to the nearly 9 million veterans it currently serves. Its additional role is to provide a backup health care system in a national emergency — for example, The agency's Veterans Heal…
(2020-03-25). Madrid's Ice Rink Turned Into Morgue as Spain Exceeds China in COVID-19 Deaths. truthout.org We go to Madrid, Spain, one of the epicenters of the pandemic in Europe, where health workers account for nearly 14% of the country's infections. Many face limited availability of protective equipment. So many people have died that Madrid's municipal funeral home has stopped collecting bodies. A large ice rink is now being used as a makeshift morgue, and the government plans to extend the state of emergency by another 15 days in order to stop the spread of the coronavirus. "If Madrid was a countr…
(2020-03-25). French Site Helps Decide About Seeking Health Care. indybay.org French government health site provides simple, direct questionnaire to help health care provider quickly decide if you need medical attention. Here is an English translation.
(2020-03-25). Wall Street surges on prospect of government corporate bailouts. wsws.org Markets were also boosted by Trump's push to have major lockdowns lifted regardless of the health consequences for the mass of the population.
(2020-03-25). Real Estate Interests Seek Limits on Proposed Eviction Moratorium in Santa Cruz. indybay.org Santa Cruz Together is calling for a 90-day "repayment period" to be written into the proposed emergency eviction moratorium ordinance on the agenda of tomorrow's Santa Cruz City Council meeting. The ordinance seeks to, "protect the health, safety, and welfare of the larger community by preventing residential or commercial evictions for non-payment of rent as a result of economic losses related to the coronavirus pandemic to avoid further homelessness and loss of jobs and employment opportunities within the community," according to the meeting's agenda packet. Santa Cruz Together fought rent control and other ren…
(2020-03-25). Coronavirus and the Prison Industrial Complex. globalresearch.ca The legacy of the coronavirus pandemic, at least in so far as responses are concerned, is thickening by the day. Behavioural changes are being urged, language is rapidly evolving (spot the "covidiot" amongst you) and the policy of health surveillance …
(2020-03-25). During the COVID-19 Pandemic, Do as the Vietnamese Do. counterpunch.org As I wrote in a recent essay for international education colleagues, Viet Nam has overcome steep odds in many contemporary arenas and throughout its millennia-long history. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Viet Nam is doing all of the right things, placing the health and well-being of its people and foreign visitors, i.e., all
(2020-03-25). Cuba to Send Doctors to Four Caribbean Countries and Argentina. telesurenglish.net Cuba's health authorities announced that new brigades of doctors and nurses with experience in handling critical situations are heading to Belize, Antigua and Barbuda, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Dominica on Wednesday and Thursday. | RELATED: | The first group with 25 health workers left for Belize this morning from the Central Unit for Medical Cooperation in Havana. | "We are aware that the current situation is difficult, but we are…
(2020-03-25). Healthcare Workers Are At War, But Trump Isn't on Our Side. commondreams.org We not only need a new healthcare system, but a new economic system that values life over profit. (Photo: Eniola Odetunde/Axios. Photo: Chris Graythen/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2020-03-25). Pregnant? Here's What to Expect While Giving Birth Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic. truthout.org Over the next three months, nearly a million women in the United States will give birth to nearly a million babies — a huge influx of mostly healthy, highly vulnerable patients into a hospital system that's about to come under unprecedented strain. Pregnant women, not surprisingly, are anxious. Those in their third trimester, looking to deliver during an epidemic, are close to frantic. | It's hard to stay calm when reliable information is as scarce as N95 masks and prenatal providers are so busy revampin…
(2020-03-25). Brazil: 'Covid-19 Can Decimate Indigenous Peoples' Doctor Warns. telesurenglish.net The Sao Paulo Federal University (UNIFESP) researcher Sofia Mendonca Wednesday warned that Brazilian Indigenous peoples can be decimated by the Covid-19 pandemic if there are no forceful containment actions. | RELATED: | "There is an incredible risk that the virus will spread through communities and cause genocide," says Mendonca, who is the coordinator of Xingu, a health promotion project that UNIFESP has been ca…
(2020-03-25). Experts Explain Why COVID-19 Seems More Fatal in Men Than Women. telesurenglish.net Existing data show the novel coronavirus has caused higher mortality in men than women. Besides general poor health and habits like smoking and drinking for men that may cause damage to the lungs, leading experts told Xinhua hormonal influences on the immune response may also play a vital role in this phenomenon. | RELATED: | While addressing a White House daily briefing, Dr. Deborah Birx, White House COVID-19 task force director, said a report from…