[World Report] Venezuelan migrants "struggling to survive" amid COVID-19
Joe Parkin Daniels | thelancet.com | 2020-03-28
Humanitarian organisations are concerned that border closures and health-care shortages are amplifying the challenges posed by COVID-19. Joe Parkin Daniels reports from Bogotá.
thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PI…(20)30718-2/fulltext?rss=yes
[Correspondence] COVID-19 cacophony: is there any orchestra conductor?
Antoine Flahault | thelancet.com | 2020-03-28
The first wave of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is currently invading the world, and several countries are now struggling to fight it or trying to delay its start to help smooth its peak size for the purpose of lowering morbidity and mortality, and thereby reduce the overall tension on their health-care system. China's first major outbreaks of COVID-19 happened in January, 2020. Then South Korea, Iran, and Italy entered into this Ravel's Bolero-like epidemic in late February and early March, 2020, and many other countries are preparing to play the same rhythmic pattern in the coming days and weeks.
thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PI…(20)30491-8/fulltext?rss=yes
[Editorial] COVID-19: learning from experience
The Lancet | thelancet.com | 2020-03-28
Over the past 2 weeks, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has marched relentlessly westward. On March 13, WHO said that Europe was now the centre of the pandemic. A few days later, deaths in Italy surpassed those in China. Iran and Spain had also reported over 1000 deaths as of March 23, and many other European countries and the USA reported increasing numbers of cases, heralding an imminent wave of fatalities. Following the sweep of COVID-19 is a series of dramatic containment measures that reflect the scale of the threat posed by the pandemic.
thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PI…(20)30686-3/fulltext?rss=yes
[Comment] Offline: COVID-19 and the NHS–"a national scandal"
Richard Horton | thelancet.com | 2020-03-28
"When this is all over, the NHS England board should resign in their entirety." So wrote one National Health Service (NHS) health worker last weekend. The scale of anger and frustration is unprecedented, and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is the cause. The UK Government's Contain–Delay–Mitigate–Research strategy failed. It failed, in part, because ministers didn't follow WHO's advice to "test, test, test" every suspected case. They didn't isolate and quarantine. They didn't contact trace. These basic principles of public health and infectious disease control were ignored, for reasons that r…
thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PI…(20)30727-3/fulltext?rss=yes
[Comment] Why WHO needs a feminist economic agenda
Asha Herten-Crabb, Sara E Davies | thelancet.com | 2020-03-28
In September, 2019, Alan Donnelly and Ilona Kickbusch called for a chief economist at WHO.1 Such a position, they argued, would enable WHO to better advocate for greater recognition of, and thus action on, the interdependency of health and the economy. We support this proposal: recognition of the interdependence of health and the economy is vital for WHO to achieve its mandate: "the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health…without distinction of race, religion, political belief, economic or social condition".
thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PI…(20)30110-0/fulltext?rss=yes
[World Report] PrEP finally approved on NHS in England
Tony Kirby | thelancet.com | 2020-03-28
After years of wrangling, pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV prevention will finally be available on the National Health Service in England. Tony Kirby reports.
thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PI…(20)30720-0/fulltext?rss=yes
[Editorial] Building on the PrEP victory
The Lancet | thelancet.com | 2020-03-28
On March 15, the UK Department of Health and Social Care announced funding to make pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) medication available on the National Health Service in England for HIV prevention. This decision will be met, finally, with a sense of achievement by HIV activists and care providers, who have fought long and hard to make tenofovir-based PrEP drugs widely accessible in the UK, 8 years after the US Food and Drug Administration approved them and more than 4 years after WHO recommended their use for people at high risk of acquiring HIV.
thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PI…(20)30688-7/fulltext?rss=yes
Vigil for Peace in Yemen, a New Norm
Kathy Kelly | zcomm.org | 2020-03-28
Particularly now, with intense focus on U.S. health care, it's timely to recognize that in the past five years U.S. supported Gulf Coalition airstrikes bombed Yemen's health care facilities 83 times…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/vigil-for-peace-in…
No More "One Mask Per Shift"! SF NNU Nurses Demand Real Protection At St. Mary's Hospital
Labor Video Project | indybay.org | 2020-03-28
San Francisco NNU CNA nurses rallied on 3/26/20 outside St. Mary's hospital to protest the management's order use the same mask all day which threatens the health and safety of nurses and patients. They collected donated masks and also were angry against the CDC regulations which have been downgraded threatening their health.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/03/26/1883184…
In a Plague Year, Trump Ratchets up Tensions with Iran and Iraq
Reese Erlich | zcomm.org | 2020-03-28
Trump can continue his "maximum pressure campaign" against Iran and face continued Iraqi attacks on US troops. Or he can back off to focus on domestic concerns and avoid a wider war…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/in-a-plague-year-t…
University of California graduate students need a socialist political strategy
wsws.org | 2020-03-28
Faced with the COVID-19 pandemic, striking University of California graduate students must turn out to the working class in a political struggle for trillions for public health, decent living standards, and public education for all.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/03/28/ucgr…
UK health care assistant: "There's a fear that if we are tested for COVID-19, most of us will come back positive and the NHS will collapse"
wsws.org | 2020-03-28
A senior health care assistant spoke to the World Socialist Web Site about his experiences at work during the coronavirus pandemic.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/03/28/ukco…
When Economists Try to Solve Health Crises, the Results Can Often Be Disastrous
Justin Podur | zcomm.org | 2020-03-28
Classical economics helped kill millions in the British Empire's famines–following economic orthodoxy today could be just as deadly…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/when-economists-tr…
Learning from the Past, Preparing for the Future: Lessons from Depression-era Mutual Aid
anonymous | indybay.org | 2020-03-28
As coronavirus spreads and the death toll begins to climb, our most immediate concern is (and should remain) staying healthy and supporting our communities through the immediate crisis. As radicals, however, we must also begin to strategize how we will respond to the economic collapse that will continue to affect our lives long after a vaccine or herd immunity render the virus itself a past issue. Looking back to our local history, we can learn a great deal from Great Depression era worker self-organizing and mutual aid.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/03/27/1883187…
US teachers speak out on the coronavirus epidemic
wsws.org | 2020-03-28
Teachers across the country spoke on the impact the epidemic is having on education and the way forward.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/03/28/teac…
WATCH Russian biodefense troops disinfect nursing home in coronavirus-hit Italy
rt.com | 2020-03-28
Experts from Moscow's biodefense unit have been deployed at the epicenter of the deadly Covid-19 outbreak in Italy, tasked with disinfecting a nursing home where patients died amid the coronavirus pandemic. | A Russian military biological and chemical protection team was dispatched to the Martino Zanchi nursing home in the city of Bergamo in Italy's northern Lombardy region on Friday. | Going from room to room, anti-epidemic specialists in hazmat suits and respirators sprayed disinfectant on all furniture, including beds and mattresses. They also thoroughly disinfected floors, walls and ceilings because traces…
rt.com/news/484343-italy-russia-covid19-…
Medical journal editor-in-chief slams NHS bosses, saying they could have prevented 'chaos and panic'
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2020-03-28
NHS bosses could have prevented "chaos and panic" in a system left "wholly unprepared for this pandemic", Richard Horton, editor-in-chief of British medical journal the Lancet, has said. | Horton wrote in the Lancet that numerous warnings were issued to the NHS but these were not heeded. He cited an example from his journal on 20 January, pointing to a global epidemic: Preparedness plans should be readied for deployment at short notice, including securing supply chains of pharmaceuticals, personal protective equipment, hospital supplies and the necessary human resources to deal with the consequences of a global ou…
thecanary.co/discovery/news-discovery/2020/03/28/medical-journal-editor-in-chief-slams-nhs-bosses-saying-they-could-have-prevented-chaos-and-panic/
Covid-19 cases in Germany surge 6,294 in one day as death toll hits 325
rt.com | 2020-03-28
The number of coronavirus cases in Germany has surged by 6,294 in one day to nearly 50,000, while the death toll jumped by 72 to 325. | The Robert Koch Institute announced a fresh round of alarming statistics on Saturday morning, showing that a total of 48,582 people in Germany are confirmed carriers of the virus. | The federal agency, which is responsible for disease control and prevention in Germany, said that 325 people have died after testing positive for the illness. The figure represents an increase of 72 from Friday's tally and it is based on data collected up until midnight on Friday. | The spike in ca…
rt.com/news/484348-germany-covid-19-deat…
India sees its biggest daily jump in Covid-19 cases as number of infected nears 900
rt.com | 2020-03-28
India's confirmed coronavirus cases tally hit 873 on Saturday after the country went into a three-week quarantine in the hope of stopping the spread of the deadly Covid-19 disease. | An additional 149 people tested positive for coronavirus, bringing the total number of cases nationwide to 873, India's Health Ministry said on Saturday. This is the biggest single-day increase the country has seen since the beginning of the outbreak. | India has remained among the states with a relatively low number of officially-reported infections and deaths from the coronavirus. A total of 19 people have died as of Saturday.
rt.com/news/484341-india-covid-cases-inc…
Spain suffers another record day for Covid-19 deaths as 832 perish
rt.com | 2020-03-28
Spain has recorded another record breaking day for Covid-19 deaths as 832 people died from the disease in 24 hours and the number of cases surged by over 8,000. | Spanish health officials announced on Saturday morning that 5,690 people have now died from the coronavirus in the Mediterranean country and a total of 72,248 people have contracted the illness. | The figure represents an increase of 8,189 confirmed cases on Friday's total. | While the shocking statistics are a further reminder of the threat the virus poses they offer evidence that the rate of infection has slowed in Spain. | The jump in cases is a 1…
rt.com/news/484357-spain-death-toll-coro…
The Landfill In Our Bodies… How Human Biomonitoring Detected Toxins from a federal Hunters
Ahimsa Porter Sumchai MD, PD | indybay.org | 2020-03-28
Building 830 houses the UCSF Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases (IND)and Lab Animal Resource Center (LARC). It is, arguably, the most high risk building on the naval base. A gas monitoring probe located adjacent to Building 830(GMP3) detects methane concentrations at the landfill surface as high as 50% volume in air.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/03/27/1883186…
COVID-19 pandemic spells no truce in US imperialism's global aggression
wsws.org | 2020-03-28
Far from declaring a humanitarian truce as COVID-19 threatens the lives of millions, Washington has sought to weaponize the death and disruption spread by the disease.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/03/28/usim…
Coronavirus testing to begin for some NHS staff
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2020-03-28
Coronavirus (COVID-19) tests for NHS frontline staff are to be trialled this weekend. These are part of a wider roll-out to help those given the all-clear from the disease to return to work. The move comes after prime minister Boris Johnson tested positive for coronavirus and has gone into self-isolation.Cabinet minister Michael Gove said the government was working in a "new alliance" with universities, businesses and researchers to boost testing capacity. A total of 759 people have already died in UK hospitals after being diagnosed with coronavirus. Meanwhile, 113,777 have tested positive and hundreds of thousan…
thecanary.co/discovery/news-discovery/2020/03/28/coronavirus-testing-to-begin-for-some-nhs-staff/
Nearly 19,000 pandemic deaths in Europe as savaged health care systems are overwhelmed
wsws.org | 2020-03-28
The COVID-19 pandemic is preying on Europe's 500 million-plus population whose health care services have been decimated by years of government austerity and private sector looting.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/03/28/euro…
Sri Lankan doctors speak out over coronavirus dangers facing health workers
wsws.org | 2020-03-28
Hospital workers are making a huge effort to treat the rising number of patients, but they lack the protective gear they need.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/03/28/slvi…
As COVID-19 Reaches Santa Rita Jail, Decarceration Becomes More Urgent
Ella Baker Center | indybay.org | 2020-03-28
Oakland, CA
Starbucks Let Critical Time Slip Away Before Taking Action During COVID-19 Pandemic
Ruth Robertson | indybay.org | 2020-03-28
A March 26 Buzzfeed News article says of Starbucks, "the decisions of a company that employs 220,000 people in the US have had far-reaching consequences in the midst of a virus accelerating faster than most public health systems can keep up with."
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/03/26/1883184…
G20 Emergency Meeting Convenes on Coronavirus Health and Economic Impacts
Kate Zeller | indybay.org | 2020-03-28
Saudi Arabia chaired an emergency virtual G20 meeting for Presidents and Prime Minsters as the coronavirus wreaks havoc on the global economy.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/03/26/1883184…
Big business in South Korea exploits pandemic to carry out massive assault on jobs
wsws.org | 2020-03-28
The trade unions are aiding the government and corporations use the health crisis to implement deeper attacks on the working class.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/03/28/skor…
UK government buried 2016 report exposing catastrophic NHS failings during flu pandemic
wsws.org | 2020-03-28
Exercise Cygnus has been buried for years for fear it would give rise to demands for an end to health care cuts.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/03/28/cygn…
Australian medical workers speak on the growing crisis in the health system
wsws.org | 2020-03-28
Health workers are increasingly being forced to source their own supplies to ensure they and their colleagues have masks, goggles, gowns and gloves.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/03/28/auhe…
IMF Announces Coronavirus Debt Relief and Increased Lending Resources
Kate Zeller | indybay.org | 2020-03-28
As the coronavirus continues to take lives and wreak havoc on health systems and the economy, the International Monetary Fund announced plans for debt relief for poor countries and increased lending resources for all countries.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/03/27/1883186…
Know Your Rights during COVID-19 (Coronavirus)
National Lawyers Guild | indybay.org | 2020-03-28
While the COVID-19 pandemic necessitates public health measures to reduce the impact of the virus on our communities and health care systems, we must be vigilant and resist authoritarian and violent tendencies.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/03/28/1883187…
Why is the U.S. so exceptionally vulnerable to Covid-19?
Nicolas J.S. Davies | zcomm.org | 2020-03-28
Will we finally wake up from our American dream, open our eyes and start learning from our neighbors in other countries, including ones that have different political, economic and healthcare systems than ours?>…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/why-is-the-u-s-so-…
Rouhani says Iran's healthcare system ready for Covid-19 peak as it sees more than 3,000 new infections
rt.com | 2020-03-28
President Hassan Rouhani has said that Iran's medical infrastructure was prepared to overcome the zenith of the coronavirus pandemic, as the country recorded more than 3,000 new cases and nearly 140 new deaths. | The Iranian leader expressed confidence in his country's ability to cope with a possible peak in Covid-19 cases during televized remarks on Saturday. He described Iran's medical facilities and personnel as "strong," and predicted that the crisis could come to an end in a few weeks. | Rouhani's remarks came as Iran's health ministry confirmed 3,076 new infections, bringing the national total to 35,408.
rt.com/news/484354-iran-coronavirus-3000…
Mexico's government seeks to place burden of virus crisis on the backs of the working class
wsws.org | 2020-03-28
Mexican President López Obrador has belittled the threat and done nothing in terms of health spending or financial support to workers.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/03/28/mexi…
We Must Expand Tricare for Everybody Who Needs It
Jon Walker | zcomm.org | 2020-03-28
We need a solution that can be used even faster than any industry bailout or targeted reinsurance program that has the government take on the insurers' cost for covering Covid-19 patients…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/we-must-expand-tri…
Spread of COVID-19 in Russia to Decline in May – WHO Representative on Health Ministry's Assessment
sputniknews.com | 2020-03-28
Earlier this week, the World Health Organisation's (WHO) representative in Russia, Melita Vujnovic, said that there was no need for a hard quarantine in Russia, adding that Moscow was "one step ahead" in its fight against COVID-19.
sputniknews.com/russia/20200328107874046…
Possible COVID-19 Outbreak in Libya to Be 'Catastrophic' Amid Protracted Conflict, UN Warns
sputniknews.com | 2020-03-28
MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Should a COVID-19 outbreak begin in Libya, it will overwhelm the war-torn country's already overstretched healthcare system, Jennifer Bose Ratka, public information officer at the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Libya, said.
sputniknews.com/middleeast/2020032810787…
Coronavirus cases rise in five Arab states
yenisafak.com | 2020-03-28
Health authorities in five Arab countries reported fresh coronavirus cases on Saturday.In a statement, Morocco's Health Ministry said 13 coronavirus cases were recorded, taking the total infections in the country to 358.The ministry put the death toll from the disease at 23 and 11 recoveries.In Palestine, six new coronavirus infections were reported, taking the total cases to 97, according to a spokesman for the Palestinian government.In Oman, the Health Ministry said 21 new infections were registered, bringing the total coronavirus cases in the Gulf state to 152.According to the ministry, a total of 23 patients…
yenisafak.com/en/world/coronavirus-cases…
COVID-19 continues to spread in Arab countries
yenisafak.com | 2020-03-28
Morocco's online bulletin that announces new COVID-19 cases said the total number of the cases in the country increased to 358, with 13 new patients.According to the website, the death toll in the country is now 23.It also said 11 people were discharged from hospitals after recovering from the virus.In Palestine, government spokesman Ibrahim Melhem reported six more confirmed cases of the virus in the country, bringing the total to 97.Meanwhile, the Kuwaiti Health Ministry said the total number of confirmed cases rose to 235, with 10 new cases confirmed.It also said that the number of discharged people from hospi…
yenisafak.com/en/world/covid-19-continue…
Swiss coronavirus death toll reaches 235, confirmed cases top 13,000
yenisafak.com | 2020-03-28
The Swiss death toll from coronavirus has reached 235, the country's public health ministry said on Saturday, rising from 197 people on Friday.The number of confirmed cases also increased to 13,213 from 12,161 on Friday, it said. The government is due to give an update later on Saturday on the epidemic situation.
yenisafak.com/en/world/swiss-coronavirus…
COVID-19: Russia confirms 228 new cases, 1 more death
yenisafak.com | 2020-03-28
Russia announced on Saturday 228 new coronavirus cases, bringing the country's total to 1,264 with an additional death.According to official figures, Moscow continues to be the epicenter of the epidemic in the country with half of the new cases.COVID-19 is now officially present in 62 of 86 Russian regions, with 49 people having recovered so far, the statement said."A total of 1,264 cases of coronavirus infection have been registered in 62 regions of the Russian Federation to date. Over the past day, four people were discharged for recovery. Forty nine people were discharged during the entire period," it said.To…
yenisafak.com/en/world/covid-19-russia-c…
Turkish Cyprus reports first COVID-19 death
yenisafak.com | 2020-03-28
The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) confirmed on Saturday the first death in the country due to the novel coronavirus.A 67-year-old German male patient succumbed to the virus in Lefkosa, the Health Ministry said in a statement.The patient suffered from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and hypertension.On March 10, the first coronavirus case in the TRNC was diagnosed in a German female tourist.As of March 23, the partial curfew in the TRNC entered into force. There is a total of 61 cases in the country.After first appearing in Wuhan, China in December, the virus, officially known as COVID-19, has s…
yenisafak.com/en/life/turkish-cyprus-rep…
Bangladesh: Asian Development Bank okays COVID-19 grant
yenisafak.com | 2020-03-28
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) announced on Saturday that it approved a grant of $300,000 for Bangladesh to bolster its efforts to fight the novel coronavirus outbreak.The ADB said in a statement that it approved on Friday the emergency grant which would be used on procuring health safety equipment, including masks, safety googles, aprons, thermometers and biohazard bags, as prioritized by the country's Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.The grant will be part of the bank's regional support to address the coronavirus outbreak, as well as and "potential outbreaks of other communicable diseases.""ADB is fully…
yenisafak.com/en/economy/bangladesh-asia…
Spain's coronavirus death toll rises by 832 overnight to 5,690
yenisafak.com | 2020-03-28
Spain's coronavirus death toll rose by 832 cases overnight to 5,690, the health ministry said on Saturday, marking a new high in the daily rise in fatalities.The total number of those infected rose to 72,248 from 64,059 on Friday.
yenisafak.com/en/world/spains-coronaviru…
COVID-19 cases in Israel near 3,500
yenisafak.com | 2020-03-28
The number of COVID-19 cases in Israel has reached 3,460 after 425 more people are diagnosed with COVID-19, according to the statement by the country's health ministry.50 of the patients are in critical condition and 89 have recovered, the statement added.Until now, COVID-19 claimed the lives of 12 in the country.As part of measures, all schools have been closed in the country, all meetings in public, open or closed areas with more than 10 people have also been banned.All trading firms except supermarkets, pharmacies, gas stations and banks have also been closed beginning with March 15.Tel Aviv also banned the en…
yenisafak.com/en/world/covid-19-cases-in…
Uzbek doctor, 39, dies after coronavirus self-treatment
yenisafak.com | 2020-03-28
A doctor in Uzbekistan died on Saturday after unsuccessfully trying to treat a coronavirus infection that he kept secret, the Central Asian nation's healthcare ministry said.The 39-year-old man had been in contact with Uzbek "patient zero", it said in a statement, who appeared to have infected him.He was hospitalised on March 26 in grave condition and died two days later, becoming the second coronavirus patient to die in the former Soviet republic.Uzbekistan has confirmed 104 cases of the virus and has locked down all of its provinces and barred citizens from leaving their homes except for work or essential shopp…
yenisafak.com/en/life/uzbek-doctor-39-di…
Coronavirus cases surge above 100 in Afghanistan
yenisafak.com | 2020-03-28
Afghanistan announced on Saturday that the number of cases of the novel coronavirus in the country reached 110 as the capital Kabul entered its first day of lockdown to contain the virus.Health Ministry spokesman Waheedullah Mayar told a press conference that with the confirmation of more cases in the past 24 hours, Afghanistan now has 106 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with five deaths so far."We can today confirm 15 new cases with 11 from Herat, three from Farah and one from Ghazni from with which out of 1,019 samples tested so far, 106 have emerged positive […] the good news is five patients in total have recov…
yenisafak.com/en/world/coronavirus-cases…
LGBTI people face greater stigmatisation in pandemic
pip.hinman | greenleft.org.au | 2020-03-28
Healthcare Mary MerkenichIssue 1259 Australia COVID-19 LGBTI communityMarch 28, 2020While the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting everyone, some groups are more at risk than others and face greater stigmatisat…
greenleft.org.au/content/lgbti-people-face-greater-stigmatisation-pandemic