(2020-05-23). [Comment] Offline: Health in the unhappy time of COVID-19. thelancet.com It was a tragedy for anyone hoping to see COVID-19 become a catalyst for international solidarity. On the first day of the first-ever virtual World Health Assembly, held during the worst acute global health crisis since WHO's creation in 1948, Alex Azar, US Secretary of Health and Human Services, further damaged the credibility of the US Government as a constructive member of the international community. "We must be frank", he began. What followed was an astonishing series of unsubstantiated allegations.
(2020-05-23). [Department of Error] Department of Error. thelancet.com Clark H, Coll-Seck A M, Banerjee A, et al. A future for the world's children? A WHO-UNICEF—Lancet Commission. Lancet 2020; 395: 605—58—In this Commission, the affiliation details for S Peterson, D B Hipgrave, and J Requejo were incorrect and have been changed to "UNICEF Headquarters, Programme Division, Health Section (S Peterson MD, D B Hipgrave PhD), and Division of Data, Analysis, Planning and Monitoring, Data and Analytics Section, New York, USA (J Requejo PhD)". Affiliation details for ZA Bhutta (Center of Excellence in Women and Child Health, the Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan) hav…
(2020-05-23). [Editorial] The plight of essential workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. thelancet.com The COVID-19 pandemic has vividly highlighted how much society depends upon essential workers. Praise for the heroic work being done by health-care workers to save lives worldwide in dangerous, exhausting conditions is everywhere. But those same workers are often left unprotected by governments and systems that have failed to supply them with enough personal protective equipment (PPE), supplies, and resources to do their jobs. In April alone, there were an estimated 27 COVID-19-related health worker deaths in the USA, 106 in the UK, and 180 in Russia, with tens of thousands of infections.
(2020-05-23). [Perspectives] Helena Legido-Quigley: proponent of health systems strengthening. thelancet.com As Associate Professor in Health Systems at Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health at the National University of Singapore, Helena Legido-Quigley was able to observe at first-hand how the country responded to its first COVID-19 outbreak earlier this year. "It was striking how well Singapore was prepared, a legacy from the SARS era, with a dedicated infectious diseases hospital and 6 months of supplies of personal protective equipment and ventilators. The public health response was fast and efficient with good governance and effective health-risk communication", she says.
(2020-05-23). [World Report] England and Wales see 20‚Äà000 excess deaths in care homes. thelancet.com PPE shortages, lack of testing, and a vulnerable population have seen care homes in England and Wales become hotspots of the COVID-19 epidemic. Talha Burki reports.
(2020-05-22). How the Pandemic Defrocked Hegemonic Neoliberalism. thealtworld.com 
The global pretensions of the USA and the UK have been stripped naked by the virus and responses to it. These profit-driven systems failed to protect lives. Only the fabricated anti-China hysteria and the pseudo-science of the pandemic sceptics hides this. In a diverse post neoliberal world, strong public health systems will be crucial. | The COVID19 pandemic has laid bare the human disaster that is hegemonic liberalism, a project of the Anglo-American powers. In terms of the basic protection of human life the virus has made it plain that there are few countries whose performance is as bad as that of the USA and…
(2020-05-22). An Old Story Again: Capitalism vs. Health and Safety. counterpunch.org 
The U.S. president recently ordered meatpacking employees back into workplaces plagued by coronavirus. He did not order the employers to make their slaughterhouses safe. GOP-proposed legislation exempts employers from lawsuits by employees sickened or killed by coronavirus infections at workplaces. The GOP is mostly silent about requiring employers to maintain safe or healthy workplaces. Employers
(2020-05-22). As Moderna's COVID-19 Vaccine Takes the Lead, The Issue of "Gene-editing Vaccines" globalresearch.ca More and more frequently, government officials, political pundits and self-appointed "global health experts" like billionaire Bill Gates have been instructing the public that mass gatherings and any semblance of "normalcy" will not return until a vaccine for the novel coronavirus …
(2020-05-22). How the United States Government failed to prepare for the Global Pandemic. mronline.org 
On March 20, just after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a global pandemic on March 11, the U.S. National Security Council (NSC) sent a cable to U.S. State Department instructing officials how they should speak about China and the novel coronavirus, according to the Daily Beast, which obtained the cable.
(2020-05-22). Yemen: Aden Succumbs to COVID-19 as Saudi Coalition Infighting Distracts From Relief Efforts. mintpressnews.com 
The lives of civilians in Aden are being pushed into the abyss not only due to epidemic, disease, and fallout from flash floods but because of violent clashes between opposing factions of the Saudi-led Coalition.
(2020-05-22). Strikes and protests by Brazilian nurses amid explosion of COVID-19 cases. wsws.org Over the last 15 days, there have been dozens of protests and strikes by health care workers across Brazil, as more nurses are dying than anywhere else in the world.
(2020-05-22). The human toll of COVID-19 in Brazil. peoplesdispatch.org The corona crisis has also brought to the forefront the crisis in Brazil's healthcare system. The Sistema àönico de Saúde – SUS -, Brazil's publicly funded health system has been facing dire budget cuts over the past several years while the private system has been steadily growing.
(2020-05-22). Coronavirus and Other US Health Threats? Fund Public Health Not Foreign Wars. counterpunch.org How is it that in the richest nation on Earth we don't have enough masks, gowns, virus tests, and ventilators to serve our front-line healthcare providers in this coronavirus pandemic? Part of the answer is that the nation's wealth has been mis-allocated between military and civilian needs over the past four decades. All of the
(2020-05-22). This Year's Forest Fire Season Could Be Even Deadlier. commondreams.org In addition to contributing to climate change, forest fires present a more immediate and very grave threat to public health. (Photo: Shutterstock) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2020-05-22). A week of political chaos — there's more to come. truepublica.org.uk There's a lot to choose from this week as Britain is immersed in a multitude of crises — much of which, is the fault of a government fighting back with PR and not solid action supported by the professionals. Leaving aside the public health crisis where something in the order of 60,000 are dead, the …
(2020-05-22). Chicago: NLRB backs EPIC charter workers, mandates mail-in vote on workers' bid to join CTU. fightbacknews.org Chicago, IL – Educators at EPIC Academy College Prep who are seeking to join the Chicago Teachers Union celebrated the afternoon of May 18, when the NLRB – the National Labor Relations Board – blocked their employer's reckless demand that they hold an in-person union election at the school. Such an election would have forced workers to risk their own health and the health of their loved ones during the shelter-in-place order. | Educators' relief was tempered by disappointment at the labor board's ruling to exclude three colleagues, who are security specialists at the school, from the bargaining unit. "We are extr…
(2020-05-22). Nearly 1.5 million health care workers laid off in pandemic-fueled jobs massacre. wsws.org According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 43,000 health care workers lost their jobs in March, while 1.4 million more lost their jobs in April.
(2020-05-22). A Pandemic and a Plague of Absurdity. counterpunch.org At a certain point in an age of absurdity the normalization of madness becomes so common that it is almost indiscernible to most in the thick of it. Indeed, late capitalism, the stage which is undoubtedly preceding complete barbarism, has produced an endless stream of absurdities which not only insult the senses of those who
(2020-05-22). COVID-19 Coronavirus: Scripted by the CDC in 2003? Dead Zone Plague. globalresearch.ca Deadzone (2003, Screenplay Stephen King, Jeffrey Boam): When Johnny Smith (Christopher Walken) awakens from a coma caused by a car accident, he finds that years have passed, and he now has psychic abilities. Heartbroken that his girlfriend (Brooke Adams) has …
(2020-05-22). Alex Azar Knows About Diabetes. counterpunch.org As soon as the Administration got into trouble because it failed to respond to the plague, it began hunting around for scapegoats. Trump's calling it a "Chinese virus" put heat on the entire Asian American community because the average American can't distinguish between members of 38 culturally distinct groups. This gave the Trump Shirts an
(2020-05-22). Guatemalan Leader Blasts Trump Admin's "Contaminated" Deportation Flights as Rights Groups Say Expulsions Show "Reckless Disregard" for Rights and Health. commondreams.org "Guatemala is an ally to the United States, the United States is not an ally to Guatemala," said President Alejandro Giammattei. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2020-05-22). Mike Davis: Workers Face "Sophie's Choice" Between Income & Health as 50 States Reopen Amid Pandemic. democracynow.org 
All 50 states will be at least partially reopened this Memorial Day weekend, as the U.S. death toll from the COVID-19 outbreak tops 95,000 and some states prepare for a surge in cases. We're joined by historian and writer Mike Davis, who says in Jacobin that "Reopening the Economy Will Send Us to Hell."
(2020-05-22). Portugal's 'doors are open to tourists' as EU's doors are still closed. rt.com 
Portugal's Foreign Minister Augusto Santos Silva said on Friday that the country's doors are open to tourists as it becomes one of the first European satets to welcome back visitors from elsewhere in the continent. | "Tourists are welcome in Portugal," Santos Silva told Observador newspaper, explaining that some health checks will be introduced at airports but there will be no compulsory quarantine for those flying in. | Portugal, which has so far recorded 30,200 confirmed Covid-19 cases and 1,289 deaths, is slowly easing restrictions in place since mid-March, Reuters said. Many shops and have already reopened…
(2020-05-22). 'WHO has worked day & night' on global response to pandemic, director-general tells 34-member board. rt.com 
The World Health Organization has worked non-stop since the novel coronavirus emerged, informing its 194 member states of its evolution and providing technical advice, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Friday. | "WHO has worked day and night to coordinate the global response at all three levels of the organization, providing technical advice, catalyzing political solidarity, mobilizing resources, coordinating resources and much more," he told the WHO Executive Board. | "So far almost $800 million has been pledged or received towards WHO's appeal for Covid-19 programs, leaving a gap of jus…
(2020-05-22). 'If you see his sister running the country, something's wrong': Rodman wades in on rumors of pal Kim Jong-un's ill health. rt.com 
NBA legend Dennis Rodman, who recently revealed his unlikely friendship with Kim Jong-un began at a boozy karaoke session, has fueled rumors of the North Korean leader's ill health by suggesting that his sister has succeeded him. | Kim Yo-jong, Jong-un's younger sister, made her first public statement in March, having long held the trust of her ruling sibling to inform policy behind the scenes and represent him at major global events including the 2018 Winter Olympic. | The prominent political figure accompanied her brother to his two summits with US President Donald Trump and was even said to be acting as his…
(2020-05-22). Putin warns of potential 2nd wave of Covid-19 infections in the fall, tells Russian Health Ministry to prepare. rt.com 
Right now, most of the world seems to think the worst of the coronavirus epidemic has passed, with many countries beginning to come out of lockdown. But Russian President Vladimir Putin believes there may be more pain ahead. | According to Putin, the virus may once again begin to spread widely from October to November. During a meeting to discuss the epidemiological situation in Russia, he said the country needs to be ready for a second wave later in the year. | Putin added that the removal of the present restrictions in Russia must be guided by science. However, he also asked officials to prepare recommendati…
(2020-05-22). Soros says EU may not survive unless it props up 'sick man of Europe' Italy. rt.com 
Billionaire financier George Soros has warned that the preservation of the European Union is dependent upon the economic health of Italy and other states hit hard by coronavirus, adding that the current aid policies favor Germany. | The Hungarian-American philanthropist argued that the bloc must issue perpetual bonds in order to raise money to support countries that have suffered the most from Covid-19, singling out Italy as particularly vulnerable. In a transcript of a question-and-answer session distributed to the media, Soros also railed against the reluctance of better-off member states to work together to…
(2020-05-22). Epidemic 'is under control' in Czech Republic as it opens hotels, relaxes mask-wearing rules next week. rt.com 
Czech health authorities believe the spread of the new coronavirus is under control despite an uptick in cases in recent days. The country is preparing to open pubs, hotels and relax mask-wearing rules on Monday. | Public events for up to 300 people will be allowed next week, and swimming pools and schools will reopen. An initial easing of restrictions from May 11 had not had an adverse effect, Health Minister Adam Vojtech said. | The country had recorded 8,757 cases of Covid-19 by Friday morning, with 306 deaths, Reuters reports. | Chief public health officer Jarmila Razova said there were currently two main…
(2020-05-22). Spain to partly lift lockdown restrictions in Madrid on Monday as pace of contagion slows down. rt.com 
Spanish authorities will lift part of the lockdown restrictions in Madrid on Monday, the regional health department said on Friday. It says the pace of the coronavirus contagion in the region has slowed down. | The restrictions in the capital are now the same as in most of the country that started phasing out the lockdown in early May. | Bars and restaurants in Madrid will be allowed to reopen terraces and groups of up to 10 people will be allowed to meet, according to Reuters.
(2020-05-22). Scientists in Brazil make faster, cheaper coronavirus test that doesn't produce false negatives. rt.com 
Researchers in Brazil have announced a quicker, more accurate coronavirus test than the existing method, allowing them to assess more people at once. The test has already been patented in the US and will be available from June. | Scientists at the Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein in Sao Paulo used Next Generation Sequencing (NGS), which identifies a particular disease by reading fragments of DNA. They adapted the NGS test to detect ribonucleic acid (RNA), the predominant molecule in viruses like SARS-CoV-2. | "The virus has RNA and our research group was interested in knowing how a molecular test could be us…
(2020-05-22). Fast-Tracking a COVID-19 Vaccine: Why Should We Worry? globalresearch.ca The CoV-19 pandemic is now exposing the hidden agendas and motives of the powers that be in government, in the pharmaceutical industry and Wall Street, and in the media. Despairingly opponents of vaccine mandates are largely divided. Many Trump supporters …
(2020-05-22). Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.: Moderna's "Clinical Trial Results for Its Groundbreaking COVID Vaccine Could Not Be Much Worse" globalresearch.ca The Warp Speed Timeline — is what Dr. Fauci, NIAID / NIH and Bill Gates called the Covid-19 vaccination program that should have started in a few weeks ('should have' — hopefully now it won't). | The world should know about …
(2020-05-22). COVID-19 and the race for the vaccine. peoplesdispatch.org There are over 100 candidate vaccines that are currently being developed in labs across the world. Human trials have begun for three potential vaccines developed by the University of Oxford, Moderna Pharmaceuticals and the Wuhan Institute of Biological Products. Who might get there first and how affordable is it going to be?
(2020-05-22). 3.6 million more applied for unemployment last week. fightbacknews.org San José, CA – On Thursday, May 21, the U.S. Department of Labor reported that 2.4 million more people have applied for state unemployment insurance, or UI, in the week ending May 16. In addition, about 1.2 million people applied for the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, or PUA, set up by the recent CARES act for the self-employed. This increase of 3.6 million applications for unemployment benefits means that a total of more than 47 million people have lost their livelihood in the last eight weeks. | Where is the good news? Well for the second week in a row, new claims for state unemployment benefits drop…
(2020-05-22). US Unemployment Insurance Claims Approaches 40 Million… globalresearch.ca The United States Department of Labor reported on Thursday that more than 2.4 million Americans applied for unemployment insurance last week, bringing the total number of new claims to 38.6 million since mid-March, when social distancing measures and statewide stay-at-home …
(2020-05-22). 'A Misbegotten, Warped Freedom Obsession Is Killing Us': Video of Trumpian Anti-Mask Jerks Goes Viral. commondreams.org On social media Friday, author Anand Giridharadas shared what he called an "end-of-empire" video featuring a number of people refusing to wear face masks in public places, coughing on others, and claiming their "freedom" is being trampled by public health guidance. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2020-05-22). Aiming Missiles at Viruses: a Plea for Sanity in a Time of Plague. strategic-culture.org Hugh IGLARSH | The point I am trying to make here is a simple and obvious one, or would be in a society not burdened with a two-pronged ideology of extreme militarism and extreme individualism. It is this: In feeding the military-industrial complex so richly at this time, we are starving ourselves of many vital things and weakening ourselves as a society, perhaps to the point of suicide. We are in effect sacrificing our future on the altar of American imperialism, which like some dark god of the past, is ever hungry and can be assuaged only by human life. | The coronavirus plague now sweeping the globe — si…
(2020-05-22). Poor People's Campaign Virtual Town Hall: Voting, Poverty, Racism, Healthcare, COVID19. indybay.org Online via livestream: www.facebook.com/anewppc/…
(2020-05-22). Corona and the collapse of modernization. indybay.org Corona is the trigger but not the cause of the worsening crisis situation. It will accelerate the disintegration of capitalism. Pragmatism and cooperation on an international scale are called for. Sometimes the state protects life and sometimes relaxes it in the interest of the functioning of the economy. Infrastructure socialism takes health care from the market.
(2020-05-22). Sad exiled kings and health dictatorship. indybay.org Life in a "fatherless world," as the English philosopher Shaftesbury wrote around 1700, is cruel and dysfunctional because a person without a father lacks "the relationship to the whole." | A first creeping, then rapid change of values has occurred within our societies from "freedom" as the highest value to "security," the desire for controllability of the future.
(2020-05-22). Lawsuit by Three Groups Challenges Contracts Imperiling Delta, Fish. indybay.org Such diversions "reduce freshwater flows through the Delta causing and worsening harmful algal blooms (HABs) which threaten the public health of those drinking, fishing in, or swimming in, Delta waters, or inhaling the air near Delta waters," the complaint states…
(2020-05-22). UK Dropped South Korea-Style Widespread Testing Due to 'Sheer Scale' of Coronavirus Outbreak. sputniknews.com The coronavirus pandemic has spread across the United Kingdom to such a degree that it has become the worst country in Europe for total deaths from the disease. The government has been under fire in recent weeks for not rolling out sufficient testing and learning from the example of countries which were hit by the outbreak earlier.
(2020-05-21). Less talk, more action: Between Trump and Xi, the contrast is clear. peoplesworld.org 
The following op-ed comes from our Beijing correspondent, Ian Goodrum. | As COVID-19 continues its devastating spread, two laws of nature are revealing themselves: The virus infects, and the U.S. deflects. | In a letter sent to the World Health Organization and posted online Monday, President Donald Trump gave the global health body a blistering ultimatum: agree to vague, undefined "improvements" within 30 days or lose its funding. As the U.S. is the WHO's biggest contributor by far, this would strike a crippling blow to health systems all over the world. | It was a fiery broadside, unleashed at a time when the…
(2020-05-21). Indiana casino workers hit the road to demand safe working conditions. peoplesworld.org 
INDIANAPOLIS—On Friday, May 15, Indiana casino workers represented by UNITE HERE Local 23, along with Teamsters, United Auto Workers, and SEIU rank and file, drove in their vehicles to form a caravan surrounding the Indiana State House and Monument Circle to pressure their state representatives, senators, and governor to protect the health and safety of …
(2020-05-21). Organizing health care for patients, not profits. workers.org 
This is a slightly edited version of a talk given during the"What Road To Socialism?" webinar held by Workers World Party on May 16. I appreciate being given the chance to speak on such a critical topic as health care in the so-called United States. Many comrades have already spoken . . . |
(2020-05-21). From Syria to U.S.-Mexico Border, Refugees Worldwide Face Hunger & Deprivation as COVID-19 Spreads. democracynow.org 
We look at the coronavirus threat to millions of refugees across the globe, where social distancing is often impossible and healthcare is extremely limited. We're joined by Dr. Miriam Orcutt, executive director of Lancet Migration.
(2020-05-21). Study Warns 1.1 Million Children Could Die as Pandemic Interrupts Access to Food & Medical Care. democracynow.org 
A new report finds 1.1 million children under 5 could die the next six months from secondary impacts of the pandemic, like disruptions to health services and access to food. Mothers are also imperiled. We speak with Tim Roberton, lead author of the study and assistant scientist in the Department of International Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and with infectious diseases pediatrician Dr. Beate Kampmann.
(2020-05-21). Track and trace strategy coming late in the day, NHS leaders warn. thecanary.co 
The government has defended its position on track and trace, after NHS leaders warned that action to control the future spread of coronavirus (Covid-19) is coming late in the day.Security minister James Brokenshire said he remains "confident" that a test, track and trace system will be in place by 1 June — the earliest date by which primary schools in England and some non-essential shops could reopen.However, Brokenshire admitted the NHS app would not be ready in time and suggested "technical issues" were behind its hold-up, just over a week after health secretary Matt Hancock said it would be rolled out acr…
(2020-05-21). 'R rate falling': Denmark opens museums and zoos weeks ahead of schedule. rt.com 
Denmark began re-opening museums and zoos ahead of schedule on Thursday as virologists said the virus epidemic was slowing despite the lifting of quarantine measures. Museums, zoos, theaters and cinemas were due to stay shut until June 8 but the Danish government has decided to accelerate the end of the lockdown. | The Danish health agency SSI said the coronavirus rate of transmission (R) had fallen to 0.6, down from 0.7 on May 7, meaning that the outbreak is slowing. An R rate of 0.6 means that 100 virus patients typically infect another 60 people, meaning that the number of cases falls over time. | Danish au…
(2020-05-21). Paying for priority? US forks out over $1.2 billion for 300 MILLION doses of University of Oxford's Covid-19 vaccine. rt.com 
The US government has secured nearly one third of the anticipated production of a vaccine for coronavirus under development by AstraZeneca, after pledging more than $1 billion to fund the project. | The US Department of Health will dole out $1.2 billion for 300 million doses of the vaccine, which is being created in conjunction with the University of Oxford. Health Secretary Alex Azar described the deal as a "major milestone" in US President Donald Trump's program to fast-track a Covid-19 vaccine, dubbed Operation Warp Speed. | AstraZeneca, based in Cambridge, England, says it will be able to manufacture aroun…