(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). Policing the pandemic: how UN Police are maintaining law, order, and public health. news.un.org In several countries afflicted by years of armed conflict, The UN assists with law and order issues, including policing expertise. This work is being challenged, as never before, by the COVID-19 pandemic. In this interview with UN News, Luis Carrilho, head of the UN Police Division, describes how the virus is affecting the ability of his colleagues to keep the peace.
(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). [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). [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.
(2020-05-23). European Union pushes reopening of beach resorts and hotels for summer holiday season. wsws.org Piling one lie on another, the EU Commission claimed its guidelines would restore "transport services across the EU while protecting the health of transport workers and passengers."
(2020-05-23). COVID-19: Tips for going out again. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org If coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) stay-at-home restrictions are easing in your community, you might wonder how to visit public places and protect your health. Here's what you need to know. Before you head out Follow guidance where you live. In the U.S., activity restrictions vary among cities and states. Before you head out, check your …
(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). 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). 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). Conservatives recruit 'pro-Trump' doctors to deliver only good news about reopening. peoplesworld.org 
WASHINGTON (AP)—Republican political operatives are recruiting "extremely pro-Trump" doctors to go on television to prescribe reviving the U.S. economy as quickly as possible, without waiting to meet safety benchmarks proposed by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to slow the spread of the new coronavirus. The plan was discussed in a May 11 …
(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). 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). Yemen: Coronavirus transmission likely widespread, decimating 'collapsed' health system, UN warns. news.un.org War-torn Yemen's health system has 'in effect, collapsed" under the strain of a widening COVID-19 outbreak, with epidemiologists estimating that the virus could spread faster and more widely than in many other countries, the UN warned on Friday.
(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). 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). Experts underscore COVID-19 threat to global progress on child immunization. news.un.org Global experts in health and child welfare have again highlighted how the COVID-19 pandemic is disrupting access to routine immunization services worldwide, putting millions of young lives at risk of killer diseases such as diphtheria, measles and pneumonia.
(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). 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). 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). 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."
(2020-05-23). Poor People's Campaign Virtual Town Hall: Voting, Poverty, Racism, Healthcare, COVID19. indybay.org Online via livestream: www.facebook.com/anewppc/…
(2020-05-23). 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.
(2020-05-23). Car rental giant & pioneer Hertz files for bankruptcy protection as Covid-19 dries up businesses. rt.com 
Hertz, one of the world's largest vehicle-rental companies, has sought bankruptcy protection after business nosedived as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic severely impacting demand.
| Hertz, one of the world's largest vehicle-rental companies, has sought bankruptcy protection after business nosedived as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic severely impacting demand. | Corporations worldwide have struggled to stay afloat during the health crisis. The company announced o…
(2020-05-23). Still looking for a bogeyman? Moscow slams US State Dept after it posts $250,000 grant to 'expose Russian health disinformation'. rt.com 
Instead of casting grudges aside to fight the coronavirus, anti-Russia elements in the US are striving to make the Kremlin a scapegoat, Moscow has said, decrying the new US grant to "expose Russian health disinformation."
| Instead of casting grudges aside to fight the coronavirus, anti-Russia elements in the US are striving to make the Kremlin a scapegoat, Moscow has said, decrying the new US grant to "expose Russian health disinformation." | The Russian Foreign Ministry…
(2020-05-23). 'Hate-filled left on display': BBC historian rejoices over 'rich white men' dying from pestilence. rt.com 
A BBC contributor has lit a powder keg of social media rage after reveling in the fact that wealthy, middle-aged white men died in higher numbers during an epidemic that hit Britain in the 16th century.
| A BBC contributor has lit a powder keg of social media rage after reveling in the fact that wealthy, middle-aged white men died in higher numbers during an epidemic that hit Britain in the 16th century. | Louise Raw, who describes herself as "resident historian on BBC Radio London," an…
(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). 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). 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). Medicaid Providers Are Last in Line for Federal COVID Funding. truthout.org Casa de Salud, a nonprofit clinic in Albuquerque, New Mexico, provides primary medical care, opioid addiction services and non-Western therapies, including acupuncture and reiki, to a largely low-income population. | And, like so many other health care providers that serve as a safety net, its revenue — and its future — are threatened by the COVID-19 epidemic. | "I've been working for the past six weeks to figure out how to keep the doors open," said the clinic's executive director, Dr. Anjali T…
(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). 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…
(2020-05-21). The more you know? Over a third of Americans apprehensive about Covid-19 vaccine, citing rushed development & trust issues. rt.com 
As the Trump administration pushes for Covid-19 vaccine development on an ever-shrinking timetable and companies report lackluster early trials, 35 percent of Americans are less than thrilled about getting the shot. | Operation Warp Speed, the Trump administration's unprecedented drive to create and roll out a vaccine for the coronavirus pandemic by the end of the year, may be doing more harm than good, at least where Americans' trust is concerned. Between the shockingly abbreviated timetable and the lack of long-term safety testing, almost one in four Americans (24 percent) said they were not interested in th…
(2020-05-21). Headlines for May 21, 2020. democracynow.org Global Coronavirus Cases Top 5 Million as WHO Records Record One-Day Spike, Brazilian Mayor Fears "Genocide" from COVID-19, Accuses Bolsonaro of "Crime Against Humanity", Disease Modelers Say Delays in U.S. Lockdowns Cost Tens of Thousands of Lives, Pro-Trump Doctors to Promote Reopening States Despite CDC Warnings, Millions Flee as Cyclone Batters India and Bangladesh, Dam Disaster in Michigan Threatens to Flood Toxic Sites, Trump Threatens to Cut Funding to Michigan, Nevada over Mail-in Voting, McDonald's Workers Strike to Demand Personal Protective Equipment, Striking New Orleans Sanitation Workers Replaced by…
(2020-05-21). Covid-19 Isn't the Only American Health Epidemic. thenation.com Covid-19 Isn't the Only American Health Epidemic…
(2020-05-21). UN agencies join forces to protect forcibly displaced during pandemic. news.un.org To strengthen and advance public health services for millions of forcibly displaced people globally, two United Nations signed an agreement on Thursday to better protect some 70 million from COVID-19.
(2020-05-21). COVID-19 Hits Hard, but Challenges BRICS. globalresearch.ca By and large, the coronavirus pandemic has taken a huge toll on Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) since it was declared late January by the World Health Organization (WHO). It allegedly originated (yet to be proved) from …
(2020-05-21). Comment: Trump's Pandemic of Ignorance. progressive.org The United States is in the midst of a full-blown health care crisis, headed by a man who is not just monumentally unfit to lead, but actually deranged.
(2020-05-21). Blaming Russia, China, Iran — to profit from Covid-19 vaccine. truepublica.org.uk By Craig Murray: On 5 May, the British security services released to their pet media the claim that Russia, China and Iran were attempting to hack into British research institutes conducting coronavirus research. The BBC reported it. Britain's shameful copy and paste media all, without exception, just copy and pasted the government press release. …
(2020-05-21). The WHO and the EU Want a Covid Vaccine for the Entire Planet, What About Water and Food… globalresearch.ca COVID-19: 324,990 deaths recorded worldwide … | Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, has launched a Global Telethon to speed up the delivery of a corona vaccine for all. | Deaths attributable to lack of access to water …