2020-06-11: News Headlines

Andrew Gibbs, Abigail Hatcher (2020-06-11). [Commentary] Covert family planning as a symbol of agency for young, married women. thelancet.com Family planning has long been seen as both a marker and a potential driver of women's autonomy and overall population health. Family planning is strongly linked to child and women's health outcomes, and tends to be better for nearly every household measure [1,2].

_____ (2020-06-11). Trump agitates to restart the global nuclear arms race. truepublica.org.uk By TruePublica: Time Magazine says Donald Trump is both "dangerous, impatient and foolish." EuroNews says Trump — "is a grave danger to the US and the world." The 2017 book entitled — The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump, contains the essays from 27 psychiatrists, psychologists, and other mental health professionals describing the "clear and present …

newsnetwork.mayoclinic (2020-06-11). Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast: Precautions for a summer of COVID-19. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org With the onset of warmer weather and more and more states loosening their COVID-19 restrictions, lots of folks are wondering about some summer staples, like cookouts and a day at the beach or pool. On the Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. Nipunie Rajapakse, an infectious disease specialist at Mayo Clinic, discusses how you can minimize your …

The Tricontinental (2020-06-10). Dossier 20: Health is a political choice. mronline.org In the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), Article 25 offers an expanded vision of what it could mean to be a human being. Human beings, it notes, have 'the right to a standard of living adequate for [their] health and well-being'. This includes 'food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social …

Sue Davis (2020-06-10). Domestic violence: 'The epidemic within the pandemic'. workers.org "My husband won't let me leave the house" has become an all-too-familiar cry for help since the mandatory lockdown was instituted in early March — not just in the United States, but all over the world. Domestic violence has become a stealth epidemic within the COVID-19 pandemic. So much so . . . |

Brasil de Fato (2020-06-10). Victims of neoliberalism, poor countries face consequences in healthcare systems. peoplesdispatch.org Healthcare is a political choice. The statement, presented by the Dossier n ∫ 29 of the Tricontinental Institute for Social Research, launched on Tuesday (9), is based on the crisis scenario deepened by the COVID-19 pandemic in four countries that have suffered the effects of neoliberal governments in recent years: Brazil , Argentina, South Africa, and India. | The study depicts the way in which, during the fight against covid-19, healthcare agents are considered essential, while it is widely recognized that they are not guaranteed many rights. However, the analysis argues that such evident neglect results fr…

teleSUR (2020-06-10). Spain: Gov't Decrees Mask Use as Mandatory. telesurenglish.net Spain's government Thursday announced that mask use on public transportation and common spaces would be mandatory as a COVID-19 precautionary measure. | RELATED: | "I would like to emphasize here the mandatory use of the mask in the terms you already know, whenever a distance of 1.5 meters cannot be maintained," Health Minister Salvador Illa briefed in a press conference. | The norm is part of the decree-law on urgent prevent…

teleSUR (2020-06-10). 100 Cuban Doctors to Remain in Kenya Until the End of the Year. telesurenglish.net Kenya's Health Minister Mutahi Kagwe Wednesday confirmed that his country has renewed an agreement for a brigade of Cuban doctors to continue collaborating in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. | RELATED: | "We have renewed the agreement for six months, but we are planning to do it for more years. We are waiting for the COVID-19 pandemic cases to be reduced so we can travel to Cuba to have a conversation with the go…

Dr. Rudolf Hà§nsel (2020-06-10). The Davos Reset 2021 Agenda of the World Economic Forum. A New Phase of Economic and Social Destruction? globalresearch.ca On June 3, 2020, as a consequence of the "global health crisis", the World Economic Forum WEF in Geneva announced a "unique twin summit" for January 2021 in Davos, Switzerland.(1) The theme should be "The Great Reset". The WEF defines …

teleSUR (2020-06-10). Peru Tops 200,000 COVID-19 Cases. telesurenglish.net The number of COVID-19 cases in Peru surpassed 200,000 on Tuesday, less than a month after the coronavirus caseload topped 100,000 in the country. | RELATED: | Peru: Cuban Medical Brigade Sent to Help Fight COVID-19 | A total of 1,227,691 tests for the virus have been carried out so far, with 203,736 positive cases, the health ministry said in its latest report. | The South American country has registered 5,738 deaths from the disease, representing the third-highest death toll in Latin America and the Caribbean after Brazil and Mexico. | "Out of all the people who tested positive, to date 92,929 of them have…

teleSUR (2020-06-10). India's COVID-19 Cases Surge With Nearly 10,000 New Infections. telesurenglish.net India reported Wednesday a new surge of nearly 10,000 COVID-19 infections over the past 24 hours, with a total caseload of 276,583, the fifth-highest in the world, as the country emerges from its lockdown. | RELATED: | The health ministry confirmed 9,985 new cases and 274 deaths in the last 24 hours. A total of 7,745 people have died from the virus. | Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and New Delhi are the worst-hit states. | The s…

Sarah Jaffe (2020-06-10). A Better Health Care System? progressive.org Despite glitches during the pandemic, the VA provides a model for the nation.

news.un (2020-06-10). Still much to learn about new coronavirus: WHO. news.un.org Research is ongoing to determine how the virus that causes COVID-19 can be transmitted by people who show no symptoms of the disease, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) told journalists on Wednesday.

Jeff Harris (2020-06-10). We Don't Need No Stinking Vaccine for COVID-19. globalresearch.ca A Glaring Omission | With the 24/7 media circus coverage of Covid-19 I find it particularly interesting that there is an obvious glaring omission of some extremely important facts relative to dealing with a virus, especially one that is allegedly so …

Dean Baker (2020-06-10). Ending Emergency Unemployment Insurance Supplements. cepr.net The Republicans have been working hard to ensure that the $600 weekly supplement to unemployment insurance benefits, which was put in place as part of the pandemic rescue package, is not extended beyond the current July 31 cutoff. They argue that we need people to return to work. They do have a point. The supplement …

pip.hinman (2020-06-11). Car convoy supports UK Sonic Health workers. greenleft.org.au

Andrey Areshev (2020-06-10). From Gekaufte Journalisten to Gekaufte Wissenschaftler. strategic-culture.org The two go hand-in-hand, of course. When several years ago the late Udo Ulfkotte published his revelations about the inner workings of the corrupt Western media (ostensibly printed in English by a minor publisher in 2017 but "unavailable" ever since, followed soon thereafter by convenient death by heart attack of the apparently healthy 57-year old German author) who would have suspected that in the fabled West identical processes were corroding other important areas of public life? | Just as a reminder, as the publisher points out in its blurb, "Dr. Udo Ulfkotte, a former editor for the German main daily newspape…

Pien Huang (2020-06-11). WHO Believes That Mass Protests Are Important Even in a 'Pandemic' Provided They're More Popular Than WHO. anti-empire.com In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, the World Health Organization took time at its daily press conference to address another pressing issue: the wave of protests against police violence and racial injustice. The demonstrations began in the U.S. when George Floyd died on May 25 after a police officer had pressed a knee into his neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds while detaining him in Minneapolis. | The protests are now spreading around the world to Europe, Africa and other regions. | "WHO fully supports equality and the global movement against racism. We reject discrimination of all kinds," said WHO director…

C Dettwiler, U Gasche and N Ramseyer (2020-06-11). Corona epidemic and Yemen. indybay.org Authorities first wanted to calm down and played down the pandemic. Afterward, they had to convince the population to keep unusual physical distance, to wash their hands well at all times, and to refrain from major events. Finally, they wanted the population to accept the week-long lockdown, with business closures, exit, and travel restrictions.

Santa Cruz Public Libraries (2020-06-10). Wednesday 6/17: Community Resilience Project: Housing is Healthcare. indybay.org Online…

Staff (2020-06-10). Georgia Election Condemned as Result of Deliberate GOP Voter Suppression. truthout.org Photos of would-be Georgia voters standing — and, in some cases, sitting — in long lines The myriad issues that plagued…

imperial.ac.uk (2020-06-11). Coronavirus transmission slowed in the UK but epidemic may continue for months. imperial.ac.uk COVID-19 has slowed in the UK, but despite a drop in transmission rate the epidemic remains likely to continue for months, according to new analysis.

en.mehrnews (2020-06-10). WHO in talks with S Arabia on delaying Hajj ritual due to pandemic. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jun. 11 (MNA) — World Health Organization (WHO) is talking with Saudi Arabia on delaying the Hajj ritual due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

sputniknews (2020-06-10). COVID-19 Hospitalizations Rise in Several States, While Millions of Americans Remain Uninsured. sputniknews.com On this episode of The Critical Hour, Dr. Wilmer Leon is joined by Dr. Margaret Flowers, physician and co-editor of Popular Resistance.

yenisafak (2020-06-11). India reports largest single-day jump in COVID-19 cases. yenisafak.com The death toll due to the novel coronavirus in India rose to 8,102 and the number of cases reached 286,579 after the highest single-day spike of 357 fatalities and 9,996 cases reported in the past 24 hours, according the Ministry of Health on Thursday.According to the data, the number of active cases stands at 137,448, while 141,028 people have recovered so far.Maharashtra continues to remain the worst-affected state with 94,041 cases, followed by Tamil Nadu with 36,841 and Delhi with 32,810.So far, healthcare professionals have performed 5,213,140 tests as of June 11, 9.00 a.m. (1530GMT), said the Indian Council…

yenisafak (2020-06-11). Coronavirus: Oman reports 1,067 new cases, 5 new deaths. yenisafak.com Countries in the Middle East and North Africa region reported new COVID-19 cases and virus-linked fatalities on Thursday.In Oman, 1,067 new cases were registered over the past 24 hours, taking the total to 19,954, according to the Health Ministry.The Gulf country also confirmed five more deaths, bringing the tally to 89.A total of 6,632 patients have recovered from the virus so far.Minister of Health Dr. Ahmed Al Saeedi asked the public to limit family visits, and adhere to physical distance, wear face masks and observe precautionary measures.Bahrain's Health Ministry said that out of the 7,776 COVID-19 tests car…

yenisafak (2020-06-10). Dr. Anthony Fauci says 'worst pandemic' far from over. yenisafak.com A top US infectious disease expert has said that the coronavirus outbreak turned to be his "worst nightmare," and that the fight against its spread is far from over.Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, made the remarks Tuesday during a virtual appearance at the BIO Digital health-care conference."In a period of four months, it has devastated the whole world," Fauci said. "And it isn't over yet. And it's condensed in a very, very small time frame."He stressed that the pandemic is "very different" from other outbreaks such as Ebola and HIV due to its fast transmissio…

Fight Back (2020-06-11). Philippines: Denounce threats against protesters using Covid-19 as pretext. fightbacknews.org Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement of Marco Valbuena, Chief Information Officer, Communist Party of the Philippines. | The Party denounces the Philippine National Police, whose spokesperson today, June 5, disparaged the mass actions against the Anti-Terror Bill saying the protesters compromised public health. The PNP's statement is a thinly veiled threat against the people's civil and political rights. | The PNP has now set the stage to stop further protest actions in an attempt to stop the mounting protest movement against the ATB. Earlier today, in the name of "public health," polic…

teleSUR (2020-06-10). Tanzania s COVID Free by 'God's Will': President Maghufuli. telesurenglish.net Tanzania's President John Magufuli Sunday affirmed his nation is COVID-19 free due to prayer powers. | RELATED: | "Coronavirus in our country has been removed by the powers of God," Magufuli declared at a church service in Dodoma, Tanzania's capital. | Tanzania's health authorities said no positive cases for COVID-19 have been reported over the last six weeks, so the unofficial toll is superior to official reports of…

_____ (2020-06-10). Hispanic Americans On The Front Lines Of COVID-19. popularresistance.org Workforce needs are changing and immigrants and Americans of all kinds are critical to the fight, response, and recovery that we face in the coming months. As the country continues to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, Hispanic Americans are playing an important role on the front lines in healthcare, food supply, education, and biomedical industries. There are 2.2 million Hispanic healthcare workers (or 13.0% of the total workforce) nationwide, almost one-third of which are immigrants. Hispanic Americans are even more prominent in another essential sector of the U.S economy: the food supply chain. Hispanic workers are…

_____ (2020-06-10). Why Covid-19 Racial Disparities Make The Case For Medicare For All. popularresistance.org The racial disparities of COVID-19 have received much attention. Blacks are dying at a higher rate that is typically more than double the rate of whites. But we need to move beyond naming the problem of fighting for solutions. Medicare for All would go a long way to beginning to address racial disparities in health care in general and for COVID-19 in particular. | The obvious and immediate need of black and other working-class populations caught in the teeth of the pandemic is the right to health care treatment without the burden of cost. Even before the pandemic, lower-income, Latino, and younger workers were mo…

Patrick Cockburn (2020-06-09). The Brexit Crisis Led to Totally Incompetent Leadership at a Time of Unprecedented Calamity. Now We are Paying for It. counterpunch.org Britain is failing to cope with the Covid-19 epidemic as well as other countries in Europe and East Asia have. Out of 62,000 excess deaths in the UK, says former chief scientific officer Sir David King, "40,000 excess deaths could have been avoided if government had acted responsibly". The failure is devastating: on a single

Dale Ho (2020-06-09). We're Working to Safeguard Our Democracy and Our Health. aclu.org No one should have to choose between their health and their vote, but during the Wisconsin primary, an estimated

The Canary (2020-06-09). Nature-friendly farming delivers for wildlife, climate and profits, charity says. thecanary.co Nature-friendly farming can deliver for wildlife, carbon storage and profits, the National Trust has said after an audit of a farm run by the conservation charity.Wimpole Home Farm is a 1,419-acre mixed arable and livestock farm near Cambridge, which has been run using organic, wildlife friendly and sustainable farming methods for the past 12 years, the Trust said.A full "health check" of Wimpole's wildlife and how it is storing carbon has revealed benefits for the environment, as well as public access through a network of footpaths and financial returns from growing food, the charity said.The findings are publis…

RT (2020-06-09). NOT 'very rare': WHO WALKS BACK claim on asymptomatic transmission of coronavirus. rt.com The World Health Organization has qualified its bombshell claim that asymptomatic people rarely infect others with Covid-19, scrambling to explain how its earlier statement was misinterpreted and based on a "misunderstanding." | WHO coronavirus lead Maria Van Kerkhove attempted on Tuesday to clear up controversy around her previous claim that asymptomatic transmission was "very rare," insisting she had been speaking based on the results of just "two or three" studies. To claim asymptomatic transmission is rare globally would be a "misunderstanding," she explained. | "I was just responding to a question, I wasn…

Vijay Prashad (2020-06-09). CoronaShock: The Greatest Crisis in the History of Capitalism. zcomm.org "Will there be massive spending in public health? That's the very first thing that is necessary. There is no public discussion about this at all."

WSWS (2020-06-09). Health care workers join mass protests against racism and police violence, and explain why. wsws.org The WSWS spoke to health care workers in Illinois and Kentucky who have joined the protests or are working to organize protests themselves.

Adriaan Alsema (2020-06-09). Colombia's health workers begin protests weeks before projected coronavirus peak. colombiareports.com Colombia's health organizations announced protests for Tuesday as the government reportedly failed to make almost 90% of the promised investments to confront the impending peak in coronavirus infections. According to…

jamanetwork (2020-06-09). Immunization Against Plague. jamanetwork.com The reiterated plea of scientists for accurately controlled experiments in the determination of the value of measures adopted against disease may seem to some physicians to be somewhat too emphatic. Again and again, however, the disinterested scientist is compelled to protest against the use of statistics and experiments by those commercially interested and by overenthusiastic advocates of the prophylactic use of certain products. How difficult it really is to arrive at definite conclusions relative to the efficacy of many such preventive measures is pointed out by Flu, in a recent discussion of experiments on im…

_____ (2020-06-09). Healthcare Workers: From 'Heroes' To Targets Of Police Repression. popularresistance.org We healthcare workers were arrested and prevented from assessing many protesters with serious injuries who were cuffed on the ground crying for help, some visibly bleeding. Police informed us they had their own medics but had only two FDNY EMTs to triage a crowd of more than a hundred people. Police also refused to allow us to help people whose hands were zip-tied and visibly purple, only loosening ties on one protester, borrowing our shears. After detainees — who were prevented from even shouting their names and identifying information to legal observers nearby — were packed into jail cells scattered…

Jin J. (2020-06-09). Screening for Unhealthy Drug Use in Adults and Adolescents. jamanetwork.com This JAMA Patient Page summarizes the US Preventive Services Task Force's 2020 recommendations on screening for unhealthy drug use in adults and adolescents.

Estelle Levresse (2020-06-09). Can the Russian Health Care System Cope With the Coronavirus? thenation.com Can the Russian Health Care System Cope With the Coronavirus?

WSWS (2020-06-09). Workers Struggles: The Americas. wsws.org Despite the highest level of COVID-19 cases in Latin America, the government of Panama is reopening the economy regardless of workers' health concerns.

Saitz R. (2020-06-09). Screening for Unhealthy Drug Use. jamanetwork.com In this issue of JAMA, the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) presents a Recommendation Statement and an accompanying Evidence Review on screening for unhealthy drug use. "Unhealthy drug use" refers to drugs that are illegal or medications not used for medical purposes, including cannabis, but not including alcohol, nicotine, or tobacco. Unlike alcohol screening, drug screening approaches aim to capture any drug use and are not restricted to a specific substance; they capture the full spectrum of unhealthy use, from any use through a drug use disorder.

WSWS (2020-06-09). Chinese doctor's death rekindles anger over health system. wsws.org Wuhan City Central Hospital's website published nothing about Hu Weifeng's death from COVID-19 and his colleagues were barred from being interviewed by the media.

Kathy Wilkes (2020-06-09). Workers Can Refuse Unsafe Conditions. progressive.org Workers asked to work in situations that present a danger to their health and safety have rights, and they should not be afraid to assert them.

Patnode CD, Perdue LA, Rushkin M, et al. (2020-06-09). USPSTF Report: Screening for Unhealthy Drug Use. jamanetwork.com This systematic review to support the 2020 US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement on screening for unhealthy drug use including nonmedical use of prescription drugs in adolescents and adults summarizes published evidence on the benefits and harms of primary care—based screening.

Levis B, Sun Y, He C, et al. (2020-06-09). Accuracy of the PHQ-2 Alone and in Combination With the PHQ-9 for Screening to Detect Major Depression. jamanetwork.com This meta-analysis uses individual participant data from diagnostic accuracy studies to estimate the accuracy of the Patient Health Questionnaire—2 (PHQ-2) alone and combined with the PHQ-9 for detecting major depression.

WSWS (2020-06-09). The World Health Organization comes under new US attack for its relationship to China. wsws.org China and the WHO are useful scapegoats for the systematic neglect of the health and lives of millions of people on the part of the Trump administration and other imperialist governments…

Abbasi J. (2020-06-09). Prioritizing Physician Mental Health as COVID-19 Marches On. jamanetwork.com This Medical News article is an interview with the University of New Mexico's Eileen Barrett, MD, MPH, about the pandemic's mental toll on health care workers—and how they and their employers can safeguard their emotional well-being.