(2020-09-19). Venezuela: The 2016-2020 National Assembly — Part Of The Plan. popularresistance.org It's hard to decide which of all the actions of the Venezuelan opposition representatives was the most shameful. Was it Ramos Allup giving the legitimate elected President Nicolas Madura a 6-month deadline to leave office while removing the portraits of Simon Bolivar and of Comandante Chavez from the Federal Capitol? Or Julio Borges spreading letters throughout the world in which he called for an increase in the economic blockade against the Venezuelan people while he labeled us a plague in the region?
(2020-09-19). Yemen on Brink of Famine After U.S. Cuts Aid While Fueling War. zcomm.org The humanitarian crisis in Yemen is deepening amid the pandemic and cuts to international aid from the United States and its allies, leaving millions of Yemenis facing famine after years of a brutal U.S.-backed, Saudi-led bombing campaign that has devastated the country…
(2020-09-19). Six teacher deaths at start of fall semester heighten public health concerns. liberationnews.org 
Reopening schools is by and large not a response to the needs of young people in the United States.
(2020-09-19). Iran's coronavirus death toll exceeds 24,000, says health ministry. middleeasteye.net 
Iran's coronavirus death toll exceeds 24,000, says health ministry | Health specialist says roughly half of all coronavirus patients being treated in Iran's intensive care units are dying | Sat, 09/19/2020 – 13: 11 | An Iranian woman stands next to a street bin urging people to follow anti-coronavirus health protocols in Tehran (AFP) | Iran's coronavirus death toll has topped 24,000, the h…
(2020-09-19). The Heat: COVID-19 and Latin America. america.cgtn.com 
Latin America is now the region most affected by COVID-19. Meanwhile, in a stunning public rebuke, President Donald Trump on Wednesday rejected the professional scientific conclusions of his own government about the prospects for a widely available coronavirus vaccine and the effectiveness of masks in …
(2020-09-19). As infection rate climbs, PM confirms second wave but still says no to national lockdown. thecanary.co 
Boris Johnson says the second wave of the pandemic has now reached the UK. | By | Ministers are considering tough new coronavirus (Covid-19) restrictions as Boris Johnson said the long-feared second wave of the pandemic has arrived in the UK.With new cases of the disease in England estimated to have doubled over the past week, the prime minister said they were keeping "everything under review"."Transmission at a faster rate" with deaths expected to rise: Meanwhile, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said its latest estimate "shows…
(2020-09-19). New Report: Private Health Insurers Overpay Hospitals. popularresistance.org Prices paid to hospitals nationally during 2018 by privately insured patients averaged 247% of what Medicare would have paid, with wide variation in prices among states, according to a new RAND Corporation study. | Some states (Arkansas, Michigan, and Rhode Island) had relative prices under 200% of Medicare, while other states (Florida, Tennessee, Alaska, West Virginia, and South Carolina) had relative prices that were above 325% of Medicare. | The study notes a steady increase in hospital prices, rising to the 2018 average level from an average of 224% of Medicare costs in 2016 and 230% of Medicare costs in 2017…
(2020-09-19). UIC workers march, call for Gov. Pritzker to support their demands. fightbacknews.org Chicago, IL – Over 1000 University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) workers from SEIU Local 73 and the Illinois Nurses Association (INA) flooded the center of downtown Chicago, September 18, calling for Governor JB Pritzker to support their demands in the largest strike ever at the university. | The strike began last Saturday, September 12, when INA nurses walked out at UI Health, where UIC has refused to negotiate safe staffing limits. 4000 Local 73 workers bolstered the lines September 14, joining the strike, demanding safe working conditions, staffing and a living wage. Large rallies and lively picket lines have m…
(2020-09-19). IUOE39 Members Fight In Middle Of A Pandemic! SF Strike Rally For Striking Macy Workers. indybay.org Macy's is trying to weaken and force major concessions on IUOE Local 39 engineers. While giving their executives million dollar bonus they want to take away healthcare and force concessions on wages.
(2020-09-19). [Editorial] COVID-19: a stress test for trust in science. thelancet.com Peer Review Week is the annual celebration of the importance of peer review, running Sept 21—25. The theme this year is trust in peer review, a particularly appropriate focus during the COVID-19 pandemic. Trust in research and its role in political decision making and policy changes have never been more at the forefront of public discussion and scrutiny than during the current public health crisis. But what is everyone's role in strengthening this trust?
(2020-09-19). [Commentary] Towards characterized convalescent plasma for COVID-19: The dose matters. thelancet.com Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the cause of COVID-19, remains a global health crisis with limited treatment options. While randomized controlled trials have demonstrated some efficacy of the antiviral agent remdesivir and the corticosteroid dexamethasone in COVID-19 treatment, any beneficial role of convalescent plasma (CP) has been less clear [1,2]. Since the early 20th century convalescent blood products and their antibody derivatives have been used for the treatment and prevention of infectious diseases.
(2020-09-19). [Perspectives] A history of herd immunity. thelancet.com As many countries around the world recognised the magnitude of the COVID-19 pandemic in March, 2020, some seemed to put their faith in herd immunity. UK pandemic adviser Graham Medley, for example, said that "We are going to have to generate what we call herd immunity", which would require "a nice big epidemic". When the idea received furious criticism, British officials denied that herd immunity had ever been part of their plan. A run at herd immunity in Sweden prompted mathematician Marcus Carlsson to object: "we are being herded like a flock of sheep toward disaster".
(2020-09-19). [Correspondence] The double burden of malnutrition—further perspective. thelancet.com We congratulate Corinna Hawkes and colleagues1 on their Series paper that proposes adoption of double-duty actions to combat all forms of malnutrition.However, we have concerns about the way that unhealthy foods are characterised and the description of potential risks associated with energy-dense micronutrient-fortified foods for the prevention or treatment of undernutrition.
(2020-09-19). [Correspondence] Brazil's COVID-19 response. thelancet.com Partisan politics during the COVID-19 pandemic has hindered any efforts of working together with science for the greater good of Brazil. As a Brazilian who values life, I do not know what scares me more: contracting COVID-19, or Bolsonaro's Government trying to belittle the disease, forcing us out of the door to confront it, even when they know that we have not done enough as a country to make it safe for us to do so. Although COVID-19 is showing us all that we still have a long way to go to overcome this crisis, which, at the time of writing, has killed approximately 1000 people a day over the past 3 months, the…
(2020-09-19). [World Report] Brazilian doctors condemn new rules on abortion. thelancet.com Experts say that the new rules for health workers will discourage access to health services and increase the risk of unsafe abortion. Lise Alves reports from Sà£o Paulo.
(2020-09-19). [Comment] Preprints with The Lancet are here to stay. thelancet.com We started our collaboration with the freely accessible preprint platform SSRN in June, 2018.1 From then on, we asked all authors of research papers across Lancet journals at submission stage whether they would like to post their paper as a preprint. We started this as a trial to learn more about uptake and the perceptions of the medical and health community, particularly as a latecomer to the preprint concept.
(2020-09-19). [Comment] Offline: Remembering the scientists. thelancet.com One of the most frightening aspects of reading Daniel Defoe's A Journal of the Plague Year (1722), his imaginative account of the 1665 Great Plague, is his depiction of the total terror that enveloped London. No one, physicians included, had the slightest clue about the cause of "the Distemper". The best that could be done was to paint a red cross on the doors of those afflicted, padlock them shut, and place watchmen outside to ensure nobody escaped. As bodies accumulated, giant pits were filled with infected corpses.
(2020-09-19). [World Report] Understanding Mexican health worker COVID-19 deaths. thelancet.com An Amnesty International report says that more health workers have died in Mexico than anywhere else. David Agren explores why.
(2020-09-19). Former Turkish PM tests negative for virus. yenisafak.com The former Turkish prime minister recovered from COVID-19 and now tested negative.Binali Yildirim said on Twitter his test results came negative about two weeks after contracting the novel coronavirus.Yildirim hailed those who asked about his health status during quarantine days and supported him, saying: "May Allah bless you all."Wishing remedy for all patients going through COVID-19 treatment, he praised healthcare staff working day and night, making many sacrifices from their personal lives.He concluded that people should stick to adopting measures such as wearing masks, social distancing, and personal hygiene…
(2020-09-19). With the onset of a second wave, university staff speak out about their fears. thecanary.co The restart of university teaching across UK campuses will see students and staff travelling for face-to-face learning that risks compromising public health. Teaching unions … | By | The restart of university teaching across UK campuses will see students and staff travelling for face-to-face learning that risks compromising public health. | Teaching unions and scientific groups have e…
(2020-09-18). According to Oxfam, Rich Countries Have Already Hoarded Most Future COVID Vaccines. thealtworld.com Oxfam studied five leading COVID-19 vaccine candidates currently under clinical trial and found that rich countries had pumped billions of dollars into securing 51 percent of the promised doses. | MPN— The world's wealthiest nations have already quietly bought up more than half of the potential future supply of the most promising COVID-19 vaccine doses, leaving little for anyone else. International charity Oxfam
(2020-09-18). Billionaires Called to Pay It Back as UN Warns of 'Wave of Hunger and Famine' That Could Rock Globe. commondreams.org "It's time for those who have the most to step up, to help those who have the least in this extraordinary time in world history," says the World Food Programme director. "Humanity is facing the greatest crisis any of us have seen in our lifetimes." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2020-09-18). Headlines for September 18, 2020. democracynow.org White House Scuttled Plan to Mail 650 Million Face Masks to U.S. Households, NYC Schools Delay In-Person Classes Amid Staffing Shortages and Coronavirus Fears, CDC Watered Down Coronavirus Testing Guidelines Over Objections of Scientists, Trump Coronavirus Adviser Threatens to Sue Stanford Doctors over Criticism, WHO Warns of "Alarming" Coronavirus Transmission Rates Across Europe, U.S. Billionaires Added $845B to Net Worth Since March as Pandemic Exposed Racial Inequities, Court Halts "Drastic Operational Changes" at USPS, Warning of Widespread Disenfranchisement, Ex-Coronavirus Task Force Aide Endorses Biden, C…
(2020-09-18). Trump doesn't Understand History any more than he Understands Epidemics. zcomm.org Professional historians have always been skeptical and the very tools of their profession are seditious, because history teaches us that things could have been different (contingency) and can still be different…
(2020-09-18). A Cold War Power Play At The Inter-American Development Bank. popularresistance.org Having launched his presidential campaign by labeling migrants from south of the U.S.-Mexico border as "rapists and criminals," Latin America was perhaps one of the last places President Donald Trump expected to rely on as a source of steadfast friends. It thus comes as no surprise that in the new Cold War against China, Trump's tactics in recruiting allies in Latin America have been reminiscent of the many "caudillos" that have plagued the continent in the past. The politicized impeachment of Dilma Roussef, deposing of Evo Morales, and attempted invasion of Venezuela set the backdrop to U.S. efforts to bring Lat…
(2020-09-18). Ethiopia set to bring some migrants home as concern over Saudi camps mounts. middleeasteye.net 
Ethiopia set to bring some migrants home as concern over Saudi camps mounts | Reports say at least 16,000 migrants are being held in one camp within driving distance of the holy city of Mecca | Fri, 09/18/2020 – 09: 55 | Ethiopians are being held in camps, where people are dying of heatstroke, disease and suicide (AFP) | Ethiopia will repatriate nearly 2,000 migrants from Saudi Arabia in t…
(2020-09-18). 200,000 coronavirus dead due to Trump's neglect of duty. peoplesworld.org 
It wasn't so long ago, just back in May, that the United States reached the gruesome milestone of 100,000 dead of COVID-19, setting a world record for the number of deaths. Two months later, in late July, we reached 150,000, still holding onto the Number 1 place as the world's epicenter for the killer disease. …
(2020-09-18). Barr echoes Trump's white supremacy by comparing mask-wearing to slavery. peoplesworld.org 
An elderly white man at a Trump campaign rally is asked in a recent news report why he doesn't wear a mask. The question comes out of the controversy over Trump's politicization of mask-wearing and other public health measures. Despite telling a reporter in February that he understood COVID-19 was a deadly, contagious disease, Trump …
(2020-09-18). Medicare-for-All is a beginning, not the end point. mronline.org 
As a coup de grâce to the Bernie Sanders campaign Joe Biden declared that he would veto Medicare-for-All. This could drive a dedicated health care advocate to relentlessly pursue Med-4-All as a final goal.
(2020-09-18). What the Flint Water Crisis Meant for My Family. counterpunch.org 
In 2015, my life fell apart. The first signs of trouble came from my son Jaylon. He was five years old and, although he struggled with ADHD, perfectly healthy. But then he started acting out in ways he never had before. His school didn't know how to handle it, so they started suspending him. By
(2020-09-18). Review of 'Cuban Health Care: The Ongoing Revolution' by Don Fitz. counterpunch.org 
Don Fitz's new book Cuban Health Care: The Ongoing Revolution was going to press at Monthly Review in early spring, as the pandemic was ramping up, so he had just barely enough time to slip in a postscript teasingly titled, "How Che Guevara Taught Cuba to Confront COVID-19."
(2020-09-18). New wave of famine could sweep the globe, overwhelming nations already weakened by years of conflict, warn UN officials. news.un.org The global hunger crisis caused by conflict — and now compounded by COVID-19 — is moving into a dangerous phase, the head of the UN World Food Programme (WFP) said on Thursday, stressing that without resources, a wave of famine could sweep the globe, overwhelming nations already weakened by years of instability.
(2020-09-18). Changing The Washington Guard. popularresistance.org At the risk of counting chickens before they hatch, what would the return of Team Blue portend? | As is patently obvious, the US is in trouble. Climate driven heat waves and fires grip the nation. An already faltering economy with deep contradictions could only tank given the shock of the pandemic that has necessitated varying degrees of sequestering. In fact, the downturn had already started before COVID-19 hit. An already largely privatized healthcare system run for profit and a social ethic that rejects "socialized" public health measures could only have proven inadequate.
(2020-09-18). World Health Organization warns of "alarming" resurgence of COVID-19 in Europe. wsws.org With over 300,000 weekly infections, European authorities are now confirming more COVID-19 cases each week than they did prior to the lockdowns this spring.
(2020-09-18). COVID-19 illustrates 'woefully under prepared' world — UN health chief. news.un.org Despite efforts to break the global cycle of panic and neglect seen throughout multiple disease outbreaks, the UN health agency chief said on Friday that the new coronavirus has shown that the world was "woefully under prepared".
(2020-09-18). Latest unemployment insurance report shows economic crisis continues. fightbacknews.org San José, CA – The weekly report on Unemployment Insurance (UI) claims issued on Thursday, September 17 by the U.S. Department of Labor showed that the economy continues to struggle. Seasonally adjusted new claims for regular state unemployment insurance fell by 33,000 to 860,000 for the previous week ending September 12. This number is still about four times the weekly claims number in February, when the recession began. It is also above the high mark for claims before this recession, which dates back to October 1982. | Continuing claims, which measures the number of people receiving regular state unemployment i…
(2020-09-18). North Carolina Nurses Win Union in Landslide After Bitter Opposition. zcomm.org HCA Healthcare had brought in a phalanx of union-busting firms to intimidate nurses into voting no…
(2020-09-18). Thursday 9/24: Virtual Speak Out: Tell UC Health System to Protect LGBTQ+ and Reproductive Healthcare. indybay.org Online…
(2020-09-18). Friday Prayer held in Zanjan with health protocols in place. en.mehrnews.com ZANJAN, Sep. 18 (MNA) — The first Friday Prayer ceremony in Zanjan was held on on | September 18 after a six-month hiatus due to the outbreak of coronavirus. All health protocols were in place during the event.
(2020-09-18). The White House Blocked USPS Plans to Deliver Masks to Every Household. truthout.org The United States Postal Service (USPS) drafted plans to deliver hundreds of millions of masks for use against coronavirus to every household in the country this spring — but the idea was ultimately turned down by the White House. | Working in conjunction with the Department of Health and Human Services, around 650 million reusable cotton face masks
(2020-09-18). Schools Reopen — And Teachers Fight For Their Lives… popularresistance.org As schools begin to reopen, within teacher unions around the country, teachers have been coming together to discuss the risks they're willing to take — both to protect public health in the short term, and to protect public education in the long run. | The starting place for the unions, noted Stacy Davis Gates, vice president of the Chicago Teachers Union, is that the push to reopen schools as if they could wish the pandemic away, whether it was coming from President Trump and U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos or from Chicago's mayor Lori Lightfoot, "was wrong and dangerous."
(2020-09-18). Israel goes back to virus lockdown amid 5,000 new cases. yenisafak.com Israel is set to return to a total coronavirus lockdown later Friday as infections are mounting across the nation.The lockdown will be effective as of 2 p.m. local time (1100GMT). Under the lockdown, people must remain 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) of home.Businesses except for food and medicine will be closed and no more than 10 people will be allowed indoors and 20 people most will be allowed to gather outdoors.Israel registered additional 5,238 cases from the coronavirus outbreak over the past 24 hours.In a statement, the Health Ministry said the country's tally rose to 176,933 confirmed cases, including 1,169 death…
(2020-09-18). Bolstering Case for Single Payer, Study Shows For-Profit Insurer Plans Pay Hospitals Nearly 250% More Than Medicare. commondreams.org A new study released Friday by the RAND Corporation details the astronomical prices hospital systems across the U.S. charge private insurers and the more than 153 million patients who obtain health coverage through their employers—while Medicare proves to be a far more affordable option. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2020-09-18). The Dark Side of 5G: Military Use. globalresearch.ca The September 12 demonstration "Stop 5G" in Rome rightly focuses on the possible electromagnetic consequences for health and environment, in particular on the decree that prevents mayors from regulating the installation of 5G antennas in the municipal area. | However, the …
(2020-09-17). Rich Nations Hoarding Potential Covid-19 Vaccine Doses, Warns Oxfam. commondreams.org "Governments will prolong this crisis in all of its human tragedy and economic damage if they allow pharmaceutical companies to protect their monopolies and profits." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2020-09-17). A Crisis Made in America: Yemen on Brink of Famine After U.S. Cuts Aid While Fueling War. democracynow.org 
The humanitarian crisis in Yemen is deepening amid the pandemic and cuts to international aid from the United States and its allies, leaving millions of Yemenis facing famine after years of a brutal U.S.-backed, Saudi-led bombing campaign that has devastated the country. CNN's senior international correspondent Nima Elbagir says what is happening in Yemen is not a natural disaster but a "man-made catastrophe" directly tied to U.S. policies. Elbagir says, "Not only is the U.S. profiting from the war by selling weapons to the UAE and Saudi Arabia," but it is also ignoring the impact on civilians. We also feature he…
(2020-09-17). US Cuts Aid to Yemen While Fueling War and Famine. truthout.org The humanitarian crisis in Yemen is deepening amid the pandemic and cuts to international aid from the United States and its allies, leaving millions of Yemenis facing famine after years of a brutal U.S.-backed, Saudi-led bombing campaign that has devastated the country. CNN's senior international correspondent Nima Elbagir says what is happening in Yemen is not a natural disaster but a "man-made catastrophe" directly tied to U.S. policies. Elbagir says, "Not only is the U.S. profiting from the war by selling weapons to t…
(2020-09-17). Data confirms unequal coronavirus impact on households of color. peoplesworld.org 
A health care worker in Baltimore had to be quarantined for two weeks in an empty downtown hotel, says Lisa Cooper, a public health specialist at Johns Hopkins University there. She had been exposed to the coronavirus on the job, and she lived in a multigenerational household. "She had to be housed in the hotel …
(2020-09-17). But 'What is the Economy, Stupid?'. peoplesworld.org 
Polling indicates that Americans still give Donald Trump an edge over Joe Biden when it comes to their faith in either candidate's ability to manage the economy. While it's true that, according to a late-August Reuters/Ipsos poll, Trump's approval rating on the economy has dipped 14% since March, putting him in negative territory with 47% …
(2020-09-17). Coronavirus: More than 200 cases at Lebanon's biggest prison, union leader says. middleeasteye.net 
Coronavirus: More than 200 cases at Lebanon's biggest prison, union leader says | Head of doctors' union blames prisoners for the spike in infections, saying they were not abiding by health measures | Thu, 09/17/2020 – 12: 59 | Roumieh prison houses more than 4,000 prisoners, around three times its intended capacity, and has long been infamous for its poor conditions (AFP) | Lebanon's larg…