2020-10-07: News Headlines

Media Lens (2020-10-07). "None Of It Reported": How Corporate Media Buried The Assange Trial. dissidentvoice.org One of the most imposing features of state-corporate propaganda is its incessant, repetitive nature. Over and over again, the 'mainstream' media have to convince the public that 'our' government prioritises the health, welfare and livelihoods of the general population, rather than the private interests of an elite stratum of society that owns and runs all …

Prof Michel Chossudovsky (2020-10-07). COVID-19 Coronavirus: The Crisis. "You Simulate and Then You Go Live" globalresearch.ca On January 30th 2020, the WHO Director General declared a Public Health Emergency (PHEIC) in relation to China's novel coronavirus. This far-reaching decision was taken without the support of expert opinion. There were 150 confirmed cases outside China, when the decision was taken. 6 in the US, 3 in Canada, 2 in the UK, etc.

Laura Nadine (2020-10-07). SEIU Local 73, Illinois Nurses Association reach deals with University of Illinois. liberationnews.org On Oct. 1, INA co-chief steward at UI Health Paul Pater announced that a supermajority of nurses voted to approve the contract, which guarantees safe patient limits.

RT (2020-10-07). Wisconsin opens field hospital outside Milwaukee to handle Covid-19 hospitalization spike. rt.com After hospitalizations for Covid-19 nearly tripled over the past month, straining Wisconsin's healthcare system, Governor Tony Evers has announced the state will open a field hospital outside Milwaukee to handle the surge. | Speaking alongside health officials on Wednesday, Evers announced the field hospital would open next week on the state fairgrounds outside Milwaukee. Built months ago, in anticipation of an expected surge in infection, the facility had sat disused until now. | According to the state Department of Health Services, just 16 percent of Wisconsin's hospital beds were available as of Tuesday aft…

RT (2020-10-07). France records all-time daily high in new Covid-19 cases of almost 19,000, as authorities eye new restrictions. rt.com A total of 18,746 people have been diagnosed with coronavirus in France over the latest 24-hour recording period, an all-time daily high for the country, the nation's health authorities announced on Wednesday. | The amount of new cases almost doubled compared to Tuesday when 10,489 infections were registered. The overall number of cases in the country since the start of the pandemic has now reached 653,509. | An additional 80 people had succumbed to the disease during the previous day, according to Wednesday's update, putting the cumulative death toll at 32,445. | Meanwhile the number of Covid-19 patients bein…

Fidel Castro Ruz (2020-10-07). Cuba Says: Doctors, Not Bombs. globalresearch.ca In a letter sent to the Norwegian Nobel Committee, the World Peace Council formally registered the candidacy of Cuba's Henry Reeve International Contingent of Doctors Specialized in Disaster Situations and Serious Epidemics for the Nobel Peace Prize. | Emphasizing the great …

news.un (2020-10-07). UN chief urges greater investment in universal health coverage, starting now. news.un.org The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of strong public health systems and emergency preparedness for communities and economies globally, the UN Secretary-General said on Wednesday, calling for greater investments in universal health coverage.

Joshua J. McElwee (2020-10-07). Pope's Post-COVID Encyclical Envisions a Less Populist, Less Capitalist World. zcomm.org "Once this health crisis passes, our worst response would be to plunge even more deeply into feverish consumerism and new forms of egotistic self-preservation"

imperial.ac.uk (2020-10-07). Lockdown not 'a trade-off between health and the economy' says Imperial academic. imperial.ac.uk Consumer concerns over the rise in the UK infection rate is likely to hit social spending regardless of whether a lockdown is put in place.

imperial.ac.uk (2020-10-07). Watershed moment to tackle widening health inequalities as a result of COVID-19. imperial.ac.uk The COVID-19 pandemic has shown that there is limited time to address fundamental health inequalities in the UK, said an Imperial expert.

Andrea Germanos, staff writer (2020-10-06). 'Incapable of Rendering Equal Justice': 150 Groups Demand Senators Reject Coney Barrett for Supreme Court. commondreams.org "Judge Barrett has demonstrated that she will march in lock step with President Trump's cruel agenda to deprive millions of people of their access to healthcare." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

Staff (2020-10-06). Activist Who Lost Father to COVID Says Trump's White House Photo Op Was Like "Sci-Fi Horror Film" democracynow.org As the highest-profile coronavirus patient in the world returns to the White House while still infectious and a danger to others, we speak with activist Kristin Urquiza, whose father died from COVID-19 earlier this year. She says President Trump's minimizing of the disease is a slap in the face to families who have lost loved ones. "I was appalled," says Urquiza. "Every single person out there who's lost a loved one to COVID, who has seen up close and personal what this virus can do, felt the same way." Urquiza, who spoke at the Democratic National Convention in August about her father, is co-founder of Marked by…

Staff (2020-10-06). Meet the College Senior Who Built a COVID Tracker After CDC Blocked from Tracing Trump's Contacts. democracynow.org As the number of people in President Trump's orbit who test positive for COVID-19 continues to grow, we meet a student journalist who is doing what the White House doesn't want the CDC to do: tracing the contacts of people who may have infected or been infected by President Trump. Benjy Renton, a Middlebury College senior, helped develop a real-time tracking tool to monitor the growing number of people in President Trump's circle who were exposed or infected with COVID-19. The site is called COVID-19 at the White House and lists over 270 contacts and 25 positive cases, so far. It uses "publicly available informat…

Dean Baker (2020-10-06). Why Trump's Approach to the Coronavirus Vaccine May Leave America Behind. counterpunch.org As with everything else, Donald Trump likes to boast about how quickly we are moving toward developing a coronavirus vaccine. By historic standards, he has a case. We may have a vaccine through the final Phase 3 tests and approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) before the end of the year. However, this

Staff (2020-10-05). A still-contagious, mask-less Trump returns to the White House to lie about COVID-19. therealnews.com After receiving cutting-edge treatment, Trump downplays COVID-19 danger and compares it to the flu, after privately admitting in February that it's far more deadly.

Nathaniel Chase (2020-10-06). Trump, COVID and poetic justice. workers.org Donald Trump, who sat by while so many died, undercut health professionals' recommendations for fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, mocked wearing a mask, placed capitalist profits over the lives of thousands and put forward no serious plan to address the pandemic, is now sick himself. The chickens have come home to . . . |

Roberta Wood (2020-10-06). Tax-cheat Trump receives best medical treatment; taxpaying undocumented workers get nothing. peoplesworld.org Last week, as I watched the news video loop of billionaire hotel magnate Donald Trump being ferried by personal helicopter from his home to Walter Reed Medical Center to receive medical treatment, and then being chauffeured on a joy ride around the hospital later in the weekend, I couldn't help but think of my friend, …

A Guest Author (2020-10-06). California nurses declare: 'Patients over profits!'. workers.org This statement was released Oct. 5 by the Organizing Committee of the Workers Assembly. Over 1,000 nurses in California will begin a five-day strike on Oct. 7 to protest hospital management's failure to protect nurses and patients in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic. California nurses within the Alameda Health . . . |

RT (2020-10-06). Round up the 'anti-vaxxers'? Enlist religious leaders? Bill Gates warns US needs to brainstorm ways to reduce 'vaccine hesitancy'. rt.com Billionaire software tycoon Bill Gates has urged the US to prepare for a Covid-19 vaccine rollout by deputizing trusted community leaders to "reduce vaccine hesitancy," bemoaning the rapid spread of "conspiracy theories" online. | The Microsoft founder-turned-vaccine-evangelist painted a mostly rosy picture of a vaccine rollout getting "rich countries" back to normal by the end of 2021 in an interview during the Wall Street Journal's CEO Council on Tuesday. | However, with less than half of Americans saying they'd get a Covid jab — even if paid $100 for it — in a recent survey, Gates then focused his…

RT (2020-10-06). 'She's 15. You are adults': Kellyanne Conway slams 'sick' social media speculators after daughter tweets Trump 'not better'. rt.com Kellyanne Conway has slammed online speculation over President Donald Trump's health, the latest of which arose after her outspoken 15-year-old daughter Claudia posted on TikTok that he was "doing badly" with Covid-19. | "Like all of you, [Claudia] speculates on social media," Conway tweeted on Tuesday, after her child's name began trending, following several controversial TikTok posts. | "She's 15. You are adults," said Trump's 2016 campaign manager. "We have Covid, but it's clear who's really sick," she added. | My daughter, Claudia, is beautiful & brilliant. She has access to top doctors & health care & liv…

RT (2020-10-06). No long-distance travel till 2022 for Australians — and that's IF POPULATION-WIDE vaccine is rolled out next year, budget predicts. rt.com Australians weary of restrictions are out of luck, as the country's new budget predicts social distancing will continue for two years and long-distance travel is to remain off-limits until everyone is able to get a Covid-19 jab. | Widespread adoption of a vaccine for the novel coronavirus will be a prerequisite for Australians being able to travel long distances again, according to the country's new budget that was unveiled on Tuesday. Until that vaccine is rolled out, they can expect social distancing, intermittent lockdowns and a stagnant economy. | "It is assumed that over the forecast period material local…

Lily Galili (2020-10-06). Netanyahu's aggressive missteps are handing his rivals the initiative. middleeasteye.net Netanyahu's aggressive missteps are handing his rivals the initiative | Failing to quash protests through lockdown restrictions, the prime minister has encouraged security forces to look to Palestine for inspiration | Tue, 10/06/2020 – 14: 30 | Police officers detain a person as Israelis protest against legislation banning them from holding demonstrations more than 1 km from their homes (Reuters) | Israe…

Peter Koenig (2020-10-06). COVID-19: President Trump Tested Positive — A Reelection Campaign Bonanza? globalresearch.ca May President Trump and his wife recover fast, fully and for good from their nasty corona disease. After being airlifted four days ago to the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, and after receiving high-quality professional medical care, both were …

Stephen Lendman (2020-10-06). Mixed Messages on Trump's Health Condition: Covid, Influenza or Common Cold? globalresearch.ca On Monday, after three days of hospitalization for reported Covid illness, Trump was discharged. | He returned to his White House residence away from staff to continue recovering. | Is he ill from Covid infection, seasonal flu/influenza, or something else? | Diagnostic PCR …

Kenny Stancil, staff writer (2020-10-06). Successful GOP Repeal of ACA Would Strip Health Coverage From Millions and Give Top 0.1% a Massive Tax Cut—During a Pandemic. commondreams.org "If Trump gets the Supreme Court to strike down ACA, the richest 0.1% would get a tax cut of $198,000 a year, and Big Pharma would get a tax cut of $2.8 billion. But millions of seniors would pay billions more for prescription drugs, and 20 million would lose their health insurance." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

Jessica Corbett, staff writer (2020-10-06). WATCH: Tlaib and Rouda Call for National Moratorium on Water Shutoffs During Pandemic. commondreams.org The Democrats are pressuring the head of the CDC to use his authority to help Americans retain "essential" access to running water. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

Manuela Solé (2020-10-06). Venezuela to Begin Clinical Trials of Russian Covid-19 Vaccine. venezuelanalysis.com The first batch of the Sputnik V vaccine was delivered by the Russian Investment Fund to the South American nation.

John C. A. Manley (2020-10-06). Medical Doctor Warns that "Bacterial Pneumonias Are on the Rise" from Mask Wearing. globalresearch.ca "A group is suing Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum and Tulsa Health Department Executive Director Bruce Dart, saying the city's mask mandate is harmful to healthy people," reports

Joyce Nelson (2020-10-06). Billionaires' Media: The Smearing of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. globalresearch.ca The Globe and Mail published an extraordinary and very lengthy article vilifying Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and calling him "a top voice of misinformation on social media." The headline for the piece summarizes its range: "How a Kennedy became a 'superspreader' of hoaxes on COVID-19, vaccines, 5G and more".

, Sterne JC, Murthy S, et al. (2020-10-06). Association Between Systemic Corticosteroids and Mortality Among Critically Ill Patients With COVID-19. jamanetwork.com This meta-analysis pools data from 7 randomized trials to estimate the association between administration of corticosteroids vs usual care or placebo and all-cause mortality at 28 days in patients with severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Jack Davis (2020-10-06). CDC Now Admits that 94% of COVID Deaths Had "Another Cause of Death" globalresearch.ca First published on August 30, 2020 | At the outset of the pandemic, the CDC had been instructed to change the methodology regarding Death Certificates with a view to artificially inflating the numbers of "Covid deaths". This is confirmed by the …

Bauchner H, Malani PN, Sharfstein J. (2020-10-06). Reassuring the Public and Clinical Community About the Scientific Review and Approval of a COVID-19 Vaccine. jamanetwork.com Public perception of the review of medications and vaccines for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has become enmeshed in politics. The pressure on the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Commissioner Stephen Hahn, MD, to approve the broad use of a COVID-19 vaccine in the coming months will be immense. However, a lack of clarity about the agency's approach—coupled with a stream of announcements from various federal agencies and pharmaceutical companies—has led to confusion and concern. Greater clarity and transparency about the review process as well as the full engagement of the relevant feder…

Stephens DS, McElrath M. (2020-10-06). COVID-19 and the Path to Immunity. jamanetwork.com This Viewpoint reviews what is known about acute and long-term B-cell, antibody, and T-cell responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection and explains how each are implicated in vaccine candidates likely to be effective and durably protective again COVID-19.

Voelker R. (2020-10-06). New Disease Cases, Deaths Related to Breast Implants. jamanetwork.com During the last half of 2019, the FDA added 160 new cases of disease and 3 deaths to its data set of adverse events related to breast implants.

Butler SM. (2020-10-06). Medicare Advantage for All, Perhaps? jamanetwork.com The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is forcing a much-needed questioning of the US health system. What is the right balance of authority between the federal government and the states? How should the profound inequities and gaps in the system be better addressed? Should emergency regulations, like those allowing more telemedicine and flexible funding, become permanent features of the system?

Voelker R. (2020-10-06). Therapy Approved for Rare Neurological Autoimmune Disorder. jamanetwork.com Another treatment for certain patients with the rare autoimmune disease neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) has received FDA approval.

Brady A, Brink J, Slavotinek J. (2020-10-06). Radiology and Value-Based Health Care. jamanetwork.com This Viewpoint discusses the importance of transitioning radiology from a volume-based to a value-based practice and specialty, starting from within with an effort by radiologists to help define and create that value for referring clinicians and the patients and health care systems they serve.

Keith Preston (2020-10-06). Cuba: A Model for Healthcare Reform from a Surprising Place. globalresearch.ca The issue of healthcare reform is one that is consistently identified by opinion polls as being among the most important to Americans. The United States continues to be the only fully industrialized nation that lacks a public healthcare system, a …

WSWS (2020-10-06). Tens of thousands of UK COVID-19 cases and contacts went unreported. wsws.org Besides giving a completely false picture of the spread of the disease, the failure to report 15,841 positive Covid-19 cases has left tens of thousands of their potentially infected contacts untraced for up to a week.

WSWS (2020-10-06). Third wave of COVID-19 expected to sweep across the United States. wsws.org Health officials reviewing the case reports from across the country are concerned that the trends indicate another wave is on the horizon, bringing with it rising hospitalization rates and an increase in the number of deaths.

Hampton T. (2020-10-06). Insight on Sex-Based Immunity Differences, With COVID-19 Implications. jamanetwork.com Women and men have striking differences in their autoimmune disease risk, their predisposition to and prognosis with various cancers, and their ability to respond to some infections—including the novel coronavirus. New research offers a potential explanation for these distinctions: sex-based differences in neutrophils, humans' most common circulating immune cells.

Leinbach LI, Willink A. (2020-10-06). Oral Health in Medicare—Considerations for 21st-Century Coverage. jamanetwork.com This Viewpoint discusses the need to expand Medicare benefits to include coverage for oral health services given the inextricable connection between diseases of the mouth, gums, and teeth and systemic disease, such as with stem cell transplants and immunosuppression, prosthetic heart valves, and bisphosphonate use.

WSWS (2020-10-06). Bangladesh's Awami League government intensifies anti-democratic attacks on its critics. wsws.org Prime Minister Sheik Hasina has responded to the social crisis exacerbated by COVID-19 by suppressing information on the disease and persecuting journalists.

jamanetwork (2020-10-06). Incorrect Corresponding Author Address. jamanetwork.com In the JAMA Forum entitled "Health Care Cost Growth Benchmarks in 5 States," published in the August 11, 2020, issue of JAMA, an incorrect corresponding author address was published. In the Corresponding Author section, the address information should have been "Partnered Evidence-Based Policy Resource Center, VA Boston Health Care System, 150 S Huntington Ave (152 H), Jamaica Plain, MA 02130." This article was corrected online.

WSWS (2020-10-06). Allina health care workers begin limited two-day strike over safety conditions amidst pandemic. wsws.org One month after voting to authorize a strike over safety conditions, medical and tech workers at Allina healthcare in the Minneapolis area have begun a two-day walkout.

_____ (2020-10-06). Report Finds 'Gang Like' Police Clique That Exerts 'Undue Influence'. popularresistance.org Los Angeles County's top watchdog said Monday that substantial evidence exists that a secretive group of tattooed deputies at the East L.A. sheriff's station are "gang-like and their influence has resulted in favoritism, sexism, racism and violence." | In a 32-page report probing activities of the Banditos clique, Inspector General Max Huntsman alleged that Sheriff Alex Villanueva "continues to promote a code of silence regarding these sub-groups" which have plagued the agency for decades.

Mehr News Agency (2020-10-06). Iran update: 227 deaths, 4,151 new infections in 24h. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Oct. 06 (MNA) — The daily count of COVID-19 infections in Iran reached 4,151 on Tuesday, bringing the total cases to 479,825, according to the Health Ministry.

imperial.ac.uk (2020-10-06). Mysterious molecular phenomenon could boost precision of targeted drug delivery. imperial.ac.uk Scientists have shown how a type of cellular binding could help pave the way for highly targeted therapies against diseases like cancer.

Staff (2020-10-06). Fauci Says Trump Could See "Reversal" of His COVID Recovery This Week or Next. truthout.org Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and a member of the White House's coronavirus task force, suggested that officials within the Trump administration ought to keep their "heads up" to the possibility that President Trump's condition may deteriorate this week (or even next week) after having been treated for COVID-19 over the weekend. | Discussing the issue on Monday evening during a segment on CNN, Fauci said he felt the president "looks f…

Staff (2020-10-06). Trump Blocks FDA on Stricter COVID-19 Vaccine Standards. truthout.org Taking the advice of profit-driven pharmaceutical corporations over that of his own public health agencies and experts, President Donald Trump is blocking the Food and Drug Administration from imposing tougher safety requirements on the authorization of a coronavirus vaccine after drug company executives privately voiced disapproval with the push for stricter federal standards. | Politico