2020-10-12: News Headlines

Derrick Broze (2020-10-12). Trump Appoints Big Pharma Exec Connected to Bill Gates to Head Vaccine Developments. globalresearch.ca This article was originally published in May 2020. | On Friday, Donald Trump announced his appointment of Moncef Slaoui, a former executive with vaccine manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline, to lead "Operation Warp Speed", Trump's plan to fast track the development of vaccines for …

WSWS (2020-10-12). As mental health crisis deepens, New York City hospitals leave psych units shuttered. wsws.org Even as the need for mental health services reaches new heights, psychiatric units remain closed and are unlikely to fully reopen.

Kit Knightly (2020-10-12). WHO (Accidentally) Confirms Covid Is No More Dangerous than Flu. globalresearch.ca The World Health Organization has finally confirmed what we (and many experts and studies) have been saying for months — the coronavirus is no more deadly or dangerous than seasonal flu. | The WHO's top brass made this announcement

WSWS (2020-10-12). Alameda County hospital strike in California ends without contract. wsws.org Hospital workers in Oakland spoke on the systemic problems in health care and the impact of the pandemic.

Dr Martin Kulldorff (2020-10-12). The Great Barrington Declaration. globalresearch.ca As infectious disease epidemiologists and public health scientists we have grave concerns about the damaging physical and mental health impacts of the prevailing COVID-19 policies, and recommend an approach we call Focused Protection. | Coming from both the left and right, …

Binoy Kampmark (2020-10-12). Omnibus Collisions: Coronavirus Policing and Overreach in Victoria. counterpunch.org In her September 17 speech to parliament, the Attorney General of the Australian state of Victoria, Jill Hennessy, explained various provisions of the COVID-19 Omnibus (Emergency Measures) and Other Acts Amendment Bill. Of most interest was the proposal that would dramatically inflate the scope of public health power in ostensibly preventing a spread of COVID-19.

RT (2020-10-11). BBC mistakes Taiwan's National Day celebrations for North Korean military parade (VIDEO). rt.com BBC World News was left red-faced after it accidentally broadcast footage of National Day celebrations in Taiwan while claiming they were actually a military display marking the 75th anniversary of North Korea's ruling party. | The mistake was made by the network on Saturday, when it aired footage captioned 'Live Pyongyang'. However, the video was from Taipei, with multiple Taiwanese flags fluttering in the air and distinctive landmarks visible. | Aside from the military themes of both the North Korean and Taiwanese displays, they looked nothing alike. The Pyongyang parade featured scores of assorted milita…

Dean Baker (2020-10-11). Waiting for a Vaccine: Killing for Inequality. cepr.net I have been harping on the fact that it is very likely China will be mass producing and distributing a vaccine at least a month, and quite possibly several months, before the United States. This should make people very angry. Even a month's delay is likely to mean tens of thousands of avoidable deaths and …

F. Douglas Stephenson (2020-10-11). America's New Peculiar Institution: Health Care only for those who Can Afford it. zcomm.org We must immediately end our moral crime of having the greatest health system in the world, but only for those who can afford it…

Keith Brower Brown (2020-10-11). East Bay Health Care Workers Strike Forces County to Disband the Boss. zcomm.org On day two of their five-day strike, Alameda Health System workers in California's East Bay won a landmark victory…

CDPH, Santa Clara DPH, & Alameda DPH (2020-10-11). Monday 10/12: Virtual Townhall on Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Food Access & Health Program. indybay.org Online via Zoom or FB livestream, or join by phone…

Philippe Charlier, Leandro Varison (2020-10-10). [Correspondence] Is COVID-19 being used as a weapon against Indigenous Peoples in Brazil? thelancet.com To corroborate the Editors'1 appeal for Indigenous Peoples' right to self-determination as fundamental to ensure their health, we wish to draw attention to the dire situation faced by Indigenous populations in the Amazon, and mainly in Brazil.

Alice Blukacz, Baltica Cabieses (2020-10-10). [Correspondence] COVID-19: leaving no one behind in Latin America. thelancet.com The pledge to leave no one behind has been essential in making the plight of refugees more visible1 and in highlighting the need to include migrants and refugees in national health-care systems.

RT (2020-10-10). Kim Jong-un says socialism saved North Korea from Covid-19, with not a single person infected. rt.com Kim Jong-un has credited the country's socialist system with supposedly protecting North Koreans from the Covid-19 pandemic, saying not a single case of the devastating global disease has been registered in his country. | The bold, if unverifiable, claim was made by Kim in a televised speech following a military parade dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the founding of the ruling Workers' Party. Recorded footage broadcast by North Korean state media showed neither officials nor the troops wearing face masks during the event, in contrast with some previous public gatherings. | Kim, who at times appeared to be…

sputniknews (2020-10-10). Afghanistan's Taliban Concerned With Trump's Health, Hope He'll Prevail Over Biden in November. sputniknews.com US President Donald Trump said Thursday that he wanted to have US troops in Afghanistan home by Christmas, after 19 years of combat in the Middle East. The assertion reportedly caught many military and civil officials by surprise and is seen by some Democrats as a way for Trump to gain additional points prior to the 3 November election.

teleSUR (2020-10-10). Panama: 12 Volunteers Receive COVID Vaccine Trial. telesurenglish.net Panama's Vaccine Research Center (Cervaxin) said on Friday that 12 volunteers for the German CureVac vaccine trial have already received the shot. | RELATED: | "In Panama, we have 12 participants, eight from the first group between 18 and 60 years old, and four from the other group of over 61 years old who have already been inoculated," said the director of Cervaxin, Rodrigo De Antonio. | On September 30, CureVac started the last phase of the clinical trials…

Tim Anderson (2020-10-10). The Great VIRAL Debate: Dr Anderson's Opening Statement. thealtworld.com Dr Piers Robinson is our Chair. Off-Guardian is your host. The proposition to be debated is: : SARS-COV-2 merits suppression measures in order to combat the virus rather than the herd/community immunity approach | Dr Anderson responds in support of the proposition: : | Iask readers to reflect a little on health systems and the ideas behind them, and not just react to particular measures. To simply react to the crisis as 'lockdown vs no lockdown', and complain how it affects individual liberties, misses that. | The 2020 pandemic has shown us massive failures in western neoliberal health systems [mdash…

teleSUR (2020-10-10). Russia Will Take Its COVID-19 Vaccine to Another LATAM Country. telesurenglish.net As a measure to counteract Bolivia's sanitary crisis, Sigma laboratory Friday sealed an alliance with Russia to produce and export to other Latin American countries a medicine for patients with COVID-19 and to distribute the new Russian vaccine 'Sputnik V'. | RELATED: | The Bolivian company Sigma Corp. will import the new Russian COVID-19 vaccine, which was announced to the world in August by President Vladimir Putin. | Sigma will also begin to produce in Bolivia the anti…

Ashley Curtin (2020-10-10). Horseshoe crab blood key to COVID-19 vaccine despite negative impact it could have on ecosystem. nationofchange.org "An estimated 50,000 of them die in the [vaccine] process and human interference also means that the species is now vulnerable to extinction."

teleSUR (2020-10-10). Mexico Pays Covax ~160 Million to Ensure a COVID Vaccine. telesurenglish.net Mexico's government announced on Saturday that it paid about 160 million dollars in advance to the World Health Organization (WHO) to secure 51 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine from the COVAX initiative. | RELATED: | "With this payment, Mexico ensures having options to acquire doses of a successful vaccine against COVID-19 within the Covax portfolio", Mexico's Foreign Ministry said. | Mexico officially joined C…

news.un (2020-10-10). COVID-19 sparks increased demand for mental health services: UNFPA. news.un.org While the global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has been staggering, the full impact on health has been far greater, according to the UN Population Fund (UNFPA). The agency said fear, isolation, grief, economic stress and shuttered support services have taken a toll on the mental well-being of people around the world.

Labor Video Project (2020-10-10). Striking AHS SEIU 1021 & CNA Workers Hear Alameda Supervisors Promise To Fire AHS Bosses. indybay.org Hundreds of striking SEIU 1021 & CNA AHS workers rallied at the Alameda County Building to protest the union busting tactics of this group that runs the Alameda public health system. Two County supervisors promised to remove them from running the public healthcare system…

Natalie S Shenker, Aleksandra Wesolowska, Johannes B van Goudoever, Sushma Nangia, Daniel Klotz (2020-10-10). [Correspondence] Undermining breastfeeding will not alleviate the COVID-19 pandemic. thelancet.com Breastfeeding offers numerous immunological, developmental, and psychological advantages to the infant—mother dyad. The risks posed to infant and maternal health through any loss of support for breastfeeding mean that public health messaging during the COVID-19 pandemic should be careful. As academic leads of human milk banks, we are acutely aware of the importance of understanding the risks posed by novel infectious pathogens in human milk and the mitigation of risk to susceptible infants.

Richard Horton (2020-10-10). [Comment] Offline: Reasons for hope. thelancet.com Fatigue. Despair. Misery. Cracks are beginning to appear in our mental resilience. 10 months of this calamity. How much more can we bear? It was always so. When the Bishop of Winchester died of plague in 1626, John Milton issued a searing cry of anguish in his Elegia Tertia. The great poet was just 17 years old, "sad…with no companion, and many sorrows clung to my soul". He sought to commemorate this "grim killing" of a revered literary figure, a "dreadful death, fearsome with her sepulchral torch".

Richard Lane (2020-10-10). [Perspectives] Barbara Stoll: China Medical Board's charismatic new President. thelancet.com "Taking on a new adventure" is how Barbara Stoll views her recent appointment as President of the China Medical Board (CMB), a US-based philanthropic foundation for health development in China and southeast Asia. "I'm incredibly lucky to be given this opportunity, and will try my best to fill the large shoes of outgoing CMB President Lincoln Chen, who has done an extraordinary job over the past 14 years, building partnerships and extending CMB's reach", she says. It was Chen who helped open Stoll's eyes to the wider world of global health, encouraging her to pursue research opportunities in Bangladesh early in he…

Scott M. Alter, Dennis G. Maki, Suzanne LeBlang, Richard D. Shih, Charles H. Hennekens (2020-10-10). [Commentary] The menacing assaults on science, FDA, CDC, and health of the US public. thelancet.com While health authorities sounded early warnings concerning COVID-19 [1], the United States (US) government practised "pandemic politics" and escalated menacing assaults on science, including repeated denials of epidemic principles of mitigation and containment. The first on December 31, 2019 was that the virus would not enter the US. A second on January 20, 2020 following introduction of the first US case from Wuhan, China was that "the virus would not spread." A third on February 26 was that the 15 cases would "go away" when temperatures climbed [2].

Brian Callender, Shirlene Obuobi, M K Czerwiec, Ian Williams (2020-10-10). [Perspectives] COVID-19, comics, and the visual culture of contagion. thelancet.com The COVID-19 pandemic is inescapable. From curtailing our daily social and professional interactions, locking down or physically distancing our communities, and drawing our anxious attention to daily updates of international case and death statistics, the lived experience of the pandemic is at once personal, local, and global. It is also a shared experience that emphasises, through the pandemic's pervasive disruption, the social interactions and behaviours that define our shared world. One cultural response to the disruption and uncertainty during an infectious disease outbreak is the construction of what Priscil…

The Lancet (2020-10-10). [Editorial] Mental health: time to invest in quality. thelancet.com The theme of this year's World Mental Health Day, on Oct 10, is increased investment in mental health. Why invest, and why now? The answer is simple. At the best of times, good mental health is needed for a society to thrive. During a pandemic, good mental health is more important than ever. Without a focus on mental health, any response to COVID-19 will be deficient, reducing individual and societal resilience, and impeding social, economic, and cultural recovery.

Mehr News Agency (2020-10-10). Iran registers 3,875 new COVID-19 infections, 195 deaths. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Oct. 10 (MNA) — The Iranian Health Ministry has confirmed 3,875 COVID-19 infections and 195 deaths due to the disease in the past 24 hours.

sputniknews (2020-10-10). Bill Gates Blasts US COVID-19 Response, Warns Nation Will See 'Lots of Additional Deaths'. sputniknews.com In April, the billionaire tech entrepreneur warned that the US could see a "nightmare scenario" with the coronavirus pandemic, but stressed that following social distancing guidelines would limit the spread of the disease. At that moment, the US general infection tally is over 7.7 million cases, while the death toll has risen above 214,000.

Staff (2020-10-10). Biden-Harris Campaign Releases Plan Addressing Relations With Tribal Nations. truthout.org Former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Kamala Harris released detailed plans to uphold federal trust responsibilities by addressing health disparities, restoring tribal lands and providing economic opportunity for tribal nations Thursday. | The 15-page plan says a Biden administration will build on efforts made by the Obama administration, "which were instrumental in rebuilding trust, good faith and respect for the tribal-federal relationship." | The plan was released prior to a meeting Thu…

Graham Peebles (2020-10-10). Anxiety Mindfulness and the Natural Unity of Life. dissidentvoice.org Depression and anxiety are commonplace in contemporary societies, part of everyday life; celebrities and public figures, British Royalty even, talk openly about their struggles with conditions that were hidden and dismissed just a few years ago. Most of us either suffer from one of these debilitating diseases or know someone who does; for huge numbers …

Staff (2020-10-09). Headlines for October 9, 2020. democracynow.org 13 Charged in Far-Right Terror Plot to Kidnap Michigan Governor & Attack State Capitol, Sickened with COVID-19, Trump Rejects Remote Debate and Plans New Rallies, Trump's Erratic Behavior Sparks Fears over His Physical and Mental Health, House Speaker Pelosi Questions Trump's Fitness as Vice President Pence Returns to D.C., North Dakota Hospitals Fill to Capacity as Coronavirus Cases Surge Nationwide, White House Superspreader Event May Have Exposed Thousands to Coronavirus, Whistleblowing Vaccine Specialist Calls Out Trump's "Reckless and Deadly" Misinformation, Trump Received COVID-19 Drugs Developed Using Huma…

Joshua Cho (2020-10-09). Evidence-free 'lab leak' speculation boosts Trump's Xenophobic approach to Coronavirus. mronline.org Ever since the outbreak of COVID-19 was first detected in Wuhan, China has been the target of relentless hostile and racist media coverage, depicting the country as a uniquely nefarious source of disease (FAIR.org, 3/24/20, 5/7/20).

sputniknews (2020-10-09). 'Data Speaks': Dr Fauci Calls Supreme Court Nomination Event at White House COVID-19 'Superspreader'. sputniknews.com On 2 October, US President Donald Trump announced that just a few days following a White House event where the president revealed his Supreme Court nominee, he and the first lady, Melania Trump, had contracted the coronavirus disease. At least 37 White House staffers and "other contacts" have reportedly tested positive for COVID-19.

ACLU (2020-10-09). Why Are Police the Wrong Response to Mental Health Crises? aclu.org Over the last months on our podcast, At Liberty, we've explored different conversations on the subject of policing: abolition, violence and accountability, protest, and activism. This week, we dug into a topic that has gained more attention in the wake of Daniel Prude's death in March at the hands of the Rochester Police Department: the startling connection between mental health-related 911 calls and police brutality. , , Studies show that nearly 50 percent of victims of police brutality are living with a disability, predominantly a mental health disability. In many ways, 911 has become the only option for peo…

WSWS (2020-10-09). One-day nationwide strike against South African ANC government. wsws.org The mass walkout is part of a broader wave of struggles by workers in recent months that have seen repeated actions by healthcare workers, municipal workers, bus drivers, teachers and workers in meat processing plants, steel works and warehouses.

Prof. Bill Willers (2020-10-09). Evidence that the Face Mask does not Impede Viral Transmission. globalresearch.ca Dr. Redfield: | I made it a point to watch you after seeing Wisconsin's Chief Medical Officer and Epidemiologist, Dr. Ryan Westergaard, "Now the science is in. [Because of] recent studies with large numbers …

Yanis Iqbal (2020-10-09). Colombia Covid Lockdown: Collapse of Healthcare, Social Crisis, Poverty. globalresearch.ca As the confirmed Coronavirus cases in Colombia

Editor (2020-10-09). Shocking Link Found Between Air Pollution and Alzheimer's. scheerpost.com sanpani / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0] Environmental Research has published a new study carried out Lilian Calderón-Garcidueña at the University of Montana and a team of international researchers that sheds light on the possible damage dirty air can have on our brains. The researchers found copious amounts of nanoparticles linked to neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's… |

Timothy Alexander Guzman (2020-10-09). Video: "Contact Tracing", A Certified Contact Tracer Exposes the Truth. globalresearch.ca On July 2nd, 2008, former US President Barack Obama spoke to an enthusiastic crowd in Colorado Springs, Colorado about expanding a "civilian national security force" to meet national security goals in areas from education, healthcare to saving the environment. | He …

Dennis J Bernstein (2020-10-09). Gavin Newsom Just Vetoed a Bill That Would Protect Domestic Workers. progressive.org By spiking the health and safety bill, the California governor has left 300,000 workers in the lurch.

news.un (2020-10-09). China joins global effort to ensure COVID vaccine access for all. news.un.org China is among three additional countries to have signed on to a global initiative that aims to ensure fair and equitable access to a COVID-19 vaccine once developed, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported on Friday.

_____ (2020-10-09). Pandemic Could Push Up To 150 Million Into 'Extreme Poverty' By 2021. popularresistance.org Amid findings that the combined wealth of the planet's billionaires skyrocketed to $10.2 trillion during the coronavirus pandemic, the World Bank warned Wednesday that the public health crisis could cause global extreme poverty to rise for the first time in over two decades and push tens of millions of people into that category by next year. | "Between 88 million and 115 million people could fall back into extreme poverty as a result of the pandemic, with an additional increase of between 23 million and 35 million in 2021, potentially bringing the total number of new people living in extreme poverty to between 11…

_____ (2020-10-09). Insulin Copay Caps Fall Short, Fuel Underground Exchanges. popularresistance.org Denver – D.j. Mattern had her Type 1 diabetes under control until COVID's economic upheaval cost her husband his hotel maintenance job and their health coverage. The 42-year-old Denver woman suddenly faced insulin's exorbitant list price — anywhere from $125 to $450 per vial — just as their household income shrank. | She scrounged extra insulin from friends, and her doctor gave her a couple of samples. But as she rationed her supplies, her blood sugar rose so high her glucose monitor couldn't even register a number. In June, she was hospitalized.

Rosita Zakeri, Rebecca Bendayan, Mark Ashworth, Daniel M. Bean, Hiten Dodhia, Stevo Durbaba, Kevin O'Gallagher, Claire Palmer, Vasa Curcin, Elizabeth Aitken, William Bernal, Richard D. Barker, Sam Norton, Martin Gulliford, James T.H. Teo, James Galloway, Richard J.B. Dobson, Ajay M. Shah (2020-10-09). A case-control and cohort study to determine the relationship between ethnic background and severe COVID-19. thelancet.com Black and Mixed ethnicity are independently associated with greater admission risk with COVID-19 and may be risk factors for development of severe disease, but do not affect in-hospital mortality risk. Comorbidities and socioeconomic factors only partly account for this and additional ethnicity-related factors may play a large role. The impact of COVID-19 may be different in Asians.

Mehr News Agency (2020-10-09). Iran COVID-19 update: 210 deaths, 4,142 cases in 24 hours. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Oct. 09 (MNA) — The Iranian Health Ministry has confirmed 4,142 COVID-19 infections and 210 deaths due to the disease in the past 24 hours.

imperial.ac.uk (2020-10-09). Imperial scientists inspire artists re-imaginings of 'Albertopolis'. imperial.ac.uk The Imperial led Great Exhibition Road Festival, and Kensington & Chelsea Art Week have launched a new exhibition to mark World Mental Health Day…

imperial.ac.uk (2020-10-09). Imperial scientists help artists re-imagine 'Albertopolis'. imperial.ac.uk The Imperial led Great Exhibition Road Festival, and Kensington & Chelsea Art Week have launched a new exhibition to mark World Mental Health Day…

imperial.ac.uk (2020-10-09). Tackling mental health and non-communicable disease to build a healthier society. imperial.ac.uk Imperial researchers are helping policymakers and industry build a healthier society with the support of the UKRI Strategic Priorities Fund.