(2020-03-20). Triggering a Global Financial Crisis: COVID-19 as the Last Straw. counterpunch.org 
Whether a black swan or a scapegoat, Covid-19 is an extraordinary event. Declared by the WHO as a pandemic, Covid-19 has given birth to the concept of the economic "sudden stop." We need extraordinary measures to contain it. Initially referred to as the novel coronavirus 2019, the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) originated late in 2019 in Wuhan,
(2020-03-20). Nature's Revenge: Climate Change and COVID-19. counterpunch.org 
The corona virus pandemic is no accident. Like past global epidemics, it's a warning that nature has had it with the ecocidal proclivities of man. These outrageous actions are changing climate and are warming and threatening planet Earth. Nature (the Earth) is fighting back. Climate change is sowing pandemic diseases. Corona virus in America No
(2020-03-20). Reading Camus' The Plague in a Time of Pandemic. counterpunch.org 
"Each of us has the plague within him, no one, no one on earth is free from it. We must keep endless watch on ourselves lest in a careless moment we breathe in somebody's face and fasten the infection on him." — Albert Camus, The Plague, 1947 Like millions of other "shut-ins" in northern California, where
(2020-03-20). Doctor: As Coronavirus Cases Spike Worldwide, We Need Global Cooperation to Halt Spread. democracynow.org 
As the worldwide death toll from the coronavirus pandemic has topped 10,000, with over 250,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19, we speak with Stanford University's global health expert Dr. Michele Barry, an infectious disease doctor. Italy has surpassed China in coronavirus deaths, and cases are rising in the Middle East, Africa and Latin America, as the governor of California has ordered all 40 million residents to shelter in place.
(2020-03-20). Top Doctor at Moscow's leading disease hospital says current Covid-19 crisis will likely last SIX MONTHS. rt.com 
Coronavirus panic is already threatening a worldwide economic disaster, as millions are forced to live under lockdown. This has left many people wondering how long we can expect these circumstances to endure. | "When I call my parents, I say jokingly: 'see you in September,'" Denis Protsenko has told RT. He's the head doctor of Moscow's main disease hospital in Kommunarka. | Protsenko believes that while the pandemic may slow in summer, it's more like it will be autumn before the siege will be lifted. If the country has a similar experience to China, then the spread will decline in May or June, he believes, bu…
(2020-03-20). Coronavirus clean-up: Sanitation workers face increased risk, job loss. peoplesworld.org 
Wherever there is poor sanitation, disease and illness spread. That's why those who work in the waste management industry are just as much an "essential service" right now as are health care, pharmacy, grocery, and restaurant workers. Dealing with all the trash society produces is a dirty and dangerous job even in normal times; during …
(2020-03-20). –°hina reports record number of imported Covid-19 cases from US & Europe as global death toll exceeds 10,000. rt.com 
China may have managed to contain the coronavirus at home, but it's not over the hump yet. There's danger of a return of the deadly disease as the number of infected travelers entering the country reaches record levels. | The Chinese authorities have done huge work since the Covid-19 pandemic broke out in Wuhan in late December. The blow was hard as 3,248 have died and 80,967 were infected, but for the last two days there was not a single domestically transmitted coronavirus case in the country. | But as the situation improved, many Chinese expatriates, including students, rushed back home to escape the corona…
(2020-03-20). Finland scoffs at WHO's coronavirus testing protocol, suggests organization doesn't understand how pandemics work. rt.com 
A senior Finnish health official has dismissed a World Health Organization (WHO) advisory to test as many people as possible for coronavirus, arguing that such a measure would be completely illogical when combating a pandemic. | Finland's head of health security, Mika Salminen, took aim at the notion that stopping the spread of Covid-19 requires testing on a mass-scale. | "We don't understand the WHO's instructions for testing. We can't fully remove the disease from the world anymore," she said, adding: "If someone claims that, they don't understand pandemics." | Citing limited supplies, Finland has narrowed c…
(2020-03-20). Russia testing MULTIPLE prototype Covid-19 vaccines. rt.com 
Russia's research center of virology and biotechnology, known as the Vector Institute, is testing multiple different vaccine prototypes against Covid-19 in a race to find a cure for the virus behind a global pandemic. | This week, it "began immunogenicity studies in sensitive laboratory animals… of all developed vaccine prototypes," The composition, dose, route of administration of the future vaccine will be determi…
(2020-03-20). The Kushner Family Could Be Getting Very Rich Thanks to the Coronavirus. mintpressnews.com 
The Kushner family's ties to for-profit healthcare companies underscore the myriad of conflicts of interests that billionaire businessmen have, making them particularly unsuited to holding public office.
(2020-03-20). 'F***ing petrifying': London hospital declares 'critical incident' as Covid-19 crisis cranks up pressure on UK healthcare system. rt.com 
A hospital in north west London has declared a "critical incident" as it counts those requiring a high level of care, revealing that it doesn't have enough space to treat such people, due to an escalation in coronavirus patients. | In a message sent to its workers on Thursday, Northwick Park Hospital in Harrow said that it has no critical care capacity left,
(2020-03-20). Germany's leading health official says decision on curfew is 'up to authorities'. rt.com 
The health official leading Germany's fight against coronavirus urged people on Friday to keep their distance to curb the pandemic. | However, Lothar Wieler, president of the Robert Koch Institute, also said it was up to the authorities to decide whether to impose a curfew to force people to follow official guidelines. | "We recommend keeping maximal distance. It is up to the authorities to decide on the measures needed to achieve that," Wieler told reporters. | He spoke after the number of German cases of Covid-19 rose by 2,958 overnight to 13,957. The number of fatalities rose by 11 to 31, according to Reute…
(2020-03-20). Fighting COVID-19 in Cuba, China, and the United States. peoplesworld.org 
Governments, according to Thomas Jefferson, are supposed to guarantee people's rights to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." COVID-19 has put people's lives and health in the spotlight now. What kinds of tools do governments have at their disposal to protect lives and health? Cuba has the advantages of forward-looking leadership, well-orchestrated state planning, …
(2020-03-20). 'You are NOT invincible': WHO chiefs give desperate warning to world's youth about Covid-19. rt.com 
Though coronavirus has disproportionately affected the elderly and infirm, the chief of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has issued a stark warning to younger generations: "You are not invincible." | "Data from many countries clearly show that people under 50 make up a significant proportion of patients requiring hospitalization," the agency's director-general said at a press briefing on Friday. | He then urged young people directly to take the threat of Covid-19 seriously: "This coronavirus could put you in hospital for weeks, or even kill you." | Tedros added that even if younge…
(2020-03-20). You can wash your hands 'all day' but Covid-19 still can get you with ONE cough, medical expert tells Larry King. rt.com 
The belief that furious hand-washing fends off coronavirus doesn't seem to have any factual basis, doctor and award-winning journalist Bob Arnot told Larry King, noting that self-isolation is the best strategy to stay healthy. | Appearing on RT America's Politicking, Doctor Bob Arnot, former chief medical correspondent for NBC and CBS news, said that the current emphasis on washing hands was perpetuating a myth that has yet to be substantiated by evidence. | You can wash your hands all day long, but you're still going to get [coronavirus] if someone next to you coughs… No one has proven it yet that people ar…
(2020-03-20). Farnborough Airshow CANCELED due to 'unprecedented' Covid-19 pandemic. rt.com 
The world famous Farnborough International Airshow in England — which gives a platform to the aerospace and military industries — has been forced to cancel this summer's event due to the coronavirus crisis. | Confirming the scrapping of the event via social media on Friday afternoon, organizers said that they understood the news would come as a blow to the international aerospace industry, but the health and safety of attendees came first. It was scheduled for July 20, but will now be pushed back to 2022. | After very careful consideration, the unprecedented impact of the global Coronavirus pandemi…
(2020-03-20). California governor issues mandatory STAY AT HOME order, projects 56% of population infected with coronavirus in 8 weeks. rt.com 
California Governor Gavin Newsom has issued a mandatory "stay at home" order to all residents, shuttering all businesses beyond "critical sectors" while suggesting the state's hospitals could soon hit their breaking point. | "Everyone is required to stay home except to get food, care for a relative or friend, get necessary health care, or go to an essential job," read a
(2020-03-20). WHO welcomes 'hope' as Wuhan reports no new coronavirus cases — But deaths in Europe hit horrifying new record. rt.com 
The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) has said that the reduction of Covid-19 cases in the Chinese city of Wuhan "provides hope for the rest of the world." The comments come as the virus takes a terrible toll in Europe.
(2020-03-20). Erdogan orders all events in Turkey postponed until end-April. rt.com 
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan issued a decree on Friday postponing all events related to science, culture and the arts, as the country seeks to contain a surge in coronavirus cases. | Turkey's Covid-19 death toll has reached four, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Thursday. The number of confirmed cases in the country has surged since the first case was announced last week, reaching 359 on Thursday. The cases have roughly doubled every day since Sunday, Reuters reports. | Erdogan's decree, published in the Official Gazette on Friday, said all meetings and activities, indoors or outdoors, related…
(2020-03-20). Fighting COVID 19 in Cuba, China and the United States. counterpunch.org 
Governments, according to Thomas Jefferson, are supposed to guarantee people's rights to "life liberty and the pursuit of happiness." COVID 19 has out people's lives and health in the spotlight now. What kind of tools do governments have at their disposal to protect lives and health? Cuba has the advantages of forward-looking leadership, well-orchestrated state
(2020-03-20). Silent streets: The homeless, the financially desperate, and essential services carry on. peoplesworld.org 
This is the second installment of a two-part series featuring interviews with the workers in the service, health, and other sectors who are still going to their jobs each day during the coronavirus crisis—the ones keeping our society functioning. Part 1 can be read here. ST. LOUIS—They speak with their eyes. Who are they? The …
(2020-03-20). Immigrants in US detention facilities plead for help as coronavirus pandemic spreads. wsws.org The lack of medical care and the extremely close quarters in America's detention camps create excellent conditions for the coronavirus to spread rapidly if even a single person catches the disease.
(2020-03-20). Immigrants in US detention facilities plea for help as coronavirus pandemic spreads. wsws.org The lack of medical care and the extremely close quarters in America's detention camps create excellent conditions for the coronavirus to spread rapidly if even a single person catches the disease.
(2020-03-20). Spinning Fear and Panic Across America. Analysis of COVID-19 Data. globalresearch.ca The US media is relentlessly spinning fear, panic and despair, with the endorsement of "authoritative" American scientists. "The new coronavirus could kill millions across the United States", according to Dr. Kathleen Neuzil a specialist in vaccines at the University of …
(2020-03-20). [Editorial] Peace and health in Afghanistan. thelancet.com After years of war and political instability, Afghanistan is at a potentially historic crossroads. On Feb 29, 2020, a peace deal was agreed between the Taliban and the USA. The anticipated resumption of talks between the Afghan Government and the Taliban could signal a new phase, but what this means for the Afghan people is unclear. Weak health systems and disrupted access to health care have left many in poor health for decades, but since the fall of the Taliban some extraordinary gains in health have occurred.
(2020-03-20). Efficacy and safety of methotrexate in the management of inflammatory bowel disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized, controlled trials. thelancet.com Current data support the efficacy of parenteral MTX monotherapy for maintenance of clinical remission in CD. MTX is not confirmed to be effective for treatment of UC or for induction of remission in CD. No evidence supports concomitant MTX to improve efficacy of IFX (no other biologics investigated).
(2020-03-20). [Research Paper] A phase 1b randomized study of the safety and immunological responses to vaccination with H4:IC31, H56:IC31, and BCG revaccination in Mycobacterium tuberculosis-uninfected adolescents in Cape Town, South Africa. thelancet.com BCG revaccination administered as a single dose ID and both H4: IC31 and H56: IC31 administered as 2 doses IM had acceptable safety profiles in healthy, QFT-negative, previously BCG-vaccinated adolescents. Characterization of the assays and the immunogenicity of these vaccines may help to identify valuable markers of protection for upcoming immune correlates analyses of C-040-404 and future TB vaccine efficacy trials.
(2020-03-20). "A Storm is Coming" — Doctors Warn of COVID-19 Wave Racking US Prisons. mintpressnews.com Doctors are warning that the huge numbers of inmates locked inside large communal cells, often with dozens of other people, a perfect breeding ground for disease.
(2020-03-20). Coronavirus, Vaccines and the Gates Foundation. globalresearch.ca Arguably, no one has been more active in promoting and funding research on vaccines aimed at dealing with coronavirus than Bill Gates and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. From sponsoring a simulation of a coronavirus global pandemic, just weeks …
(2020-03-20). Supreme Court Could Soon Make Government Regulation. zcomm.org Without the power to regulate health, safety, finance and other critical areas, we'll be living in a much sicker, more dangerous and more economically unstable world…
(2020-03-20). Living at the End of the World. counterpunch.org The coronavirus spreads like a kind of modern plague across the global landscape. The view from my study window is of the gently rolling hills of the Berkshires in the foothills of the Appalachians. Today, they are lightly dusted with snow that will vanish in the warmer air by mid afternoon. Here, looking toward my
(2020-03-20). [Correspondence] Potential association between COVID-19 mortality and health-care resource availability. thelancet.com The ongoing epidemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is devastating, despite extensive implementation of control measures. The outbreak was sparked in Wuhan, the capital city of Hubei province in China, and quickly spread to different regions of Hubei and across all other Chinese provinces.
(2020-03-20). [Comment] Deciphering the power of isolation in controlling COVID-19 outbreaks. thelancet.com Isolation of cases and contacts has long been a strategy in the fight against infectious diseases; however, its effectiveness has varied. The modelling study by Joel Hellewell and colleagues1 qualitatively explored the parameters that determine whether isolation of cases and contacts can successfully contain COVID-19 outbreaks after importation of travel-related cases and initial transmissions.
(2020-03-20). [Comment] Maximising the potential of HPV vaccines. thelancet.com In The Lancet Global Health, Kaja M Abbas and colleagues1 present revised estimates of the worldwide impact of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination on prevention of cervical cancer, using the Papillomavirus Rapid Interface for Modelling and Economics (PRIME) model. Their updated analysis uses population demography data from the UN World Population Prospects 2019 revision, disability weights from the Global Burden of Disease 2017 study, and cervical cancer burden from the Global Cancer Incidence, Mortality and Prevalence 2018 database.
(2020-03-20). Italian army drafted to transport corpses as coronavirus deaths surge in Europe. wsws.org Health systems in Italy, the European epicenter of the disease, are so overwhelmed that they cannot process the corpses of the dead, let alone tend to the sick.
(2020-03-20). [Correspondence] Democracy and implementation of non-communicable disease policies. thelancet.com In their Article in The Lancet Global Health, Luke Allen and colleagues1 found weak evidence for a positive association between democracy and the implementation of polices recommended by WHO to reduce the burden of premature non-communicable disease mortality.1 As Allen and colleagues note, that finding is in contrast with our research on the positive association between democracy and population health outcomes on non-communicable diseases.2 Accordingly, here we build on the important analysis of Allen and colleagues by closely examining the association between democracy and implementation of non-communicable dis…
(2020-03-20). [News] NELSON trial: reduced lung-cancer mortality with volume CT screening. thelancet.com Globally, lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death, accounting for an estimated 2 ∑09 million cases yearly, which results in 1 ∑76 million deaths. The high mortality rate is due to many patients not being diagnosed until they have advanced-stage disease, at which point treatment options are limited and prognosis is poor. Therefore, early detection and intervention is crucial for better outcome and survival.
(2020-03-20). [Comment] How will country-based mitigation measures influence the course of the COVID-19 epidemic? thelancet.com Governments will not be able to minimise both deaths from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and the economic impact of viral spread. Keeping mortality as low as possible will be the highest priority for individuals; hence governments must put in place measures to ameliorate the inevitable economic downturn. In our view, COVID-19 has developed into a pandemic, with small chains of transmission in many countries and large chains resulting in extensive spread in a few countries, such as Italy, Iran, South Korea, and Japan.
(2020-03-20). [Correspondence] Treating Ebola in eastern DRC. thelancet.com Since the onset of the west Africa Ebola virus outbreak, there has been remarkable progress in efforts to provide patients with improved supportive care and access to experimental treatments. It is reasonable to explore the potential therapeutic value of both pathogen-directed antiviral therapies and host-directed therapies (eg, monoclonal antibody combinations). Given unacceptably high mortality rates among patients with Ebola virus disease, treatments shown to be safe and efficacious in clinical trials would be welcomed by clinicians and affected communities.
(2020-03-20). [Correspondence] Therapeutic and triage strategies for 2019 novel coronavirus disease in fever clinics. thelancet.com In December, 2019, numerous unexplained pneumonia cases occurred in Wuhan, China. This outbreak was confirmed to be caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), belonging to the same family of viruses responsible for severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS).1 The SARS epidemic in 2003 was controlled through numerous measures in China. One effective strategy was the establishment of fever clinics for triaging patients. Based on our first-hand experience in dealing with the present outbreak in Wuhan, we have established the following clinical s…
(2020-03-20). [Perspectives] COVID-19: the medium is the message. thelancet.com In a world of polarising distrust and trade tensions, the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), both within nations and internationally, is aided and abetted by misinformation that circumnavigates the planet in microseconds. Such misinformation is not all malevolent, although its impact can be devastating. The only bastion of defence against rising public panic, financial market hysteria, and unintended misunderstandings of the science and epidemiology of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is agile, accurate, worldwide-available counter-information that takes the high moral grou…
(2020-03-20). [Correspondence] Comorbidities and multi-organ injuries in the treatment of COVID-19. thelancet.com "We now have a name for the disease caused by coronavirus and it's COVID-19", said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of WHO on Feb 11, 2020.1 WHO recently updated the name novel coronavirus pneumonia, previously named by Chinese scientists,2 to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
(2020-03-20). [Correspondence] Full spectrum of COVID-19 severity still being depicted. thelancet.com Chaolin Huang and colleagues1 first reported the clinical features of patients infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2; previously known as 2019-nCoV), which emerged in Wuhan, China. Their study will contribute to the diagnosis and treatment of 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Meanwhile, the conclusions have caused a certain degree of social panic.
(2020-03-20). [News] The first global forum on childhood pneumonia. thelancet.com Worldwide, 800‚Äà000 children die from pneumonia annually—more than from any other infectious disease that affects children younger than 5 years. Children in lower to middle income countries (LMICs), which carry the highest mortality burden, are most at risk. Established risk factors for childhood pneumonia include outdoor air pollution, household air pollution from cooking fuels, malnutrition, and lack of vaccination.
(2020-03-20). [Comment] Measuring mortality from non-communicable diseases: broadening the band. thelancet.com Despite inexplicable exclusion from the Millennium Development Goals of 2000, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) were recognised as a major global public health threat by the UN in 2011 and found a place in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of 2015. Periodically updated estimates of NCD-related death and disability, from the Global Burden of Disease Study, and associated economic losses, make a compelling case for a determined response.1—3…
(2020-03-20). [Correspondence] Full spectrum of COVID-19 severity still being depicted — Authors' reply. thelancet.com Zhou Xu and colleagues point out that mortality, which should be referred correctly and more clearly as case fatality ratio, among the first 41 cases with laboratory-confirmed 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19; previously known as 2019-nCoV) was misleading in our Article.1…
(2020-03-20). Cuba Sends 53 Doctors and Nurses to Fight Covid-19 in Italy. telesurenglish.net Cuban health authorities announced on Thursday that the country will send 53 health professionals to Lombardy, Italy, to help contain the new coronavirus pandemic. | RELATED: | The 53 doctors and nurses have experience in caring for these types of diseases. In 2014, they traveled to Sierra Leone in West Africa to fight the Ebola virus. | According to Cuban authorities, the arrival in Lombardy will take place…
(2020-03-20). [Editorial] Challenges of coronavirus disease 2019. thelancet.com Yet again, the world is experiencing a global viral epidemic of zoonotic origin. As of Feb 12, 45‚Äà204 confirmed cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and 1116 deaths had been reported in 25 countries. The majority of cases and, at the time of writing, all but one death have been in China, despite efforts in the country to halt transmission through shutting down transport, quarantining entire cities, and enforcing the use of face masks. International flights have been cancelled and affected cruise ships quarantined.
(2020-03-20). [Editorial] Ebola in DR Congo: getting the job done. thelancet.com With the world's focus on the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak, a good news story receiving far less attention is that of Semida Masika, the last person in DR Congo confirmed to have Ebola virus infection and discharged from care after her recovery on March 4. This important milestone is a remarkable achievement given the insecurity in DR Congo, which led to serious attacks on health-care facilities, workers, and patients, and a continual disabling of the outbreak response.
(2020-03-20). [Correspondence] Protecting health-care workers from subclinical coronavirus infection. thelancet.com Health-care workers face an elevated risk of exposure to infectious diseases, including the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in China. It is imperative to ensure the safety of health-care workers not only to safeguard continuous patient care but also to ensure they do not transmit the virus. COVID-19 can spread via cough or respiratory droplets, contact with bodily fluids, or from contaminated surfaces.1 According to recent guidelines from the China National Health Commission, pneumonia caused by COVID-19 was included as a Group B infectious disease, which is in the same category as other infectious viruses such as s…