(2020-04-02). More than 500,000 confirmed coronavirus cases in Europe: AFP tally. rt.com 
There are now more than 500,000 confirmed cases of the Covid-19 virus across Europe, according to the latest tally by the AFP news agency. | The new count comes as the death toll from the virus has topped 10,000 in Spain, with confirmed cases there surging to over 110,000. French health officials confirmed 509 deaths from the virus yesterday, taking the country's death toll to more than 4,000. | The UK also saw its biggest daily rise in coronavirus deaths this week, with 563 new fatalities reported on Wednesday. Confirmed cases of the infection have been soaring in the UK, with almost 30,000 testing positive f…
(2020-04-02). Some Covid-19 patients could have treatment withdrawn to save others. thecanary.co 
Coronavirus patients could have their treatment withdrawn and offered to others who are more likely to survive, new guidance for doctors has warned.The British Medical Association's (BMA) latest ethics advice said health professionals could be forced to make "grave decisions" should hospitals become overwhelmed with patients.The document warns that decisions around rationing scarce resources, such as ventilators, could determine whether large numbers of patients will receive life-saving treatment or not.It comes as the UK experienced its biggest day-on-day rise in deaths so far, with the government now facing inc…
(2020-04-02). Covid-19 deaths in Belgium top 1,000 as worldwide cases approach one million. rt.com 
Belgium's death toll from the Covid-19 virus has topped 1,000, officials have confirmed, with 183 new deaths in the last 24 hours. | As of April 2, Belgium, which has a population of 11.4 million, has recorded more than 15,300 cases of the coronavirus infection. | Health officials in the country said earlier this week that a 12-year-old girl infected with Covid-19 had died of the illness, noting that such a young fatality is a "very rare occurrence." | Belgium is one of many countries in Europe on an almost total lockdown to battle the coronavirus crisis. Belgians are only allowed to leave their homes to buy e…
(2020-04-02). Netanyahu, just out of isolation, goes back in after health minister tests positive for Covid-19. rt.com 
On Wednesday evening, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ended his self-isolation period, but now he has to go back into quarantine after another senior official tested positive for Covid-19. | Netanyahu is one of several top government officials who will be quarantined following the positive test of Health Minister Yaakov Litzman. Others include Yossi Cohen, the head of the Israeli spy agency Mossad, National Security Adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat, and several leadership-level figures in the Health Ministry who all recently came into contact with Litzman. | The 71-year-old health minister and his wife Chava…
(2020-04-02). Greece quarantines first migrant camp after 20 asylum seekers test positive for coronavirus. rt.com 
Athens has quarantined a migrant camp after 20 asylum seekers tested positive for coronavirus, the first such facility in Greece to be hit since the outbreak of the disease. Any movement in or out of the Ritsona camp, which is 75km (45 miles) northeast of Athens and hosts hundreds of people, will be restricted for 14 days. | Tests on 63 people were conducted after a 19-year-old female migrant who gave birth in an Athens hospital was found to be infected. This was the first recorded case among thousands of asylum seekers living in overcrowded camps across Greece. | None of the confirmed cases showed any symptom…
(2020-04-02). Sad Covid-19 record for Russia: 771 new cases registered across the country. rt.com 
The number of confirmed Covid-19 cases has grown by 771 in Russia on Thursday, marking the biggest single-day increase in patients since the start of the outbreak. | Over the past 24 hours, 771 more people have tested positive for Covid-19 in Russia, bringing the total number of cases reported nationwide to 3,548, the country's disease response officials say. | Six more patients have died, bringing the total death toll from Covid-19 to 30. | The majority of the new cases — 595 — have been reported in Moscow, while 43 were recorded in the region around the capital, and 22 in Russia's second-largest ci…
(2020-04-02). Spain reports 110,238 coronavirus cases, almost reaches Italy's numbers. rt.com 
A total of 950 Covid-19 patients have died in Spain in the last 24 hours, bringing the nationwide death toll from the coronavirus to over 10,000 people. | With 10,003 deaths from Covid-19 as of Thursday, Spain has become the second European nation, after Italy, where the disease has killed more than 10,000 patients. | The number of confirmed cases across the country has grown by 8,102, bringing the total to 110,238. Nearly 27,000 people have recovered since the start of the outbreak. | Spain, where the disease has been raging since February, remains Europe's second hardest-hit country, with the daily death rat…
(2020-04-02). The economy in the times of the coronavirus. indybay.org Most people's thinking is determined by the development of the Covid-19 crisis, the return of "the hour of executive power" (Gerhard A. Ritter), i.e. state of exception legislation, and the fears which it evokes as well as the economic measures which appear to be in response to the health crisis.
(2020-04-02). COVID-19 infections hit Australian health workers. wsws.org Medical professionals across the country have made ongoing complaints that they lack sufficient quantities of personal protective equipment (PPE), including masks.
(2020-04-02). SF Hunters Point Shipyard,The Workers, The Science, The Health Issues & The Cover-up. indybay.org Dr. Ahimsa Sumchai discusses continuing health epidemic of disease as a result of the contamination by the former Hunters Point naval shipyard. She also discusses the systemic cover-up by the Navy, CCSF and. UCSF of workers becoming contaminated. UCSF workers are members of AFSCME 3299 and CWA UPTE.
(2020-04-02). Facebook Removes Bolsonaro Videos for 'Misinformation'. telesurenglish.net Facebook followed in the footsteps of Twitter Monday by removing video posts in which Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro challenged the isolation measures defended by the health authorities to combat the coronavirus pandemic. | RELATED: | In a statement, Facebook reported that it decided to delete…
(2020-04-02). The Coronavirus Rained on Trump's Easter Charade. counterpunch.org In the face of the coronavirus pandemic, President Trump was hell-bent on loosening social restraints so that churches could be "packed" on Easter (April 12). Never mind that health care experts warned that such a premature move would worsen the spread of the virus, overwhelm hospitals with patients, lead to countless deaths and result in
(2020-04-02). Cuomo presses forward with Medicaid cuts as New York City health care system overwhelmed by pandemic. wsws.org Even though New York City's hospitals and medical workers are overwhelmed by the pandemic, Governor Andrew Cuomo is pushing forward with planned cuts to Medicaid.
(2020-04-02). Nightingale field hospital completed in London to cope with mass coronavirus deaths. wsws.org While clearly the new hospital is a much-needed facility, given the criminal starving of resources in Britain's health care system, for many who are taken there it will be little more than a waiting room for the dying.
(2020-04-02). Sri Lankan medical experts demand mass coronavirus testing. wsws.org The dangerous conditions facing millions of Sri Lankan workers, farmers and the poor are the result of decades of government cuts to the health system and other vital services.
(2020-04-02). IMF Gold Reserves Can Provide Coronavirus Relief Says Development Group. indybay.org As the International Monetary Fund, G20 and world leaders consider urgent actions to confront the economic impacts of the coronavirus, a development group says IMF money is available to prevent crisis and support healthcare.
(2020-04-02). Appeal for Humanitarian Diplomacy in the Korean Peninsula. counterpunch.org External threats such as pandemics remind all of us the need for global solidarity. The more we cooperate, coordinate, and share information and resources the safer we all are. In times of international health emergencies, adversaries should put down their sabers and be willing to find ways to work together. As we put aside hostilities
(2020-04-02). Dominican Hospital's (mis)treatment of (disabled) homeless people. indybay.org As an advocate for (disabled) homeless people who blogs about this advocacy (thus I'm an independent journalist), I've come across numerous incidents of discrimination by Dignity Health's Dominican Hospital against (disabled) homeless people. I obtained a media statement about how Dignity Health's Dominican Hospital will (equally) serve homeless COVID-19 victims. Please report non-compliance to me.
(2020-04-02). Prisons are a COVID-19 Petri Dish. counterpunch.org Now is the time to empty the prisons. With over two million people incarcerated, the vast majority for nonviolent crimes, prisoners are packed like sardines, their overcrowding perfect for mass infection and spread of the Covid-19 pestilence. Nonviolent drug offenders, people who couldn't make bail, people within six months of release, the elderly and infirm — all should be freed before they catch the disease, spread it and die.
(2020-04-02). Statistical lies used to justify continued inaction, paint the US epidemic as nearly over. wsws.org The US ruling class turns to bad statistics to justify its continued inaction and paint a picture that the worst is just ahead.
(2020-04-02). Without work and regular paycheck millions of Americans at risk of eviction as rent comes due. wsws.org In New York City, the epicenter of the coronavirus epidemic, up to 40 percent of tenants are expected forgo rent payments this month.
(2020-04-02). COVID-19 infections surge in several Arab countries. yenisafak.com Health authorities in Morocco, Oman, Palestine and Lebanon confirmed new cases and deaths from the novel coronavirus on Thursday. The Moroccan Health Ministry said 22 coronavirus infections were confirmed, bringing the country's total infections to 676 in addition to 39 deaths. | In Oman, health authorities said 21 new cases were added to the country's COVID-19 infections, raising the total to 231. | On Wednesday, Oman's first fatality from coronavirus was reported. | In Lebanon, total infections jumped to 494, along with 16 fatalities related to the virus. | In Palestine, the Health Ministry said 21 coronavirus…
(2020-04-02). How COVID-19 turned into major health crisis in Iran. yenisafak.com On Feb. 21, two days after the first two cases of the cataclysmic COVID-19 were reported in Iran's Qom city, I got a call from a friend in that city.He was planning his maiden trip to India during the New Year holiday and asked for my advices to finalize his itinerary."How is the situation in Qom, I heard about some virus outbreak there," I asked him. He appeared dismissive, saying it was a "common influenza" and there was no reason to press the panic button.Qom, a popular religious tourism destination some 100 miles south of the capital Tehran, is where the virus emerged in Iran on Feb. 19.The city reported the…
(2020-04-02). From chatbots to online markets, Africans craft weapons against coronavirus. yenisafak.com From a WhatsApp chatbot to a self-diagnosis tool, Africans are devising mobile tech solutions to contain the spread of the coronavirus amid fears it could have disastrous effects for the continent's most vulnerable.Africa has not been as badly hit by coronavirus as other continents so far – with roughly 6,000 people infected, according to a Reuters tally, compared to about 500,000 in Europe.But experts fear the respiratory disease could have a catastrophic impact on a continent with shaky healthcare systems and where soap and clean water for hand washing are out of reach for many.Governments, charities and entrep…
(2020-04-02). Turkish experts urge communication against virus stress. yenisafak.com As mental health becomes more important than ever as social isolation measures are put in place to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus, Turkish psychologists emphasized the need for healthy communication to protect children from the psychological effects of the ongoing global pandemic.In a statement, experts at the Ibn Haldun University (IHU) in Istanbul said the new measures significantly changed the normal flow of life and instilled feelings of fear, anxiety and desperation. Asserting that children were at risk of being the most affected by the course of these precautions, they made some recommendations to…
(2020-04-02). INFOGRAPHIC: COVID-19 claims life of prominent Turkish doctor Cemil Ta≈ücƒ±oƒülu. yenisafak.com Cemil Ta≈ücƒ±oƒülu, a Turkish doctor with decades of experience who died on Wednesday after contracting the novel coronavirus from a patient, was the first-ever doctor in the country to succumb to the virus.Ta≈ücƒ±oƒülu was a professor of internal medicine at Istanbul University.He is also the doctor who diagnosed the first patient with the disease, officially known as COVID-19. After being infected, he was admitted to Istanbul University's Medical School on March 16 with symptoms of fever, cough, and respiratory distress.Born in Turkey's Black Sea…
(2020-04-02). COVID-19: Thailand blocks all international arrivals. yenisafak.com Thailand on Thursday banned all international arrivals until April 15 to stem the spread of the coronavirus in the country. According to daily Bangkok Post, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said the government needs time to "properly prepare" state quarantine facilities.He said arrivals from outside, including Thais, have to be slowed down "to stop the disease", the report quoted a government spokesman as saying."Related agencies will in the meantime prepare the places and coordinate with Thai embassies to ensure all Thais returning home will be quarantined and get proper medical checks," the premier said.The new…
(2020-04-02). Coronavirus: Global tally of recoveries surpass 200,000. yenisafak.com The global tally of people who recovered from deadly coronavirus exceeded 200,000 on Wednesday, quadrupling of the death toll.According to the running data of U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University, a total of 202,342 recoveries recorded across the globe, while over 48,200 people have died from the epidemic and cases surged to nearly 952,000.The highest number of recoveries are registered in China, the ground zero of the virus, with 76,571. Spain, one of the most affected countries from COVID-19, and Germany followed China with 26,743 and 19,175 recoveries, respectively.In recent days, according to the Johns Hopkin…
(2020-04-02). FBI Firearm Background Checks Surge as Americans Stock up on Ammunition. sputniknews.com Many gun retailing companies in the US reported a significant increase in ammunition sales last month amid the worsening of the coronavirus health emergency. These numbers have been echoed by a subsequent rise in gun background checks by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), which hit an all time high in March.
(2020-04-02). Chinese Trial Vaccine May be Tested Abroad. sputniknews.com China's first candidate vaccine for the novel coronavirus may be put into additional trials in other countries seriously hit by the pandemic if the ongoing initial trial proves it is safe and effective, the top researcher for the vaccine said.
(2020-04-02). Worldwide COVID-19 Civic Freedom Tracker Goes Live. sputniknews.com There has been growing concern over what civil liberties groups and segments of the public see as overreach by governments during their efforts to tackle the coronavirus disease 2019 as it continues to spread around the world.
(2020-04-01). With Hospitals Reaching Breaking Point, Pregnant People Face Additional Uncertainty During Pandemic. democracynow.org 
New York hospitals cannot force pregnant people to give birth without a chosen support person. That's what an executive order released by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo Sunday revealed. The order comes in response to a move by the NewYork-Presbyterian and the Mount Sinai hospital systems to bar partners from labor and delivery rooms, causing widespread outrage. But how are pregnant people coping with new hospital guidelines and uncertain conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic? We speak with freelance journalist Amy Littlefield, who focuses on the intersection of religion and healthcare, about what she is confron…
(2020-04-01). Never mind the pandemic, when are you dropping out? Bernie Sanders gets a raw deal on 'The View'. rt.com 
Democrat presidential contender Bernie Sanders got quite a hostile reception on ABC's 'The View', with the hosts more interested in pressuring him to drop out than in his proposal to deal with Covid-19 by nationalizing healthcare. | Democrat presidential contender Bernie Sanders got quite a hostile reception on ABC's 'The View', with the hosts more interested in pressuring him to drop out than in his proposal to deal with Covid-19 by nationalizing healthcare. | Sanders should have realized the fix he was in when ABC aired the promo announcing his upcoming live appearance, literally accusing him of "politicizin…
(2020-04-01). A century ago, sports rises from ravages of war and disease. peoplesworld.org 
The world in 1919 was hardly a place for fun and games. A war like no other had ravaged Europe, killing untold millions and leaving the continent devastated. The Spanish flu pandemic was waning but still wreaking its horrors, with some 50 million people dead worldwide, including 675,000 in the United States. But hundreds of …
(2020-04-01). Cuba, Venezuela, Iran: U.S. imperialism wants to let them die. peoplesworld.org 
Carlos Fernández de Cossío, head of the U.S. desk at Cuba's Foreign Ministry, recently accused the U.S. government of "terrible moral decadence." He was reacting to U.S. threats against nations confronting the COVID-19 pandemic and assisted by Cuba. He was also criticizing poor pre-epidemic preparations in the United States. His critique strayed from Cuba's usual …
(2020-04-01). If at first you don't succeed…Impeachment frontman Schiff mulls 9/11-like 'nonpartisan commission' on coronavirus. rt.com 
House Democrat Adam Schiff has called for a 'nonpartisan' probe modeled after the 9/11 Commission to find out what went wrong with the US response to Covid-19, an inquiry that will no doubt lead to President Donald Trump. | Schiff, who chairs the House intelligence committee, told the Washington Post about his plans in an interview, pledging to introduce a bill that would enact a nonpartisan commission to study "our mistakes" in dealing with the epidemic. The commission's work, he said, would have to wait until after the crisis, but he assured the outlet his committee was already reviewing "intelligence materi…
(2020-04-01). SPLC, partners seek temporary restraining order to prevent immigration courts from becoming public health hazard. splcenter.org …
(2020-04-01). Nigeria: UN and partners acting to avert coronavirus spread in displacement camps. news.un.org The UN system in Nigeria and its partners are working to reduce the spread of the new coronavirus disease in some of the most vulnerable areas in the country: communities and camps housing millions of internally displaced people (IDPs) uprooted by the Boko Haram insurgency in the northeast.
(2020-04-01). "Chinese Virus" Rhetoric Shows Ineptness of U.S. Politicians. dissidentvoice.org The Western mass media is extremely busy frightening its own citizens and the entire world with statements like: A leaked government document has suggested up to 500,000 people could die from coronavirus if the disease is able to infect up to 80 per cent of the country. That's what The Independent wrote on 26 February …
(2020-04-01). The Added Importance of the Census, in Light of COVID-19. aclu.org Last year around this time, my biggest worry was how the inclusion of the Trump administration's proposed citizenship question would depress participation in the decennial census. Thankfully, our Supreme Court victory means there is no citizenship question on the census. Now, I have a new worry: a global pandemic and the health of my loved ones. As it turns out, the 2020 Census plays a role here too, as it will have enormous implications on our health care for decades to come. | Specifically, the census will determine the allocation of $300 billion dollars of federal aid for the states' health care — mo…
(2020-04-01). Former WHO Director: 8-Week Suppression Strategy Could Stop US COVID Crisis in Its Tracks. counterpunch.org "We know we can get this under control," says Dr Anthony Costello, a former Director at the World Health Organization (WHO) where he headed up maternal, child and adolescent health. "The problem is that Europe has been too slow to act compared with Asia; and America is now facing a huge crisis." Costello, who is
(2020-04-01). Brazil Confirms First COVID-19 Case in Isolated Tribe. telesurenglish.net An indigenous woman in a village deep in the Amazon rainforest has contracted the novel coronavirus, the first case reported among Brazil's more than 300 tribes, the Health Ministry's Indigenous health service (SESAI) said Wednesday. | RELATED: | The 20-year-old woman from the Kokama tribe tested positive for the virus in the district of Santo Antonio do Iàßá, near the border with Colombia some 880 km (550 mi…
(2020-04-01). WHO concerned over rapid escalation in COVID-19 spread as caseload approaches one million. news.un.org Deaths from COVID-19 have more than doubled in the past week and will soon reach 50,000 worldwide, while the global caseload is heading towards one million, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) told journalists on Wednesday.
(2020-04-01). COVID-19: Bolivia Exceeds the Global Average Mortality Rate. telesurenglish.net The coup-born government's Health Minister Anibal Cruz indicated that Bolivia registered 115 COVID-19 confirmed cases and seven deaths until March 31. | RELATED: | So far, the Santa Cruz department has 64 infected people, 8 of whom were detected in the last 24 hours. | Cruz also mentioned that cases have been reported in La Paz (16), Potosi (4), Cochabamba (20), Oruro (8), Chuquisaca (1), Pando (1) and Tarija. | "Takin…
(2020-04-01). UN refugee agency 'rapidly adjusting' the way it works amid COVID-19 pandemic. news.un.org With COVID-19 already having a significant impact on its field operations, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) has outlined a series of measures it is taking to respond to the public health emergency and prevent further spread.
(2020-04-01). Spain Exceeds 9,000 Dead and 100,000 COVID-19 Cases. telesurenglish.net Spain's Health Minister Salvador Illa informed that his country reached 102,136 COVID-19 cases, 9,053 of which have died. In the last 24 hours, 864 deaths and 7,719 new cases were registered, which represents an increase of 8.2 percent concerning the previous day. | RELATED: | This percentage shows that "we are still in a phase of stabilization of the pandemic", the Coordination Center for Health Alerts and Emergencies h…
(2020-04-01). Minnesota: Nurses at M Health hospitals vote "No confidence" on COVID-19 response. fightbacknews.org Minneapolis, MN – Union nurses represented by Minnesota Nurses Association at five hospitals voted overwhelmingly that they have "no confidence" in M Health management's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The hospitals where the votes took place are Fairview Southdale, St. Joseph's, St. John's, Bethesda, and the University of Minnesota Medical Center. | The nurses are calling for proper personal protection equipment and information on reassignments. Nurses are working in units where they not being given the proper training on precautions to stay safe and do not have the necessary equipment to protect th…
(2020-04-01). Spain Nationalized Private Clinics To Fight COVID-19. zcomm.org Spain faced the second worst infection rate in Europe, and took control of the country's private health care companies to improve its response. What does this mean for Spain's public health care system going forward?
(2020-04-01). Trudeau Recalls Congress for Emergency Aid Against COVID-19. telesurenglish.net Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Wednesday that he is recalling the Canadian parliament again for expanded emergency aid as his country is facing the greatest economic and health challenge since the Second World War due to the COVID-19 crisis. | RELATED: | Trudeau told his daily press conference that recalling the parliament is part of a "Team Canada" effort to combat the COVID-19 spread that has shut down huge sections of the ec…
(2020-04-01). As COVID-19 Rages, Trump Refuses to Reopen ACA Enrollment to Help Uninsured. truthout.org As
