(2020-04-30). Pandemic used as proxy to privatize USPS. workers.org 
USPS worker delivers mail on Beacon Hill in Boston, April 8. U.S. Postal Service workers, like health care workers, go to work every day risking exposure to the COVID-19 virus. Over 900 USPS employees have tested positive for COVID-19, and over 35 have died. On Workers' Memorial Day, April 28, . . . |
(2020-04-30). May 1 Actions to Counter "ReOpen America" Rallies; Demand Trump/Pence #OutNOW. indybay.org Join us to demand Trump, Pence, the whole fascist regime #OutNow in social distancing counter protest of the May 1st fascist rallies that demand the end to sheltering at home and demand their rights to disregard the health and lives of the most vulnerable. In contrast to this, unite with refuse fascism by saying Humanity first and in the name of humanity we refuse to accept a fascist America.
(2020-04-30). 'No need to generate undue alarm': Doctors call for calm amid media hype over Covid-19-linked inflammatory syndrome in children. rt.com 
The Western media has been flooded with stories about a "mysterious disease" affecting children in the UK and the US that is supposedly linked to Covid-19. RT has asked a number of pediatricians if there is cause for concern. | On Monday, the UK's Paediatric Intensive Care Society (PICS) sent a memo to British doctors warning them about a rise in cases of a "multi-system inflammatory state requiring intensive care" that had been exhibited in "children of all ages" in several regions across the UK, including London. It further noted that the symptoms of the condition were "consistent with severe Covid-19," and…
(2020-04-30). It's No Coincidence That COVID-19 First Popped Up in Wuhan, But Not in the Way You Think. anti-empire.com 
The American/Western conspiracy theory is that COVID-19 is an "escaped bio-weapon" which found its way out Wuhan's biosafety level 4 laboratory which is only one of two such institutions in China. | The corresponding Chinese conspiracy theory is that COVID-19 is an American "bio-weapon" spread by the US delegation to the 2019 Wuhan Military Games. | Why someone would use a virus that is as good as spreading as the common cold, and equally unlikely to make a healthy person significantly ill as a "weapon" is unknown. | And yet it's not a coincidence that the virus seemingly first popped up in Wuhan as a German d…
(2020-04-30). Lockdowns-Boosting WHO Now Lauds Sweden as a 'Model' for Other Countries to Copy Going Forward. anti-empire.com 
The World Health Organization lauded Sweden as a "model" for battling the coronavirus as countries lift lockdowns — after the nation Dr. Mike Ryan, the WHO's top emergencies expert, said Wednesday there are "lessons to be learned" from the Scandinavian nation, which has largely relied on citizens to self-regulate. [This would be the same Mike Ryan who argued authorities would need to enter people's homes and forcefully take away infected fami…
(2020-04-30). COVID-19 devastates Indigenous communities. workers.org 
From Indian Country Today: ""My feet hurt," says Denise Begaye, an X-ray technician with the Monument Valley Health Center, as she sits on a curb and takes a break from COVID-19 testing outside of the center in Oljato-Monument Valley, San Juan County on Thursday, April 16, 2020." This article is . . . |
(2020-04-30). S. Korea reports no new domestic coronavirus cases for 1st time since February. rt.com 
South Korea on Thursday reported no new domestic coronavirus cases for the first time since February, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). | It reported four new infections, all imported cases, taking the national tally to 10,765. The death toll rose by one to 247, while 9,059 have been discharged. Of the total, 1,065 were imported cases, while more than 90 percent were Koreans, a KCDC statement said. | The health authorities also said that no local transmissions occurred from a parliamentary election this month, where authorities took safety measures. | "Twenty-nine millio…
(2020-04-30). Boris Johnson to front first press conference since recovering from coronavirus. thecanary.co 
Boris Johnson will front his first daily press conference since recovering from coronavirus (Covid-19) on 30 April.The UK's coronavirus death toll is now the third highest in the world after the US and Italy, so Downing Street is playing down any expectations of an easing of restrictions.Number 10 said a cabinet meeting earlier in the day would look at the "response in general" but not make any decisions on lockdown measures.(PA Graphics)That response was facing further criticism as health secretary Matt Hancock's deadline arrived for carrying out 100,000 Covid-19 tests a day.With just over 52,000 tests carried o…
(2020-04-30). What is contact tracing, and why is it important in fight against COVID-19? newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org Contact tracing is one of those terms associated with the COVID-19 pandemic that has seemingly become a part of our everyday language. But it's a public health strategy that's been used for years to combat communicable diseases. Contact tracing is the process of finding out who has recently been in close contact with a person …
(2020-04-30). Confirmed COVID-19 cases reach 94,640 in Iran. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Apr. 30 (MNA) — Iran's Health Ministry Spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said on Thursday that 983 new cases of COVID-19 have been diagnosed in the country in the past 24 hours, putting the total number of infections at 94,640.
(2020-04-30). COVID 19: Think Science and the People. counterpunch.org The people need science. The teaching is a legacy of pathologist Rudolph Virchow who was at the barricades in Berlin in 1848. A journal entry in that year of revolutions reads, "Medicine is a social science, and politics nothing but medicine on a grand scale." The pioneering Virchow first pronounced upon the biological importance of cells in health and disease. He was the "chief founder of modern scientific medicine." (William H. Welch, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine 1902),
(2020-04-30). Sweden forced to admit significant under-counting of coronavirus deaths. wsws.org Sweden did not impose a lock-down and even delayed issuing social distancing guidelines, leading to more deaths and pushing the health system to the limit.
(2020-04-30). Why are more men dying from COVID-19 than women? newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org Men appear to be hit harder by COVID-19 than women. Early data from China and the World Health Organization (WHO) show that more men than women are dying from COVID-19. Other countries like Spain and Italy also are seeing higher death rates among men. But why might that be? Dr. Gregory Poland, a Mayo Clinic …
(2020-04-30). #PeoplesBailout May Day Actions & Livestream for COVID-19 Health & Economic Justice. indybay.org Online and actions across USA…
(2020-04-30). Washington DC, Virginia and Maryland announce plans for reopening region. wsws.org Political leaders announced their plans to end stay-at-home orders and business closures despite warnings from health experts that the pandemic has not peaked yet.
(2020-04-30). NSAIDS and heart disease: Mayo Clinic Radio Health Minute. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org They're common over-the-counter pain medications that are used millions of times. But on this Mayo Clinic Radio Health Minute, Dr. Rekha Mankad explains why caution should be used when taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. To listen, click the link below. NSAIDS and heart disease…
(2020-04-30). Mayo Clinic partners with state of Minnesota, University of Minnesota on breakthrough COVID-19 initiative. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org Mayo Clinic joined Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Minnesota Department of Health Commissioner Jan Malcom, the University of Minnesota, and other health system leaders to announce a breakthrough initiative to provide rapid, widespread testing for COVID-19 in Minnesota. The goal of this statewide strategy is to test all symptomatic people, isolate confirmed cases to limit the …
(2020-04-30). Dismantling The Superficial "China Did It" Narrative (Origin Unknown) & CDC "Suspends" Flu Reporting. thelastamericanvagabond.com Welcome to The Daily Wrap Up, a concise show dedicated to bringing you the most relevant independent news, as we see it, from the last 24 hours (4/29/19). As always, take the information discussed in the video below and research it for yourself, and come to your own conclusions. Anyone telling you what the truth …
(2020-04-30). How Long Will It Take Until There's a Vaccine? thenation.com How Long Will It Take Until There's a Vaccine?
(2020-04-30). Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast: COVID-19 news briefing with Dr. Greg Poland. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org On the Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. Gregory Poland, an infectious diseases expert and head of Mayo Clinic's Vaccine Research Group, covers the latest news on the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Poland discusses current outbreak numbers, why there may be a second wave of infections, and research on a vaccine. Click the player below: Mayo Clinic Q&A is …
(2020-04-30). Symptom list for COVID-19 expanded. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org COVID-19, the disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, affects people in many ways. Early symptoms have included fever, cough and chills. The list of symptoms in people with confirmed COVID-19 disease has expanded since early reports of the disease. "We're learning more about the virus and more about the syndrome that it causes as people …
(2020-04-30). The Deterioration of the United States. indybay.org COVID-19 is just a Virus. Propaganda is the Disease.
(2020-04-30). Organized Indigenous Communities and Indigenous Knowledge Can Prevent the Spread of Covid19. counterpunch.org With the arrival of the coronavirus pandemic in Latin American countries, indigenous peoples and communities face the challenges that this disease brings, the contagion of which has proven to be highly rapid and aggressive. Faced with government neglect, the absence of social investment in their regions and the lack of access to regional or national
(2020-04-30). Infographic: Informed but not overwhelmed. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org For the latest updates on the COVID-19 pandemic, check the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. For more information and COVID-19 coverage, go to the Mayo Clinic News Network and mayoclinic.org.
(2020-04-30). Physicians, scientists and physician-scientists connect dots between heart disease, potential for worse COVID-19 outcomes. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org ROCHESTER, Minn. ? People with certain heart diseases may be more susceptible to worse outcomes with COVID-19, but the reason why has remained unknown. New research from Mayo Clinic indicates that in patients with one specific type of heart disease ? obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) ? the heart increases production of the ACE2 RNA transcript …
(2020-04-30). Prime Minister Philippe announces premature end of the lockdown in France. wsws.org The decision puts hundreds of thousands of lives at risk that have been saved by the insistence of the working class on measures to contain the disease.
(2020-04-30). How Mayo Clinic is using artificial intelligence in its COVID-19 research. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org Artificial intelligence has a vital role in helping researchers in their efforts to fight COVID-19 and is an important tool in the work being done at Mayo Clinic. Dr. Andrew Badley is an infectious diseases specialist and leads Mayo Clinic's COVID-19 Research Task Force. In this Q&A, Dr. Badley answers questions about the task force …
(2020-04-30). ANALYSIS: Turkey's healthcare system: an example to follow. yenisafak.com The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak has turned healthcare systems upside down in most European countries. It has exposed numerous inadequacies, with most healthcare systems across the globe struggling hard to cope with the challenges.The decade-long austerity measures [1] in countries like Italy, Spain, Portugal and the UK have led to substantial budget cuts and lack of investment in national public healthcare systems. These policies resulted in serious shortages in critical equipment, hospital beds and medical personnel.In contrast, Turkey's healthcare system has responded well to the pandemic through effe…
(2020-04-30). Tajikistan confirms first cases of coronavirus. yenisafak.com Tajikistan reported Thursday the first coronavirus cases in the country.The Ministry of Health and Social Protection announced that 15 people, 10 in Khujand and five in Dushanbe, have been diagnosed with COVID-19.Meanwhile, the country made it compulsory for people to wear protective mask upon the decision taken by the Coronavirus Prevention Center during a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Kokhir Rasulzoda.With the decision, a break is announced for all university students in the country starting from May 4.On April 28, the ministry said that 319 people, including 126 health workers, had been hospitalized with s…
(2020-04-30). Coronavirus cases rise in Oman, Iraq. yenisafak.com Health authorities in Oman and Iraq reported more coronavirus cases on Thursday.In Oman, 74 fresh cases of COVID-19 were recorded, bringing the total to 2,348. The death toll in the country stood at 10, while 495 people have so far recovered from the virus, according to the Health Ministry.In Iraq, the Health Ministry of the Kurdish Regional Government recorded five cases in Erbil and one in Wasit province. The new cases push the total number of cases across Iraq to 2,008
(2020-04-30). India Hints at Extending Lockdown Beyond 3 May as Number of COVID-19 Cases Keeps Growing. sputniknews.com New Delhi (Sputnik): Despite the slow rate of COVID-19's spread across the country, serious concerns have been erupting in regions where health infrastructure is in a bad state and the government fears that any relaxation at this juncture will lead to serious problems for the country.
(2020-04-30). British Airways Plans to Cut Pilot Jobs by Almost 25%. sputniknews.com On 2 April, British Airways said it would suspend up to 36,000 staff due to the coronavirus pandemic. All airline employees temporarily left without work can reportedly rely on compensation of up to 80 percent of their salary under a state support programme in light of the epidemic.
(2020-04-29). Why did the World Health Organization wait until March to declare a global pandemic? peoplesdispatch.org The 2005 regulations pushed on the World Health Organization by the United States and the Europeans hampered the WHO's ability to declare an emergency and a pandemic…
(2020-04-29). What are the underlying transmission patterns of COVID-19 outbreak? An age-specific social contact characterization. thelancet.com With an in-depth characterization of age-specific social contact-based transmission, the retrospective and prospective situations of the disease outbreak, including the past and future transmission risks, the effectiveness of different interventions, and the disease transmission risks of restoring normal social activities, are computationally analyzed and reasonably explained. The conclusions drawn from the study not only provide a comprehensive explanation of the underlying COVID-19 transmission patterns in China, but more importantly, offer the social contact-based risk analysis methods that can readily be appl…
(2020-04-29). International Workers' Day: Find an action! workers.org 
May Day — International Workers' Day — will be celebrated on May 1 across the U.S. despite the challenges imposed by the pandemic. Activists in many cities are protesting from their cars about a range of key working-class issues, including health, safety and economic well-being in the context of COVID-19. . . . |
(2020-04-29). Guatemalans Stage a Funeral Procession to Protest. telesurenglish.net After staging a funeral procession through the streets of Guatemala City on Tuesday, social activists and workers came together in the Constitution Square to denounce the poor management of the health emergency by RELATED: | "Basic services were c…
(2020-04-29). COVID-19: 'It's the System, Stupid!' Black Alliance for Peace. globalresearch.ca The current disaster exists in large part because the U.S. healthcare system is the opposite of what is needed. It is fragmented, discriminatory and designed for corporate profits, not the well-being of the public. Even before the pandemic, the United …
(2020-04-29). Education Crisis: From Pre-K to Higher Ed, Students Face Unequal Access During Coronavirus Shutdown. democracynow.org 
We look at the impact of the pandemic on schools, universities, students, parents, teachers and professors — and who is at the table to shape what happens next. "We now have an economic crisis on top of the public health crisis, and the ways that we're choosing to educate children is simply unequal and is going to lead to an educational crisis," says education scholar and Cornell University professor Noliwe Rooks, author of "Cutting School: Privatization, Segregation, and the End of Public Education."
(2020-04-29). Pandemic Story: Failures, forebodings, signs of solidarity. peoplesworld.org 
The long-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, while uncertain, promises to be far-reaching and profound. Here we look for signs evident now that point to various kinds of long-term effects in the future. One set of indicators has to do with U.S. failures in prioritizing and protecting the public's health. These may provoke movement toward …
(2020-04-29). This is Not a Drill: LIVE, April 29. therealnews.com 
What does it mean for left organizers to build independent political power after Bernie and in the middle of health, political, and economic crises? Join us for the next episode of This is Not a Drill: LIVE as we talk 2020 political and electoral strategy in the face of a global pandemic. Hosts Adam Gold…
(2020-04-29). Testing tsar 'confident' government will hit 100,000 target for Covid-19. thecanary.co 
The government's testing tsar has said he is confident the 100,000 daily target for coronavirus tests will be met on Thursday.Professor John Newton, director of public health improvement for Public Health England (PHE), said: "We are pretty confident we will hit that target. It puts us really right up there with countries like Germany, so we need that now but we need that for the future as well."There will be a lag in receiving the data but "by the end of the week we will know whether we have reached that target", he added.The government has been under pressure over the target, with health secretary Matt Hancock…
(2020-04-29). Covid-19 was already 'silently circulating' in France before virus arrived from China & Italy — study. rt.com 
The outbreak of the coronavirus in France has little to do with cases imported from China or Italy, as another strain of the disease of unknown origin had already been infecting people in the country, research claims. | The virologists at the Pasteur Institute in Paris have sequenced the genomes from samples taken from 97 French and three Algerian coronavirus patients between January 24 and March 24. | What they found is that the dominant types of Covid-19 viral strains in France differed from those that arrived from China or Italy, and belonged to another group, or 'clade.' | The earliest sample in the French…
(2020-04-29). US coronavirus deaths pass 60,000, eclipsing Fauci's lowered prediction — JHU count. rt.com 
The Covid-19 death toll in the US has passed 60,000, according to Johns Hopkins University. The deaths are now above the figure predicted by the latest model used by Dr Anthony Fauci, President Donald Trump's disease specialist. | The United States saw its coronavirus deaths tick past 60,000 on Wednesday, after another 1,743 fatalities were recorded in the preceding 24 hours. At just over a million cases, the US has more coronavirus infections than the next five countries combined. More than a third of all American Covid-19 deaths have been recorded in New York. | Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the National Ins…
(2020-04-29). Chomsky: COVID-19 Has Exposed the US Under Trump as a "Failed State" truthout.org The label "failed state" has started to fit the U.S. like a glove as the COVID-19 national health crisis continues to reveal the structural flaws and weaknesses of the United States, argues world—renowned public intellectual Noam Chomsky in this exclusive interview for Truthout. Meanwhile, the Trump administration continues to exact a high price in human lives due to its caricaturish but highly dangerous response to the crisis. In the interview that follows, Chomsky also analyzes what's behind Trum…
(2020-04-29). Colombia's southeast in crisis as coronavirus breaks out and promised medical aid is missing. colombiareports.com The government of Colombia's southeastern Amazonas province urged for help on Tuesday after a coronavirus outbreak almost instantly collapsed its healthcare system. The National Health Institute (INS) reported that the…
(2020-04-29). Frontline healthcare personnel at risk from COVID-19 because of age or chronic conditions, study finds. nationofchange.org "Millions of health workers likely to be exposed to SARS—CoV-2 have medical conditions that increase their risk for poor COVID-19 outcomes."
(2020-04-29). Students Face Unequal Access During COVID-19 Shutdown. truthout.org We look at the impact of the pandemic on schools, universities, students, parents, teachers and professors — and who is at the table to shape what happens next. "We now have an economic crisis on top of the public health crisis, and the ways that we're choosing to educate children is simply unequal and is going to lead to an educational crisis," says education scholar and Cornell University professor Noliwe Rooks, author of Cutting School: Privatization, Segregation, and the End of Public Education. | TRANSC…
(2020-04-29). UK coronavirus death toll reaches more than 26,000 — the second highest in Europe. thecanary.co 26,097 people with confirmed coronavirus (Covid-19) have died in hospitals, care homes and elsewhere in the UK, new figures from Public Health England (PHE) show. This puts the UK in second place for most coronavirus deaths in Europe, just behind Italy's The new UK figure includes 765 deaths reported in the 24 hours to 5pm on Tuesday. And it is the first time data on the number of deaths in care homes and the wider community has been included in the Government's daily updates. | The new method of reporting includes an additional 3,811 deaths since the s…
(2020-04-29). Cuba: Interferon's Effectiveness Against COVID-19 Confirmed. telesurenglish.net Cuban scientific authorities confirmed this week that the use of Interferon to treat COVID-19 patients was indeed effective. | RELATED: | Eulogio Pimentel Vazquez, President of the Cuban Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB), affirmed that the Interferon application complies with Cuban Health Ministry (Minsap) protocols. Pimentel stated that it is part of a patients' treatment but not for those in…
(2020-04-29). World health experts will meet Thursday to assess COVID-19 pandemic. news.un.org International health experts will convene on Thursday to evaluate the evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic and advise on updated recommendations, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday during his latest virtual press conference from Geneva.