(2020-04-01). Russia sees drop in new Covid-19 cases, but cause for alarm as almost half of newly infected in Moscow are under 45. rt.com 
A total of 440 more people have tested positive for coronavirus over the last 24 hours, in Russia, a drop from the previous day's 500. The nationwide death toll has risen by seven to 24. Moscow remains the disease's main hotspot.
(2020-04-01). Beware #AprilFoolsDay! Social media users rally against Covid-19 jokes and falsehoods. rt.com 
The coronavirus has put a damper on April Fools' Day this year, with calls not to spread fake news about the pandemic, and people on social media urging others not to joke about Covid-19 or its possible cures. | On Wednesday, the Indian government used the hashtag #AprilFools to urge everyone not to "make #Coronavirus a joke" and stay vigilant against false rumors about the rapidly-spreading disease. | #Coronavirus a joke! #FightAgainstRumour is as important as (2020-04-01). Iran coronavirus death toll rises to over 3,000. rt.com 
A total of 3,036 coronavirus patients have died in Iran, with 138 deaths in the past 24 hours, the Health Ministry reported on Wednesday. | The ministry's spokesman, Kianush Jahanpur, said the country now has a total of 47,593 people infected, with 2,987 new cases in the past 24 hours, while 15,473 people have recovered. | Speaking on Wednesday in a televised cabinet meeting, President Hassan Rouhani said that the coronavirus crisis is "a great opportunity for Americans to apologize… and to lift the unjust and unfair sanctions on Iran." | One of the worst hit countries in the region, Iran has urged the inter…
(2020-04-01). 'Ask the government': Former Celtics star claims NBA season could resume at classified US Air Force site Area 51. rt.com 
Having held the 2019 Summer League at the University of Nevada, NBA chiefs could find a novel solution to ending the season at a less conventional base in the state — with Area 51 suggested by former champion Paul Pierce. | Area 51, the US Air Force base which is notorious among conspiracy theorists and UFO enthusiasts, could become the home of the NBA as a makeshift setting for the conclusion of the season, former All-Star Paul Pierce has suggested. | Responding to a proposal by former rival Jay Williams that the remainder of the campaign could be played on cruise ships, Boston Celtics icon Pierce named…
(2020-04-01). Watsonville Community Hospital Nurses to Hold Shift Change Actions To Demand Protections When Treating Patients With COVID-19. indybay.org To protest the lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) and preparedness for frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, registered nurses at Watsonville Community Hospital will hold a silent vigil and solidarity stand on Monday, March 30, 2020. Registered nurses are calling on Watsonville Community Hospital to reverse its decision to weaken personal protective equipment standards and cancel staff rather than preparing for a surge of COVID-19 patients.
(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). Reality Has Endorsed Bernie Sanders. zcomm.org The case has never been clearer for a transition to Medicare for All, but its achievement clashes with the Democratic Party's decades-long hostility to funding the social-welfare state…
(2020-04-01). The White House and the CDC are United in Stupidity. counterpunch.org On Saturday, I received a postcard of guidelines from the white house and the Centers for Disease Control — CDC. The guidelines repeated based recommended behavioral changes to the coronavirus outbreak on whether a person showed signs of being sick. This is a horribly misrepresentative response to this plague because it ignores the reality that
(2020-04-01). 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.
(2020-04-01). Quebec tries to extort concessions from health care and other public sector workers. wsws.org By offering their "full cooperation" to the CAQ government during the coronavirus pandemic, the unions have opened the door for an intensified state attack on public sector workers.
(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). Canada's governments exempt sections of industry from lockdowns, imperilling workers' lives. wsws.org Placing profits before workers' lives, Ontario and Quebec have declared businesses "essential" that have nothing to do with providing healthcare, food, power or other life necessities.
(2020-04-01). Covid-19 pandemic poses gravest threat to world's poorest countries. wsws.org Hundreds of millions of people across the globe live in homes that were detrimental to their health and safety even before the onset of the coronavirus.
(2020-04-01). COVID-19 & SF DPH SEIU 1021 Community Healthcare Centers Workers Under Attack. indybay.org San Francisco DPH community center healthcare workers are being forced into dangerous positions without proper PPE protection that may contaminate them with COVID-19. SEIU 1021 SF DPH Community Healthcare Center Chapter VP Cheryl Thornton speaks out.
(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). With 30,000 dead in Europe from COVID-19: Workers strike to demand safe working conditions. wsws.org The most basic health and safety measures are being flouted by employers throughout the continent.
(2020-04-01). 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.
(2020-04-01). 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). Livestream: COVID-19 and Climate Implications for Public Health. indybay.org Onlin via livestream…
(2020-04-01). To Develop Vaccine, Pharma and Government Will Have to Break Old Patterns. zcomm.org One of the major lessons of the H1N1 shortage is to under-promise and over-deliver…
(2020-04-01). Turkish TV heartthrob Kƒ±vanàß Tatlƒ±tuƒü hospitalized on Covid-19 suspicion. yenisafak.com Turkish television star Kƒ±vanàß Tatlƒ±tuƒü was hospitalized on Wednesday on Covid-19 suspicion after the actor started showing symptoms of the respiratory disease that has taken over the world.In a tweet, the actor said he started showing symptoms after he had been self-isolating with his wife at home for 15 days, after which he reported to a nearby hospital and has since been under observation as he awaits his test results."I'm doing well and am waiting for my test results. Please don't worry about me. Stay healthy," the tweet read.After originating in Wuhan last December…
(2020-04-01). 'There's no better present': Chinese businesses send masks to European clients. yenisafak.com With a dire shortage of protective face masks in Europe, even for health workers, a senior manager at a Spanish furniture store group was surprised to hear business partners and staff in China offering to send him masks.The starting point of the coronavirus pandemic, and for weeks its epicenter, China has seen new cases fall over the past weeks.The death toll from the respiratory disease is now higher in Europe, particularly in Italy and Spain, causing a rush to find protective gear."I worked in China for several years. When you're there, they give you things like tea, liquor or cookies. But up until now the supp…
(2020-04-01). Muslim charity ensures lonely Australian pensioners don't starve | amid lockdown. yenisafak.com Struggling to cope with the extreme stress of shielding themselves from the highly infectious disease, the elderly are most vulnerable in face of the spread of the deadly coronavirus.A Muslim charity in coronavirus-stricken Australia brought relief to self-isolating lonely pensioners, expressing that they are not alone in this fight.Elderly residents lacking a support network were driven to tears after receiving care packages filled with essential goods."It's quite heartbreaking because most of them never expected something like this would happen. One person yesterday – he was in tears – he was like, who are you?
(2020-04-01). Spain: COVID-19 cases over 100,000, deaths reach 9,053. yenisafak.com In total, Spain has confirmed 102,136 cases of COVID-19, and 9,053 fatalities, according to data released by the Spanish Health Ministry on Wednesday.Over the last 24-hour period, 864 people lost their lives
(2020-04-01). Oman reports its first COVID-19 death. yenisafak.com The Omani Health Ministry on Wednesday confirmed the country's first coronavirus death, along with 18 new confirmed cases."The total number of infections recorded in the Sultanate increased to 210, after recording 18 new infections," the ministry said in a statement cited by the official Oman News Agency.The ministry noted that 34 people have so far recovered from the virus. On Tuesday, the Omani government allowed civil servants to work remotely as part of measures to fight the outbreak.After originating in Wuhan last December, the virus known as COVID-19 has spread to at least 180 countries and regions across t…
(2020-04-01). We Need the Military Out: Bollywood Veteran Calls for Emergency Response to COVID-19. sputniknews.com New Delhi (Sputnik): India is currently going through a national lockdown to contain the spread of Coronavirus, which has infected over 1,200 people in the country and cost 35 lives so far, according to the latest data released by the nation's Health and Family Welfare Ministry.
(2020-04-01). COVID-19: Lockdown Abrupt, India should Print Notes to Fight Pandemic, Says Nobel Laureate Banerjee. sputniknews.com New Delhi (Sputnik): Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a complete national lock-down to prevent the spread of COVID-19 on 24 March for a period of 21 days. Though the economic cost of the health crisis has not been estimated by the federal government, some media sources have put it at $115 billion.
(2020-04-01). Russian Doctors Set Up Clinic in Bergamo for COVID-19 Patients – Defence Ministry. sputniknews.com BERGAMO, Italy (Sputnik) – Russian medical teams together with their Italian counterparts have begun setting up a hospital for COVID-19 patients in the Lombardy city of Bergamo, one of the hotbeds of the novel coronavirus epidemic in Europe, the Russian Defence Ministry said on Wednesday.
(2020-04-01). Domestic violence is a contagious disease set to get worse. greenleft.org.au 
(2020-03-31). 'Matter of life & death': Trump's Covid-19 task force projects up to 240,000 Americans will die even under strict social isolation. rt.com 
Senior members of the White House Covid-19 task force said Americans should prepare for at least 100,000 deaths from the pandemic, as the US president warned that following distancing guidelines is now a matter of life and death. | "The answer is yes," said Dr. Anthony Fauci of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), when asked at a White House press conference on Tuesday if the US could really see between 100,000 and 240,000 fatalities in the outbreak. He added that he "hoped" containment measures could reduce the number. | Without the drastic social distancing efforts over the next 30 days …
(2020-03-31). Already Faced with Famine and War, Yemenis Fear Saudi Arabia is Weaponizing COVID-19. mintpressnews.com 
Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, Saudi Arabia has engaged in a number of questionable practices that have Yemenis fearing the Kingdom may be intentionally trying to spread the virus.
(2020-03-31). Cat-astrophe in the making? ANOTHER feline tests positive for coronavirus, this time in Hong Kong. rt.com 
A pet cat has tested positive for the dreaded Covid-19 coronavirus in Hong Kong, after apparently contracting the disease from its owner. Last week, another feline turned out to have the virus in Belgium. | The Hong Kong cat patient was sent to a special animal quarantine facility on Monday, after its owner, a 25-year-old woman, was confirmed to have contracted the disease. Samples collected from the feline's oral, nasal and rectal cavities tested positive for the virus, but it did not show any symptoms. | "The cat has not shown any signs of disease," a spokesman for the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation…
(2020-03-31). Doctors 'gagged' over protective equipment concerns. thecanary.co 
Medics have been "gagged" over speaking out about concerns around a lack of protective equipment for frontline health workers, it has been claimed.Doctors' Association UK (DAUK) said that NHS staff "should not be gagged" after reports were published of staff being ordered not to speak to the media over concerns about personal protective equipment (PPE).Global shortages of the equipment medics and carers need to protect themselves against Covid-19 have led to shortfalls in the UK.Doctors have highlighted serious shortages on the NHS frontline by speaking to the media.Some have described how kit is being "hidden" b…
(2020-03-31). US nears China's virus death toll as New York calls for help. thecanary.co 
The mounting death toll from the coronavirus outbreak in the United States had it poised to overtake China's total of 3,300 deaths.Hard-hit Italy and Spain have already overtaken China and now account for more than half of the nearly 38,000 Covid-19 deaths worldwide, according to figures from Johns Hopkins University.But the World Health Organisation (WHO) warned on Tuesday that while attention has shifted to epicentres in Western Europe and North America, the coronavirus pandemic was far from over in Asia."This is going to be a long-term battle and we cannot let down our guard," said Dr Takeshi Kasai, the WHO re…
(2020-03-31). Evidence mounts that Trump is squashing federal response to coronavirus. peoplesworld.org 
The figures as of this morning are horrific. More than 173,000 Americans are infected—well over twice the number infected in China, which has four times as many people as the United States. More than 3,400 are dead—also more than in China, where the pandemic started. The nation's top health officials say that if everything goes …
(2020-03-31). Neoliberalism is terminally ill—There can be no more 'business as usual'. peoplesworld.org 
In terms of health, the coronavirus is undoubtedly one of the greatest challenges in recent history. But it may also turn our economic system upside-down completely. It is already clear that in future we will look back on 2020 as a turning point, the beginning of a new era. COVID-19 is an unusually aggressive virus, …
(2020-03-31). Dr. Abdul El-Sayed: Communities Enduring Racism & Poverty Will Suffer Most Due to COVID-19. democracynow.org 
As the number of coronavirus deaths in the United States tops 3,100, states are demanding ventilators and medical supplies. Michigan is a growing hot spot and struggling to prepare for a surge in cases, but President Trump has repeatedly attacked Michigan's governor, calling her "that woman." We speak with the former director of the Detroit Health Department, Abdul El-Sayed. He's a physician and epidemiologist, and his new book is just out today, "Healing Politics: A Doctor's Journey into the Heart of Our Political Epidemic." His recent piece for The Guardian is headlined "Coronavirus is exploiting an underlying…
(2020-03-31). Right-Wing Media Joined Trump in Enabling Health Disaster. fair.org 
"If Hitler succeeds in pointing the way of peace and order and an ethical development which has been destroyed throughout the world by war, he will have accomplished a measure of good not only for his own people but for all humanity."—William Randolph Hearst (New York Times, The downplaying of the coronavirus by the right-wing press in the United States was preceded decades ago by the media owned by William Randolph Hearst enabling a different sort of toxicity by promoting a positive image of Nazism in the US.
(2020-03-31). 'This is NUTS!' Russiagaters see red over Putin's planeload of corona-aid for Trump, queue to look gift-horse in mouth. rt.com 
Russophobic pundits and red-baiting blue-checkmarks are gasping in horror and floating bizarre theories as Moscow sends a planeload of much-needed medical supplies to the US amid its worsening coronavirus epidemic. | News that a Russian cargo plane laden with medical supplies and personal protection equipment would soon depart for the US, a gift from the Kremlin to its coronavirus-stricken rival, has the usual suspects running around in circles screeching about ulterior motives. | While President Donald Trump's announcement on Monday that "Russia sent us a very, very large planeload of things, medical equipmen…
(2020-03-31). Covid-19: When will we get out of lockdown? thecanary.co 
Experts disagree on how long it could take to lift the UK's restrictions on daily life fully, but most are hoping some will ease over the summer.Are we in for the long haul?It seems so, yes. England's deputy chief medical officer Dr Jenny Harries has suggested normal life will not resume for at least six months.Paul Hunter, professor in medicine at the University of East Anglia (UEA), says it is plausible that if lots of people have had the virus already, restrictions could ease in June.However, he says that is a big if and nobody can really predict the end of the epidemic. | Stay at home and save lives.▪&#…
(2020-03-31). Coronavirus Makes It More Clear Than Ever: Health Care Is a Human Right. commondreams.org Nurses and doctors rallying for Medicare for All in Chicago over the weekend outside the annual gathering of the American Medical Association which currently opposes the plan to make healthcare coverage in the United States available to all. (Photo: National Nurses United/flickr/cc | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2020-03-31). Trump's Chernobyl Moment: the US May Lose Its Status as World Superpower and Not Recover. counterpunch.org The US may be reaching its "Chernobyl moment" as it fails to lead in combating the coronavirus epidemic. As with the nuclear accident in the Soviet Union in 1986, a cataclysm is exposing systemic failings that have already weakened US hegemony in the world. Whatever the outcome of the pandemic, nobody is today looking to
(2020-03-31). Corona is More Than a Health Disaster: It's a Human Calamity. dissidentvoice.org The New York Times of March 20, asks rhetorically: "Is Our Fight Against Coronavirus Worse Than the Disease?" The coronavirus, known as COVID-19, was declared a pandemic by WHO's Director General, Dr. Tedros, on 30 January 2020, when outside of China there were only 150 WHO-registered infections. This declaration as a pandemic — nowhere justified …
(2020-03-31). China: Wuhan Hospitals Overcome Collapse, Focus on Severe Cases. telesurenglish.net With the worst time of the COVID-19 pandemic over, nine hospitals in Wuhan are focused on treating 1,459 patients and 493 critically ill patients who remain in the city that was the epicenter of the disease. | RELATED: | The good news is that 269 people were discharged in the last 24 hours, bringing the total to 46,002 to date. However, health authorities reported 23 deaths in the past week. | Neither new cases nor suspic…
(2020-03-31). Coronavirus poses latest threat to battered health system in DR Congo. news.un.org The looming threat of the new coronavirus disease COVID-19 is just the latest challenge to the beleaguered health care system in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), which is struggling with deadly measles and cholera epidemics that have killed thousands of children over the past year, the UN children's fund (UNICEF) said on Tuesday.
(2020-03-31). Teamsters – Join the fight for hazard pay! fightbacknews.org Chicago, IL – The COVID-19 health crisis has (rightly) led to millions of people staying home in order to reduce the spread of the virus. For hundreds of thousands of Teamsters though – drivers and warehouse workers at UPS and YRC, grocery store clerks and food service workers – all deemed "essential services" by the Trump administration – we have to continue to work regardless of the risks. | It is the immediate task of every Teamster to ensure that we are working safely right now. We must force every employer to provide us with all of the safety equipment we need to do our jobs as safely as possible. Every wor…
(2020-03-31). Visas extended for overseas doctors, nurses and paramedics fighting virus in UK. thecanary.co Doctors, nurses and paramedics from abroad are to have their visas extended so they can "focus on fighting coronavirus". | The extension will apply to around 2,800 migrant health professionals who are working for the NHS and have UK work visas which are due to expire before 1 October. | They will be renewed automatically for a year free of charge so they can remain working in the country, the Home Office said. | The changes will also apply to their family members. | Restrictions have also been lifted on how many hours international student doctors and nurses can work for the NHS per week, according to an announce…
(2020-03-31). Trump Administration Finalizes Car Rule Which Will Worsen Economy, Public Health. commondreams.org "One of the biggest, dumbest points made in the original proposal was that this rule would save lives," writes Cooke. "But the administration admits now that such claims were total nonsense." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2020-03-31). COVID-19 Will "Escalate and Worsen" on the American Continent. telesurenglish.net The situation due to the new coronavirus will "escalate and worsen" in the American continent until reaching the peak of contagion probably in "one or two months," the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) warned Tuesday. | RELATED: | "In recent weeks the pandemic in the American continent has intensified and tends to escalate and worsen rather than improve, as it has in other regions of the world," PAHO Director Carissa Etienne s…
(2020-03-31). COVID-19 Could Claim 100K – 240K Lives in US Even with Lockdown. telesurenglish.net Health experts on the White House Coronavirus Task Force said Tuesday that even with the Trump administration's national social distancing guidelines in place, the country still should be prepared for the prospect of the coronavirus causing 100,000 to 240,000 deaths. | RELATED: | Presenting the models before reporters at a White House press briefing, the task force's response coordinator Deborah Birx said as many as 1.5 million to 2.2 million peop…