(2020-05-24). US declares vaccine war on the world. peoplesdispatch.org What prevents any country from making drugs and vaccines, once developed? Is it the threat of the US, or the belief that in the US-China vaccine war, they need to be on the US side?
(2020-05-24). The Inefficient and Incredibly Lucrative Chase for a Coronavirus Vaccine. zcomm.org Our hottest biotech firm hasn't yet manufactured an antidote to Covid-19. The company has manufactured three billionaires…
(2020-05-23). [Comment] Offline: Health in the unhappy time of COVID-19. thelancet.com It was a tragedy for anyone hoping to see COVID-19 become a catalyst for international solidarity. On the first day of the first-ever virtual World Health Assembly, held during the worst acute global health crisis since WHO's creation in 1948, Alex Azar, US Secretary of Health and Human Services, further damaged the credibility of the US Government as a constructive member of the international community. "We must be frank", he began. What followed was an astonishing series of unsubstantiated allegations.
(2020-05-23). Eyewitness: Seattle cops 'sweep' homeless camp against CDC guidance. liberationnews.org 
"I went to witness what was being done to my neighbors; what I saw was shocking and inhumane."
(2020-05-23). According to Dr. Anthony Fauci the Reopening of the US Economy Would Endanger People's Heath. globalresearch.ca Anthony Fauci, director of the IHSS is playing a "blame game". | He wants the lock down to continue, no reopening of the US economy because that would endanger people's health. | Dr. Fauci intimates that hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine are dangerous. …
(2020-05-23). March on the DNC meets with city of Milwaukee. fightbacknews.org Milwaukee, WI—The Coalition to March on the Democratic National Convention met with officials from the city of Milwaukee on May 21 to discuss the coalition's permit and plan to protest. The goals of the coalition are to defeat President Trump and to advance a progressive people's agenda, thus building stronger movements to challenge the Democratic Party. Lawyers for the Wisconsin ACLU arranged the meeting and led the discussions. | The meeting with the city of Milwaukee confirmed that the COVID-19 health crisis is causing most in the Democratic Party to consider alternatives to an indoor convention with th…
(2020-05-23). [Commentary] Data explosion during COVID-19: A call for collaboration with the tech industry & data scrutiny. thelancet.com The volume and speed of data generation in biomedical literature, social media, and other resources during the COVID-19 pandemic is unprecedented. This mountain of data is growing daily across PubMed, Twitter, Google Scholar, and the World Health Organization's COVID-19 database [1], naming a few. The recently published COVID-19 Twitter dataset may offer insights into multiple topics from compliance with social distancing to assembling homemade masks and mental health tips [2]. Beyond social media, the massive COVID-19 Open Research Dataset (CORD-19) has been assembled from tech giants like Microsoft, the Allen I…
(2020-05-23). [Department of Error] Department of Error. thelancet.com Clark H, Coll-Seck A M, Banerjee A, et al. A future for the world's children? A WHO-UNICEF—Lancet Commission. Lancet 2020; 395: 605—58—In this Commission, the affiliation details for S Peterson, D B Hipgrave, and J Requejo were incorrect and have been changed to "UNICEF Headquarters, Programme Division, Health Section (S Peterson MD, D B Hipgrave PhD), and Division of Data, Analysis, Planning and Monitoring, Data and Analytics Section, New York, USA (J Requejo PhD)". Affiliation details for ZA Bhutta (Center of Excellence in Women and Child Health, the Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan) hav…
(2020-05-23). [Editorial] The plight of essential workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. thelancet.com The COVID-19 pandemic has vividly highlighted how much society depends upon essential workers. Praise for the heroic work being done by health-care workers to save lives worldwide in dangerous, exhausting conditions is everywhere. But those same workers are often left unprotected by governments and systems that have failed to supply them with enough personal protective equipment (PPE), supplies, and resources to do their jobs. In April alone, there were an estimated 27 COVID-19-related health worker deaths in the USA, 106 in the UK, and 180 in Russia, with tens of thousands of infections.
(2020-05-23). [Perspectives] Helena Legido-Quigley: proponent of health systems strengthening. thelancet.com As Associate Professor in Health Systems at Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health at the National University of Singapore, Helena Legido-Quigley was able to observe at first-hand how the country responded to its first COVID-19 outbreak earlier this year. "It was striking how well Singapore was prepared, a legacy from the SARS era, with a dedicated infectious diseases hospital and 6 months of supplies of personal protective equipment and ventilators. The public health response was fast and efficient with good governance and effective health-risk communication", she says.
(2020-05-23). [World Report] England and Wales see 20‚Äà000 excess deaths in care homes. thelancet.com PPE shortages, lack of testing, and a vulnerable population have seen care homes in England and Wales become hotspots of the COVID-19 epidemic. Talha Burki reports.
(2020-05-23). Policing the pandemic: how UN Police are maintaining law, order, and public health. news.un.org In several countries afflicted by years of armed conflict, The UN assists with law and order issues, including policing expertise. This work is being challenged, as never before, by the COVID-19 pandemic. In this interview with UN News, Luis Carrilho, head of the UN Police Division, describes how the virus is affecting the ability of his colleagues to keep the peace.
(2020-05-23). COVID-19: Tips for going out again. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org If coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) stay-at-home restrictions are easing in your community, you might wonder how to visit public places and protect your health. Here's what you need to know. Before you head out Follow guidance where you live. In the U.S., activity restrictions vary among cities and states. Before you head out, check your …
(2020-05-23). European Union pushes reopening of beach resorts and hotels for summer holiday season. wsws.org Piling one lie on another, the EU Commission claimed its guidelines would restore "transport services across the EU while protecting the health of transport workers and passengers."
(2020-05-23). Three states' unemployment rates at Great Depression levels. fightbacknews.org San José, CA – On Friday, May 22, the monthly report on state-level labor markets saw the – unemployment rate for three states – Nevada, Michigan and Hawai'i – all soar to more than 20%, levels unseen since the worst of the Great Depression of the 1930s. Actual job losses, reported by business, came to almost 20% between March and April in Vermont and New York, along with Hawai'i. | Since the survey for state-level unemployment rates was taken in mid-April, as many as 15 million more unemployment insurance claims have been filed with the states and with the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program set up by the C…
(2020-05-22). How the United States Government failed to prepare for the Global Pandemic. mronline.org 
On March 20, just after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a global pandemic on March 11, the U.S. National Security Council (NSC) sent a cable to U.S. State Department instructing officials how they should speak about China and the novel coronavirus, according to the Daily Beast, which obtained the cable.
(2020-05-22). Yemen: Aden Succumbs to COVID-19 as Saudi Coalition Infighting Distracts From Relief Efforts. mintpressnews.com 
The lives of civilians in Aden are being pushed into the abyss not only due to epidemic, disease, and fallout from flash floods but because of violent clashes between opposing factions of the Saudi-led Coalition.
(2020-05-22). Guatemalan Leader Blasts Trump Admin's "Contaminated" Deportation Flights as Rights Groups Say Expulsions Show "Reckless Disregard" for Rights and Health. commondreams.org "Guatemala is an ally to the United States, the United States is not an ally to Guatemala," said President Alejandro Giammattei. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2020-05-22). Mike Davis: Workers Face "Sophie's Choice" Between Income & Health as 50 States Reopen Amid Pandemic. democracynow.org 
All 50 states will be at least partially reopened this Memorial Day weekend, as the U.S. death toll from the COVID-19 outbreak tops 95,000 and some states prepare for a surge in cases. We're joined by historian and writer Mike Davis, who says in Jacobin that "Reopening the Economy Will Send Us to Hell."
(2020-05-24). Poor People's Campaign Virtual Town Hall: Voting, Poverty, Racism, Healthcare, COVID19. indybay.org Online via livestream: www.facebook.com/anewppc/…
(2020-05-24). Nurses, Covid-19, Healthcare Crisis & Defending Public Health With NNU Pres. Burger. indybay.org Deborah Burger R.N. president of the National Nurses Union NNU-California Nurses Association CNA talks about the crisis in the healthcare system and the fight of the NNU-CNA to defend nurses, healthcare workers and the public.
(2020-05-24). Covid-19 Pandemic: American Indian Nations & Tribal Communities (Health Care Voter). indybay.org Online via livestream…
(2020-05-23). Law Firms Plan to Sue Governments for Profits Lost Due to Pandemic Measures. truthout.org As in any crisis, there will be winners and losers from this global pandemic. | Those paying the price for COVID-19 are becoming more visible every day — from the nurses risking their own lives to save others, to the poorly paid workers toiling overtime to produce food and deliver essential goods. Globally, we are also starting to see the impact on impoverished countries that have been forced to deal with an unprecedented health and economic crisis. | Some of the winners are also becomin…
(2020-05-24). Lawsuits targeting China are mere 'daydreaming', but Beijing's 'open' to impartial Covid-19 probe — Chinese FM. rt.com 
Threats to sue China for its alleged role in the coronavirus pandemic are misguided, the country's foreign minister has stated, adding that Beijing would co-operate with an even-handed inquiry into the global health crisis.
| Threats to sue China for its alleged role in the coronavirus pandemic are misguided, the country's foreign minister has stated, adding that Beijing would co-operate with an even-handed inquiry into the global health crisis. | Lawsuits being threatened…
(2020-05-24). Hotly-touted Oxford coronavirus VACCINE trial has only 50 percent chance of success, project leader warns. rt.com 
The professor leading Oxford University's highly-anticipated coronavirus vaccine trial has poured cold water on much of the hype surrounding the project by warning that it has only a 50 percent chance of being successful.
| The professor leading Oxford University's highly-anticipated coronavirus vaccine trial has poured cold water on much of the hype surrounding the project by warning that it has only a 50 percent chance of being successful. | In an interview…
(2020-05-24). Iran COVID-19 update: 2,180 new cases, 58 deaths in past 24 hours. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 24 (MNA) — The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has infected 2,180 people and claimed 58 lives in Iran in the past 24 hours, a senior health official said.
(2020-05-24). 2020 Eid al-Fitr prayers in Iran's provinces (1). en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 24 (MNA) — Eid al-Fitr prayers were held across Iran with special health protocols being observed by worshippers amid the coronavirus pandemic. Here are photos of prayers on Sunday in Qazvin, Yazd, Qom, Rasht, and Tabriz.
(2020-05-24). Death toll from coronavirus nears 7,500 in Iran. yenisafak.com Iran on Sunday confirmed 58 more fatalities from coronavirus over the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide death toll to 7,417.A further 2,180 people tested positive for COVID-19, raising the overall count to 135,701, said the Health Ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour.He said 105,801 patients have recovered and been discharged from hospitals so far, while 2,615 patients remain in critical condition.Jahanpour said no deaths have been reported in 13 states of the country in the last 24 hours due to COVID-19.In Iran, one of the countries in the Middle East hardest hit by the disease, COVID-19 was first detected…
(2020-05-24). Africa records nearly 3,500 virus cases in a single day. yenisafak.com Coronavirus cases in Africa jumped to nearly 107,500 on Sunday after some 3,500 people contracted the contagious virus across the continent in the last 24 hours.The latest update by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention showed that 63 patients have died over the same period, bringing the tally of continental death toll to 3,245.More than 42,600 patients have recovered from the disease so far, according to the data.South Africa remains the most affected country in terms of cases with 21,300 people having been infected while Egypt has followed it with 16,500 cases. However, Egypt has suffered 735 fa…
(2020-05-23). Milwaukee social services workers wage increases and employer pension contributions 'paused'. fightbacknews.org Milwaukee, WI — Around this time every year, open-enrollment for health insurance benefits begins at the Milwaukee Center For Independence (MCFI), a social services agency in Milwaukee. Workers at the agency meet a range of needs such as mental health services, day-programming for people with disabilities, and job-training for people who want to enter the workforce. | On May 15, as in years past, workers received an email from the vice president of human resources updating them on changes to health insurance benefits. At first glance, the news appeared pretty standard: insurance premiums went up slightly an…
(2020-05-22). Conservatives recruit 'pro-Trump' doctors to deliver only good news about reopening. peoplesworld.org 
WASHINGTON (AP)—Republican political operatives are recruiting "extremely pro-Trump" doctors to go on television to prescribe reviving the U.S. economy as quickly as possible, without waiting to meet safety benchmarks proposed by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to slow the spread of the new coronavirus. The plan was discussed in a May 11 …
(2020-05-22). An Old Story Again: Capitalism vs. Health and Safety. counterpunch.org The U.S. president recently ordered meatpacking employees back into workplaces plagued by coronavirus. He did not order the employers to make their slaughterhouses safe. GOP-proposed legislation exempts employers from lawsuits by employees sickened or killed by coronavirus infections at workplaces. The GOP is mostly silent about requiring employers to maintain safe or healthy workplaces. Employers
(2020-05-22). As Moderna's COVID-19 Vaccine Takes the Lead, The Issue of "Gene-editing Vaccines" globalresearch.ca More and more frequently, government officials, political pundits and self-appointed "global health experts" like billionaire Bill Gates have been instructing the public that mass gatherings and any semblance of "normalcy" will not return until a vaccine for the novel coronavirus …
(2020-05-22). Coronavirus and Other US Health Threats? Fund Public Health Not Foreign Wars. counterpunch.org How is it that in the richest nation on Earth we don't have enough masks, gowns, virus tests, and ventilators to serve our front-line healthcare providers in this coronavirus pandemic? Part of the answer is that the nation's wealth has been mis-allocated between military and civilian needs over the past four decades. All of the
(2020-05-22). The human toll of COVID-19 in Brazil. peoplesdispatch.org The corona crisis has also brought to the forefront the crisis in Brazil's healthcare system. The Sistema àönico de Saúde – SUS -, Brazil's publicly funded health system has been facing dire budget cuts over the past several years while the private system has been steadily growing.
(2020-05-22). This Year's Forest Fire Season Could Be Even Deadlier. commondreams.org In addition to contributing to climate change, forest fires present a more immediate and very grave threat to public health. (Photo: Shutterstock) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2020-05-22). Experts underscore COVID-19 threat to global progress on child immunization. news.un.org Global experts in health and child welfare have again highlighted how the COVID-19 pandemic is disrupting access to routine immunization services worldwide, putting millions of young lives at risk of killer diseases such as diphtheria, measles and pneumonia.
(2020-05-22). A week of political chaos — there's more to come. truepublica.org.uk There's a lot to choose from this week as Britain is immersed in a multitude of crises — much of which, is the fault of a government fighting back with PR and not solid action supported by the professionals. Leaving aside the public health crisis where something in the order of 60,000 are dead, the …
(2020-05-22). Yemen: Coronavirus transmission likely widespread, decimating 'collapsed' health system, UN warns. news.un.org War-torn Yemen's health system has 'in effect, collapsed" under the strain of a widening COVID-19 outbreak, with epidemiologists estimating that the virus could spread faster and more widely than in many other countries, the UN warned on Friday.
(2020-05-22). Chicago: NLRB backs EPIC charter workers, mandates mail-in vote on workers' bid to join CTU. fightbacknews.org Chicago, IL – Educators at EPIC Academy College Prep who are seeking to join the Chicago Teachers Union celebrated the afternoon of May 18, when the NLRB – the National Labor Relations Board – blocked their employer's reckless demand that they hold an in-person union election at the school. Such an election would have forced workers to risk their own health and the health of their loved ones during the shelter-in-place order. | Educators' relief was tempered by disappointment at the labor board's ruling to exclude three colleagues, who are security specialists at the school, from the bargaining unit. "We are extr…
(2020-05-22). COVID-19 Coronavirus: Scripted by the CDC in 2003? Dead Zone Plague. globalresearch.ca Deadzone (2003, Screenplay Stephen King, Jeffrey Boam): When Johnny Smith (Christopher Walken) awakens from a coma caused by a car accident, he finds that years have passed, and he now has psychic abilities. Heartbroken that his girlfriend (Brooke Adams) has …
(2020-05-22). A Pandemic and a Plague of Absurdity. counterpunch.org At a certain point in an age of absurdity the normalization of madness becomes so common that it is almost indiscernible to most in the thick of it. Indeed, late capitalism, the stage which is undoubtedly preceding complete barbarism, has produced an endless stream of absurdities which not only insult the senses of those who
(2020-05-22). Alex Azar Knows About Diabetes. counterpunch.org As soon as the Administration got into trouble because it failed to respond to the plague, it began hunting around for scapegoats. Trump's calling it a "Chinese virus" put heat on the entire Asian American community because the average American can't distinguish between members of 38 culturally distinct groups. This gave the Trump Shirts an
(2020-05-22). COVID-19 and the race for the vaccine. peoplesdispatch.org There are over 100 candidate vaccines that are currently being developed in labs across the world. Human trials have begun for three potential vaccines developed by the University of Oxford, Moderna Pharmaceuticals and the Wuhan Institute of Biological Products. Who might get there first and how affordable is it going to be?
(2020-05-22). Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.: Moderna's "Clinical Trial Results for Its Groundbreaking COVID Vaccine Could Not Be Much Worse" globalresearch.ca The Warp Speed Timeline — is what Dr. Fauci, NIAID / NIH and Bill Gates called the Covid-19 vaccination program that should have started in a few weeks ('should have' — hopefully now it won't). | The world should know about …
(2020-05-22). Fast-Tracking a COVID-19 Vaccine: Why Should We Worry? globalresearch.ca The CoV-19 pandemic is now exposing the hidden agendas and motives of the powers that be in government, in the pharmaceutical industry and Wall Street, and in the media. Despairingly opponents of vaccine mandates are largely divided. Many Trump supporters …
(2020-05-22). 3.6 million more applied for unemployment last week. fightbacknews.org San José, CA – On Thursday, May 21, the U.S. Department of Labor reported that 2.4 million more people have applied for state unemployment insurance, or UI, in the week ending May 16. In addition, about 1.2 million people applied for the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, or PUA, set up by the recent CARES act for the self-employed. This increase of 3.6 million applications for unemployment benefits means that a total of more than 47 million people have lost their livelihood in the last eight weeks. | Where is the good news? Well for the second week in a row, new claims for state unemployment benefits drop…
(2020-05-22). US Unemployment Insurance Claims Approaches 40 Million… globalresearch.ca The United States Department of Labor reported on Thursday that more than 2.4 million Americans applied for unemployment insurance last week, bringing the total number of new claims to 38.6 million since mid-March, when social distancing measures and statewide stay-at-home …
(2020-05-22). 'A Misbegotten, Warped Freedom Obsession Is Killing Us': Video of Trumpian Anti-Mask Jerks Goes Viral. commondreams.org On social media Friday, author Anand Giridharadas shared what he called an "end-of-empire" video featuring a number of people refusing to wear face masks in public places, coughing on others, and claiming their "freedom" is being trampled by public health guidance. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2020-05-22). Aiming Missiles at Viruses: a Plea for Sanity in a Time of Plague. strategic-culture.org Hugh IGLARSH | The point I am trying to make here is a simple and obvious one, or would be in a society not burdened with a two-pronged ideology of extreme militarism and extreme individualism. It is this: In feeding the military-industrial complex so richly at this time, we are starving ourselves of many vital things and weakening ourselves as a society, perhaps to the point of suicide. We are in effect sacrificing our future on the altar of American imperialism, which like some dark god of the past, is ever hungry and can be assuaged only by human life. | The coronavirus plague now sweeping the globe — si…