(2020-05-25). Portland caravan supports essential workers. workers.org 
Large placards covered supporters' cars during the Portland, Ore., caravan for essential workers held May 21. It started at the East Portland Post Office, circled two Fred Meyer grocery stores and ended at Legacy Emmanuel Hospital. The event was hosted by Communities and Postal Workers United and attended by a . . . |
(2020-05-25). Cuba applies very efficient national drugs to save critical and severe COVID-19 patients. mronline.org 
The CIGB-258, a peptide designed to reduce inflammatory processes, and the monoclonal antibody Itolizumab (Anti-CD6) have shown great effectiveness for the survival of critical and severe COVID-19 patients in Cuba, announced Friday Francisco Duran, national director of epidemiology at the ministry of public health.
(2020-05-25). The Sure Way to End Concerns About China's "Theft" of a Vaccine: Make it Open. counterpunch.org 
In the last couple of weeks both the New York Times and National Public Radio have warned that China could steal a vaccine against the coronavirus, or at least steal work in the U.S. done towards developing a vaccine. Both outlets obviously thought their audiences should view this as a serious concern. As I wrote
(2020-05-25). A 'wholesale slaughter' and a mass razing of homes in Britain is the final straw. Enough is enough. thecanary.co Here we stand, ravaged by a disease
(2020-05-25). Eosinopenia and elevated C-reactive protein facilitate triage of COVID-19 patients in fever clinic: A retrospective case-control study. thelancet.com The combination of eosinopenia and elevated hs-CRP can effectively triage suspected COVID-19 patients from other patients attending the fever clinic with COVID-19-like initial symptoms. This finding would be particularly useful for designing triage strategies in an epidemic region having a large number of patients with COVID-19 and other respiratory diseases while limited medical resources for nucleic acid tests and radiographic examination.
(2020-05-25). "We won't pay for your crisis" peoplesdispatch.org The German Communist Party (DKP) proclaimed that the German working class would not pay for the crisis inflicted by the COVID-19 pandemic. They organized a meeting in Ernst-Wilczok-Platz at Bottrop on May 9 where DKP chairman Patrik Kà∂bele addressed the gathering. | The DKP has questioned, "where so much money suddenly comes from as a rescue umbrella for large industries, while the austerity measures in the healthcare sector push workers to the limits of resilience. With prices constantly rising, it is impossible for low-income earners and poor people to make ends meet, let alone to raise money for the nece…
(2020-05-25). South Asian countries ease COVID-19 lockdowns despite sharp rise in infections. wsws.org The absence of health care infrastructure across the region means that huge numbers of cases are going undetected, and many are dying due to a lack of basic medical care.
(2020-05-25). British Health Officials Suggest Coronavirus Vaccine Could be Mandatory. globalresearch.ca The British health secretary Matt Hancock said during a briefing that he hopes 'everybody would have the vaccine', if and when a coronavirus shot is rolled out, and did not rule out making it mandatory for every citizen. | Hancock was …
(2020-05-25). Minnesota nurses oppose retaliation over demands for protective equipment. wsws.org The determined demands by nurses and health care workers for the necessary protections, equipment and staffing levels has thrust them into a political struggle.
(2020-05-25). In pandemic, Sunday shows centered official voices, sidelined independent health experts. nationofchange.org While the Sunday shows have always leaned heavily on politicians, other public officials, and their surrogates, this skew is more pronounced than FAIR has found in the past.
(2020-05-25). High COVID-19 infection rates among doctors and nurses in Germany. wsws.org According to the public health body Robert Koch Institute, more than 20,000 workers in German hospitals, doctors' practices, nursing homes and care services are now infected.
(2020-05-25). Arms Control & Disarmament: A Failed Marriage. zcomm.org The linkages between contagious disease and climate change is too evident to ignore…
(2020-05-24). Global Capitalism, "World Government" and the Corona Crisis. globalresearch.ca The COVID-19 crisis is marked by a public health "emergency" under WHO auspices which is being used as a pretext and a justification to triggering a Worldwide process of economic, social and political restructuring.
(2020-05-25). Nearly 200 Groups in Canada Vow to Fight for Covid-19 Recovery That Puts Human and Ecological Health First. commondreams.org "The choices we make now about how to recover from this pandemic will shape not only our health and economic future, but also the future of human life on this planet." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2020-05-25). $3,278 ER Visit for Coughing Fits and Fever Amid Covid-19 Pandemic Highlights Failure of For-Profit System. commondreams.org A $3,278 bill that Timothy Regan received after coughing fits and a low-grade fever sent him to a Denver emergency room in early April—as the number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in the United States continued to climb—garnered national media attention Monday as an example of how much the nation's for-profit healthcare system is costing Americans, particularly in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2020-05-25). 'Here We Go Again': Richest Hospitals Sitting on Billions in Cash Got Golden Bailouts Compared to Those Serving Poorest. commondreams.org "If you ever hear a hospital complaining they don't have enough money, see if they have a venture fund." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2020-05-25). 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.
(2020-05-25). Covid-19 Pandemic: American Indian Nations & Tribal Communities (Health Care Voter). indybay.org Online via livestream…
(2020-05-25). Dubious State Testing Numbers May Be Screwing Up National CDC Reports. truthout.org Health officials in Texas, Georgia, Vermont and Virginia acknowledged this week that they have been The difference is a matter of timing. Viral tests — taken by nasal swabs or saliva samp…
(2020-05-25). UK hospital SHUTS to all new patients due to 'high number of Covid-19 cases' as country prepares to ease lockdown further. rt.com 
A hospital in Somerset, England has closed its doors to all new patients – even emergency cases – due to the high volume of coronavirus sufferers already being treated there. | In a statement on Monday morning, Weston General Hospital said the temporary measure was implemented at 8am local time, adding that alternative arrangements have been made for new patients to receive treatment in other healthcare facilities. | "We currently have a high number of patients with COVID-19 in Weston General Hospital," said Dr William Oldfield, medical director at University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust.
(2020-05-25). 'We are not allowed to leave our rooms': Russian figure skaters tested for coronavirus before resuming training. rt.com 
Russian figure skaters are undergoing obligatory coronavirus tests at Novogorsk training camp, which opened its doors to athletes after getting approval from local health officials. | The country's leading athletes, including Eteri Tutberidze's competitors, will be allowed to resume training if they test negative for Covid-19, ending a two-month break from the sport. | "We h…
(2020-05-25). Iran reopens major Shiite shrines after 2-month closure over coronavirus outbreak. rt.com 
Iran on Monday reopened key Shiite shrines across the Islamic Republic, more than two months after they were closed because of the coronavirus outbreak. | At Tehran's Shah Abdol-Azim shrine, worshipers had to wear a mask, walk through a disinfection tunnel, and have their temperature checked, AFP reported. The Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad in northeast Iran, and the Fatima Masumeh shrine and Jamkaran mosque in the holy city of Qom also reopened while observing health protocols. | Worshipers were shown on state TV crying and running towards the Imam Reza shrine as they were guided by attendants. | Iran has allowe…
(2020-05-25). Cummings REFUSES to apologize for Covid lockdown-breaking trip, cites child's health — but convoluted story triggers MORE scrutiny. rt.com 
After days of controversy Boris Johnson's top adviser Dominic Cummings has offered a lengthy defense of his 260-mile lockdown trip across England. However, his lack of apology has sparked fury and left many asking more questions. | Cummings held a press conference in the garden of 10 Downing Street on Monday amid mounting calls for his resignation from across the political spectrum and the public at large. | The 48-year-old claimed that none of his usual childcare options were available and his wife had become suddenly ill. Out of worry for the safety of his family at their London home he decided to travel acr…
(2020-05-25). Palestinians start 'cautiously returning' to normal life in West Bank. rt.com 
Mosques, churches and businesses in the occupied West Bank will reopen on Tuesday in an easing of coronavirus restrictions, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh has said. It is time to "cautiously return life to normal" now that infection rates have slowed, Shtayyeh added. | The Palestinian Authority declared a health emergency in March and imposed lockdowns after the first cases of the novel coronavirus were confirmed in the West Bank town of Bethlehem. The Palestinian Health Ministry has confirmed 423 cases of Covid-19 in the West Bank and two deaths. In Gaza, which is run by the Palestinian Authorit…
(2020-05-25). WHO SUSPENDS trials of Trump-chosen hydroxychloroquine drug over SAFETY RISKS for Covid-19 patients. rt.com 
The World Health Organization has paused the clinical trials of anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine in coronavirus patients. It says the drug, notably taken and endorsed by US President Donald Trump, has raised safety concerns. | The drug's safety data is being reviewed by a monitoring board, and the trials have been put on hold, the WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters. It was being tested as part of the Solidarity international program aimed at tackling the Covid-19 pandemic. | The UN health body took the step out of an "abundance of caution," said Mike Ryan, the head of the organization's e…
(2020-05-25). PM Markovic declares Montenegro first coronavirus-free state in Europe. rt.com 
Prime Minister Dusko Markovic on Monday declared Montenegro a coronavirus-free country, 69 days after it reported its first case and after 20 without a new one. Montenegro has reported 324 confirmed cases of Covid-19 illness and nine deaths, Reuters said. | "The battle with such a vicious virus has been won and Montenegro now becomes the first coronavirus-free country in Europe," Markovic told reporters after meeting a body tasked with combating the epidemic. The PM started the news conference by taking off his face mask. | In early March, the Balkan republic of 620,000 people, which relies heavily on revenues…
(2020-05-25). Finland to spend €100mn on coronavirus protective equipment, respirators. rt.com 
The Finnish government said on Monday it plans to place orders for protective gear and respirators worth €100 million ($109 million) between June and August to fight the coronavirus and prepare for a possible surge in demand for the equipment. | The decision was taken despite infections from the novel coronavirus slowing in the nation of 5.5 million. Last week, children were allowed to return to daycare centers and elementary schools, as part of easing coronavirus-related restrictions. | "We are prepared for the fact that the disease situation may change in the future and the demand for protective equipme…
(2020-05-24). Alyssa Milano goes on defensive after showing off her KNITTED mask (that does NOTHING to stop Covid-19). rt.com 
Actress and liberal activist Alyssa Milano has pushed back against an avalanche of online mockery, after she shared a photo of herself donning a visibly unreliable knitted mask. | The anti-Trump #Resistance 'heroine' urged her Twitter followers to don masks to stop the spread of Covid-19, and included a pic of her face-covered family. | Show me your masks! Masks keep people safe and healthy. Show me yours! Ready? Go!
(2020-05-25). Head of French LREM Party Says Former Health Minister Determined to Become Paris Mayor. sputniknews.com MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Stanislas Guerini said he was convinced that former health minister and current LREM candidate Agnes Buzyn in the municipal elections in Paris, is determined to win the second round of the elections set for 28 June, though her position has weakened following her criticism of how the government is handling the COVID-19 crisis.
(2020-05-25). Coronavirus death toll in Bangladesh crosses 500. yenisafak.com The death toll in Bangladesh from the novel coronavirus rose to 501, a government official said on Monday, as 21 more people lost their lives over the past 24 hours.In a media briefing, Nasima Sultana, director general health, said Bangladesh registered 1,975 COVID-19 new cases over the past 24 hours, the highest single-day cases since the outbreak in the country, pushing the tally to 35,585.Some 433 people also made recovery over the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of recoveries to 7,334, Sultana said.The death rate in the country was 1.41% and recovery rate is 20.61%, she added.Meanwhile, the novel cor…
(2020-05-24). Video: German Medical Doctor Katrin Korb's Analysis of Big Pharma's "Dubious Vaccine" globalresearch.ca German Medical Doctor Katrin Korb discusses COVID-19, the lockdown and the vaccine during a protest held in Oldeburg. | Below is the transcript of her speech. | *** | Dear fellow citizens, | I'm thankful for being able to stand here today. My name …
(2020-05-24). 5 reasons Costa Rica is winning plaudits for fighting COVID-19: a Resident Coordinator's blog. news.un.org Costa Rica is winning plaudits for its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Alice Shackleford, UN Resident Coordinator in Costa Rica, and WHO Representative María Dolores Pérez-Rosales, explain why the small Central American country is managing to keep the number of cases down, and its population healthy.
(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). What New York City's Cholera Epidemics Can Teach Us in the Age COVID-19. truthout.org This isn't the first time that New York City became the epicenter of a deadly disease. Consequently, this also isn't the first time a widespread disease has been racialized and linked to the "other." When cholera arrived on the shores of New York City in 1832, the disease had already ravaged parts of Asia and Europe. New York City officials and scientists did not understand the cause of the disease. Some saw cholera as divine retribution, only inflicted on the sinners of the city. In the 1830s, app…
(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). 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). [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). [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). [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). 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). 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). 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…
(2020-05-23). 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 …
(2020-05-19). Time to Consider a New Look at Physician-Owned Hospitals to Increase Competition in Health Care? jamanetwork.com In most sectors of the economy, competition is regarded as the way to improve quality and efficiency, lower costs, and increase innovations. Whether competition effectively achieves these improvements in health care, particularly with respect to hospital services, which remains the largest sector of spending for health care, is open to debate. Also debated, at least among some physicians, is whether functionally banning new physician-owned hospitals by prohibiting their participation in Medicare under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was too blunt an instrument to correct a problem that could have been fixed with a…
(2020-05-19). From Mitigation to Containment of the COVID-19 Pandemic. jamanetwork.com This Viewpoint discusses public health strategies necessary for the US to relax its mitigation strategies—most notably expanded testing, isolation, and contact-tracing in ways that avoid stigmatization of vulnerable populations—and proposes investing returns from a reopened economy to finance testing and public health infrastructure.
(2020-05-19). Coverage for Biosimilars vs Reference Products Among US Commercial Health Plans. jamanetwork.com This study uses US commercial health plan insurance data to characterize coverage for biosimilar drugs compared with reference products.