(2020-06-19). Hancock promises shielding announcement imminent — leak confirms end July. truepublica.org.uk An announcement on a possible end to the coronavirus shielding programme in England will come "very soon", the UK health secretary, Matt Hancock, said Tuesday 17th June, after healthcare charities called for clarity on the government's plans. The scheme affects roughly 2.2 million "clinically extremely vulnerable" people, a category that includes those who have had transplants, are having …
(2020-06-18). Minnesota mass gathering participants eligible for COVID-19 testing. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org ROCHESTER, Minn. — Minnesota Governor Tim Walz recently announced that any Minnesota resident who participated in a protest, vigil, or other mass gathering, including first responders, are eligible to receive a COVID-19 test. Mayo Clinic and Mayo Clinic Health System sites in Minnesota are helping to support public health departments in local communities and have …
(2020-06-18). 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.
(2020-06-18). Socialist Party's manifesto promises revolutionary change in Zambia. peoplesdispatch.org The Socialist Party of Zambia released its election manifesto on June 18, Wednesday, promising universal education and healthcare, as well as the expansion of housing and sanitation facilities for the masses…
(2020-06-18). If Black Lives Matter, must 'Gone with the Wind' be gone? peoplesworld.org 
In 1953 author Simone de Beauvoir asked Must We Burn De Sade? regarding the French Marquis and his sadomasochistic books. Today, as the multiple plagues of COVID-19, widespread economic displacement and police brutality disproportionately ravage the African-American community, we're likewise asking: Must Gone with the Wind be gone? On June 10, the birthday of Hattie …
(2020-06-18). Putin: 75 years after WW2, new global crisis calls for victorious anti-Nazi coalition to work together again. rt.com 
In 1945, they defeated Hitler and Imperial Japan. Now, 75 years on, Vladimir Putin believes that the present global health and economic crisis requires the Second World War allies to unite once more. | In a lengthy op-ed, first published in American foreign policy journal 'The National Interest' on Thursday, the Russian president discusses the reasons behind the rise of Adolf Hitler. He also outlines the benefits of…
(2020-06-18). From the Covid-19 Battle Can Come Unstoppable Citizen Power to Propel "Full Medicare for All" through Congress. dissidentvoice.org Frontline healthcare, transit, and grocery clerk workers are too busy risking their lives helping and saving people exposed to the deadly Covid-19 pandemic to see themselves emerging as the force that can overcome decades of commercial obstruction to full Medicare for All. These heroic, courageous, and selfless people are getting the job done, often without …
(2020-06-18). "Main Victim of Caesar Act Is the Syrian Citizen." Ambassador Bashar Al-Ja'fari. globalresearch.ca The Caesar Act comes at a time when the whole world is suffering not only in the health arena (Covid-19) but also in the financial one. | Syria specifically is suffering from great duress. Coming out of a ten year long …
(2020-06-18). Skating on Thin Ice in the Antarctic: Threat to Polar Sea Ice from Escalating Plastic Pollution. globalresearch.ca Plastic pollution has now been found in Antarctic sea ice, which has far-reaching consequences for the health of the planet and underlines When we hear about plastic pollution, it's normally …
(2020-06-18). A Majority Of Workers Are Fearful Of Coronavirus Infections At Work. popularresistance.org The majority of workers and roughly 70% of Black and Hispanic workers who are currently working onsite at their workplaces, and not at home, believe they face considerable risks from the coronavirus. These workers are not being provided with sufficient protection on the job. Moreover, new polling commissioned by EPI shows that vulnerable workers are not receiving extra compensation proportionate to the risks they are being exposed to. Workers require and deserve both safety protections and extra compensation in these circumstances, and they should not be forced to choose between their health and having an income.
(2020-06-18). Second COVID-19 Wave And The US Economy. popularresistance.org It is increasingly likely that things are about to get worse in terms of US public health. And as that happens, so too will the US economy experience a further negative impact from the virus. A second wave now emerging means not just a further decline in public health, but an eventual second wave of problems for the US economy as well. | What a second wave all but ensures is that the US economic recovery will not be 'V-Shape' but will be 'W-Shape'; that is, a W shape recovery characterized by periods of short and shallow GDP growth, followed by brief periodic economic relapses thereafter. These short, shallow rec…
(2020-06-18). US Trails World In Coronavirus Response And Almost Everything Else. popularresistance.org Data from around the world on how nations are handling Coronavirus makes clear that, as in most things (this claim is documented below), the United States is exceptionally awful. Among wealthy countries, only Sweden, which has chosen to intentionally allow the disease to spread, has done worse. A handful of countries in Latin America and the Middle East are doing worse than the United States, though some are doing better. As in many world rankings, as documented below, the United States looks fair to middling as a third-world country, but off-the-charts terrible as a wealthy country — much less as a country…
(2020-06-18). Russia: Almost 500 doctors die from COVID-19. yenisafak.com Almost 500 doctors died due to the novel coronavirus in Russia, contracting it at work, the country's Federal Service for Surveillance in Healthcare announced on Thursday.Russia was not fully prepared for the COVID-19 outbreak, with problems in the beginning, including lack of protective means, head of the service Alla Samoylova said at a video-conference in Moscow.Authorities have so far managed to fix most of them, and the complaints about security flaws are "rather rare" now, Samoylova added."As of today, we say the spread of the virus is not over yet. More than half a million people in Russia are ill, over 7,…
(2020-06-18). Russia revises sharply higher coronavirus death toll among medics. yenisafak.com Russia has revised steeply higher, to nearly 500, the number of medical workers who have died after contracting COVID-19, illustrating the severe toll the pandemic has taken on its frontline doctors and nurses.The Health Ministry had reported on May 26 that 101 medics had died from the coronavirus, a figure that was much lower than an unofficial tally of 444 deceased medical workers compiled online by Russian doctors.Alla Samoylova, the head of a Russian healthcare watchdog, updated the official figure on Thursday to 489, the TASS news agency reported, some 6.4% of the overall nationwide death toll.Russia, which…
(2020-06-18). Iran's daily death toll from coronavirus drops below 100. yenisafak.com Iran on Thursday confirmed 87 more fatalities from the novel coronavirus over the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide death toll to 9,272.Iran's daily number of COVID-19 fatalities dropped under 100 for the first time after the last four days.Health Ministry spokesman Sima Sadat Lari said a further 2,596 people tested positive for COVID-19, raising the overall count to 197,647.A total of 156,991 people have recovered and been discharged from hospitals so far, he said, adding that 2,795 remain at hospitals in critical conditions.Over 1.34 million tests have been conducted in the country to date, Lari said.Afte…
(2020-06-18). WHO COVID-19 vaccine co-lead appointed to head Business School Advisory Board. imperial.ac.uk Sir Andrew Witty, a World Health Organization Special Envoy, has been appointed chair of the Business School's Advisory Board.
(2020-06-18). "I Can't Breathe": Remembering David Cross, Killed by Corrections Officers in Santa Cruz County Jail. indybay.org David Cross, a 44-year-old local plumber, was killed on September 18, 2005 in Santa Cruz County Jail while experiencing a mental health crisis. Corrections officers who responded that day to address his health issues decided Cross needed to be restrained, so they sat on his back as he lay on his stomach and "hog tied" him on the floor of the jail. Cross screamed, "I can't breathe," "I'm going to die," and "Please get off me," before his body went limp after 3 1/2 minutes of being restrained. Fast forward to 2020, and it is likely that many will see the killing of David Cross in a new light. The world is currently…
(2020-06-17). French health workers hit the streets, demand government to save public health system. peoplesdispatch.org Health workers organized massive demonstrations in Paris and other cities across France Tuesday June 16 to demand that the government save public hospitals. The call for mobilization was given by Inter-urgences and Collectif-inter-hà¥pitaux, and supported by several unions, including the General Confederation of Labor (CGT) and Solidaires. | According to reports, a hundred thousand people marched in Paris alone, along with tens of thousands in other French cities like Marseille, Toulouse, Lyon, Lille and Nantes, among others. Protesters denounced the government led by Emmanuel Macron for weakening the public…
(2020-06-17). Macron unleashes riot police against French health care protests. wsws.org The Macron administration organized a violent assault on health care workers who just weeks earlier were self-servingly hailed for their sacrifice during the pandemic.
(2020-06-17). French health workers hit the streets, demand that government save public health system. peoplesdispatch.org Health workers organized massive demonstrations in Paris and other cities across France Tuesday June 16 to demand that the government save public hospitals. The call for mobilization was given by Inter-urgences and Collectif-inter-hà¥pitaux, and supported by several unions, including the General Confederation of Labor (CGT) and Solidaires. | According to reports, a hundred thousand people marched in Paris alone, along with tens of thousands in other French cities like Marseille, Toulouse, Lyon, Lille and Nantes, among others. Protesters denounced the government led by Emmanuel Macron for weakening the public…
(2020-06-17). Why Cuban doctors should receive the Nobel Peace Prize. zcomm.org Due to Cuba's extraordinary commitment to humanity, to public health and to internationalism, a group of human rights organizations and social movements across the world have launched a campaign to award the Nobel Peace Prize to Cuba's Henry Reeve medical brigade…
(2020-06-17). Meet Jamaal Bowman, the Bronx Principal Challenging One of the Most Powerful Dems in Congress. democracynow.org 
In the Bronx, the second most economically unequal district in New York state, the insurgent primary campaign of former middle school principal Jamaal Bowman threatens to unseat 16-term Democratic congressmember and House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Eliot Engel. Bowman supports defunding the police, Medicare for All and a Green New Deal. He has also gotten high-profile endorsements from Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and The New York Times editorial board. "I've worked in this district for the last 10 years as a middle school principal," Bowman says. "Ove…
(2020-06-17). What Trump Continues to Say (About the Plague). counterpunch.org 
In three previous pieces in CounterPunch I compiled Donald Trump's statements on the COVID-19 pandemic up to May 2nd-3rd. Here is a continuation of that list. Rather than place Trump's statements in strict chronological order, I have sometimes put 2 or more of statements from different days together, to highlight Trump's contradictions and subsequent deviations—
(2020-06-17). COVID Lockdowns Have Sped Up the Spread of Other Diseases, a Measles Explosion Feared. anti-empire.com 
As poor countries around the world struggle to beat back the coronavirus, they are unintentionally contributing to fresh explosions of illness and death from other diseases — ones that are readily prevented by vaccines. | This spring, after the World Health Organization and
(2020-06-17). Vaccine Developers Have a Problem: the Virus Is Going Away Too Quickly on Its Own. anti-empire.com 
Related:
| The top teams rushing to develop coronavirus vaccines are alerting governments, health officials and shareholders that they may have a big problem: The outbreaks in their countries may be getting too small to quickly determine whether vaccines work. | A leader of the Oxford University group, one of the furthest ahead with human trials, admits the reality is paradoxical, even "bizarre," but said the declining numbers…
(2020-06-17). Welcoming early results on use of dexamethasone in sickest COVID-19 patients, WHO warns it's 'no cure-all'. news.un.org The UN World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday hailed news from the United Kingdom that a common steroid, dexamethasone, can potentially help save the lives of patients with severe cases of COVID-19, but it warned that it is by no means a cure-all.
(2020-06-17). Brazil sees record spike in COVID-19 infections with close to 35,000 new cases on Tuesday. peoplesdispatch.org Brazil recorded its highest daily spike in the number of COVID-19 infections on Tuesday, June 16 with close to 35,000 new cases and more than 1,200 deaths. As of June 17, Brazil has more than 923,180 cases of infection with over 45,240 deaths, second only to the United States. | According to the country's health ministry, within 24 hours on Tuesday Brazil recorded a total of 34,918 fresh cases of infection and 1,282 deaths which is one of the highest in the world since the COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic on March 11. | This happened a day after the top official in charge of handling coronavirus in the cou…
(2020-06-17). Climate change is killing Americans. Health departments aren't equipped to respond. nationofchange.org How a decade of neglect and politics undermined the CDC's fight against climate change…
(2020-06-17). Global Issues Require United Action and a Reinvigorated UN. dissidentvoice.org Whatever corner of the world one happens to live in, the most pressing issues of the day affect everyone. Pandemics/epidemics and the environmental emergency; war and terrorism; poverty and food insecurity; overpopulation and the displacement of persons. Such crises cannot be limited by borders or controlled by nation states; no government or corporate power can …
(2020-06-17). Sticks, Stones and Death in Galwan Valley. dissidentvoice.org Things along the Indian-Chinese border in the Himalayas have rarely lacked interest, notably along the secretive, heavily patrolled 3,488 km Line of Actual Control. Neither China nor India have ever quite sorted out their differences on that front, plagued by territorial claims over unclearly demarcated boundaries. The administration of Narendra Modi might well have wood …
(2020-06-17). Virus case tally surges in Oman, Morocco. yenisafak.com Oman confirmed two more fatalities from coronavirus on Wednesday, while Morocco reported fresh infections. | In a statement, the Omani Health Ministry said the country's death toll from the virus rose to 116 after two people had died. | A further 810 new cases were registered over the past 24 hours, bringing the overall infections to 26,079, the ministry said. | According to the ministry, 708 patients have recovered, pushing the number of recoveries to 11,797. | Meanwhile, Morocco's Health Ministry said 54 people tested positive for the disease, while 23 patients have recovered. | The country's toll now stands at…
(2020-06-17). Iran's virus death toll rises by 120 to hit 9,185. yenisafak.com Iran on Wednesday confirmed 120 more fatalities from the novel coronavirus over the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide death toll to 9,185.Iran's daily number of COVID-19 fatalities decreased to under 100 in mid-April and recorded as 34 on May 25, but daily figures have shown an upward trend in last four days after authorities took measures to ease restrictions.Health Ministry spokesman Sima Sadat Lari said a further 2,612 people tested positive for COVID-19, raising the overall count to 195,051.A total of 154,812 people have recovered and been discharged from hospitals so far, he said, adding that 2,789 rema…
(2020-06-17). EU hopes to provide COVID-19 vaccines in a year. yenisafak.com The EU plans to provide COVID-19 vaccines to its member states within 12-18 months, according to its new strategy announced on Wednesday.The European Commission will sign agreements with vaccine producers on behalf of EU member states to help the development and production of vaccines against the virus.The deal will contribute to the cost of research and development in exchange for delivering a certain number of cures in an agreed period of time.The EU hopes to start the vaccination program within 12-18 months from now, if not earlier."This is a moment for science and solidarity. Nothing is certain, but I am conf…
(2020-06-17). Coronavirus vaccine could be on market in mid-2021. yenisafak.com A vaccine against the coronavirus pandemic by CureVac could be on the market in mid-2021, the unlisted German company said on Wednesday.CureVac might be able to apply for approval early next year, Klaus Cichutek, President of German vaccine regulator PEI, added during a joint videoconference.
(2020-06-17). Yazd mourns for martyrdom anniversary of Imam Jafar Sadiq (PBUH). en.mehrnews.com YAZD, Jun. 17 (MNA) — The mourning ceremony of the martyrdom anniversary of Imam Jafar Sadiq (PBUH), the sixth Imam of Shi'ite world, was held in Yazd, central Iran. Imam Sadiq attained martyrdom on the 25th Shawwal 14 A.H. Attendants of the ceremony observe health protocols in order to avoid the spread of the lethal coronavirus.
(2020-06-17). Iran COVID-19 update: 2,612 new infections, 120 deaths in 24 hours. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jun. 17 (MNA) — According to the Iranian Health Ministry, the novel coronavirus disease has claimed 120 lives in Iran in the past 24 hours.
(2020-06-17). Podcast: Vaccine production, safety on public transport, and emerging economies. imperial.ac.uk In this edition: How to make a billion COVID-19 vaccines, why women feel unsafe on public transport, and how emerging economies fare under COVID-19.
(2020-06-17). Health Care Anti-Bias Tools May Be Endangering Classes of Essential Workers. truthout.org Bias is so baked into health care delivery that COVID-19 forces us to rethink how we allocate resources so Black and Brown people don't suffer more than they already have. | Health care providers worldwide are now considering how to most fairly
(2020-06-17). Fauci Will Not Attend Trump Rally, Citing COVID Risks. truthout.org As President Donald Trump prepares for his upcoming rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, this Saturday, Anthony Fauci, a member of Trump's coronavirus task force, is saying he wouldn't personally attend any campaign event at this time, due to the possibility of contracting the disease. | Fauci, who is the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, explained
(2020-06-16). Workers Struggles: The Americas. wsws.org Rubber workers at the Bridgestone-Firestone plant in Llavallol, Argentina and Mexican health care workers staged strikes and protests over lack of adequate protection from exposure to coronavirus.
(2020-06-16). WATCH police brutally detain Covid-19 nurse as clashes erupt at Paris health workers protest. rt.com 
A video has emerged showing several French police officers round up a woman in a white medical robe during a health workers protest in Paris. Officers can be seen dragging her by the hair as she begs for help. | The shocking video, filmed at protest in the French capital on Tuesday, shows a policeman in full riot gear pulling the middle-aged woman by the hair and slamming her repeatedly against a tree in an apparent attempt to take her into custody. | Une femme en blouse blanche, tirée par les cheveux, durant une interpellation, finira évacuée le visage en sang durant la manifestation aux Invalides. Elle récla…
(2020-06-16). Colombians mobilize against hunger and state negligence. peoplesdispatch.org 
Thousands mobilized against state negligence, repression and the precarious conditions that communities are forced to endure amid the global health crisis. The protests were attacked by the police and ESMAD agents…
(2020-06-16). Why should Cuban doctors receive the Nobel Peace Prize? peoplesdispatch.org Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Cuba has taken an active role in extending international solidarity to nations hard-hit by the virus. So far, they have sent medical brigades to 27 countries to assist in the fight against coronavirus. Due to Cuba's extraordinary commitment to humanity, to public health and to internationalism, a group of human rights organizations and social movements across the world have launched a campaign to award the Nobel Peace Prize to Cuba's Henry Reeve medical brigade. | On the
(2020-06-16). Why Cuban doctors should receive the Nobel Peace Prize? peoplesdispatch.org Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Cuba has taken an active role in extending international solidarity to nations hard-hit by the virus. So far, they have sent medical brigades to 27 countries to assist in the fight against coronavirus. Due to Cuba's extraordinary commitment to humanity, to public health and to internationalism, a group of human rights organizations and social movements across the world have launched a campaign to award the Nobel Peace Prize to Cuba's Henry Reeve medical brigade. | On the
(2020-06-16). "Normal" Isn't Coming Back, Prioritize Your Mental Health: Notes From The Edge Of The Narrative Matrix. thealtworld.com 
I wouldn't invest any emotional energy in the hope that things will eventually return to normal. They won't. The good news is that what we think of as "normal" is actually as crazy as a species could possibly be, and we may in fact be clumsily stumbling toward actual sanity. | Speaking of which, please prioritize your mental health at this point in history. Like, really, truly prioritize it. Things are only going to get more unusual and confusing from here on out, and you'll need to keep your feet underneath you. | ~ | Keep truthfully saying what you believe to be true in each moment and eventually you will have…
(2020-06-16). Trump Hammers Cuba While Cuba Cures the Sick. mintpressnews.com 
Not content to sabotage Cuba's domestic health sector, the Trump administration has been attacking Cuba's international medical assistance, from the teams fighting coronavirus to those caring for underserved communities in 164 countries.
(2020-06-16). Trump's 'AIDS vaccine' gaffe torn apart on social media — but was it really a gaffe? rt.com 
US President Donald Trump is being savaged for praising the government scientists who'd "come up with the AIDS vaccine," with his haters holding it up as proof of incipient dementia. But it's not as outlandish as it sounds. | Trump made the remark during a press conference on Tuesday before signing an executive order on police reform, making a momentary diversion to update reporters on the progress towards a vaccine against Covid-19. Predicting researchers will have "a very successful vaccine, therapeutic, and cure" before the end of 2020, he hailed the "incredible scientists and doctors" who'd come up with "m…
(2020-06-16). New Zealand records two new cases of coronavirus. thecanary.co 
New Zealand is no longer free from the new coronavirus after health officials say two women who flew from London to see a dying parent had tested positive.But before they were tested, the women had been given an exemption to leave quarantine on compassionate grounds and had travelled from Auckland to Wellington by car.Director-general of health Ashley Bloomfield said that as part of their travel plan, the women had no contact with any people or any public facilities on their road trip.The country reported earlier this month it had eradicated the virus domestically (Mark Baker/AP)Nevertheless, the new cases have s…
(2020-06-16). Mind Virus-19 and the Government Killed 35,000 Americans and That's a Conservative Estimate. anti-empire.com 
Editor's note: A conservative estimate because the author's suggestion that deaths *with* Covid overcount deaths *from* Covid (based on a revision by Colorado which likely removed only the most egregious cases) is a very, very conservative one. |
| The cure is worse than disease may be literally true for much of the country, including Colorado. While it is clear the worldwide response to coronavirus has created unprecedented economic devastation, there is also reason to believe many of the excess deaths that have occurred over the last couple of months were not caused by coronavirus, but by our response to c…
(2020-06-16). Healthcare system on the verge of collapse in Chile. peoplesdispatch.org After Brazil and Peru, Chile is the third worst-hit country in the region and the twelfth most affected in the world with the COVID-19 pandemic. The number of coronavirus cases is growing rapidly across the country. The increasing demand for medical attention, intensive care units (ICU) and ventilators, has strained the country's healthcare system. | With a population of 18.5 million, Chile is reporting more than 4,000 new cases everyday. Nearly 15% of the cases require hospitalization. About 95% of the ICU beds in the hospitals across the country have already been occupied. Doctors have been forced to make wrenc…