Daily Archives: August 8, 2020

2020-08-08: News Headlines

The Lancet (2020-08-08). [Editorial] Self-determination and Indigenous health. thelancet.com Colonisation is a fundamental determinant of Indigenous peoples' health. Indigenous is a term defined by dislocation, and the effects of that displacement are felt by Indigenous peoples around the world. Aug 9, International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples, is a chance to look at the continuing effects of territorial removal, the destruction of people, culture, and languages, and the lack of self-determination (the right to determine one's own social, cultural, and economic development), and their impact on Indigenous peoples' health.

RT (2020-08-08). 'This is a peaceful protest!' Trump rebukes journalist who mask-shamed crowded press conference. rt.com US President Donald Trump sparred with a reporter who observed that dozens of people at a press conference in New Jersey were flouting the state's health guidelines, arguing the crowd was engaged in a "protest against fake news." | During a presser at Trump's golf course in Bedminster, New Jersey on Friday, a journalist challenged the president's contention that the coronavirus is "disappearing," pointing out that even the crowd attending the press event was not adhering to the state's restrictions. The question drew audible groans from the audience. | "No, they don't have to, this is a political activity. You…

Ramzy Baroud (2020-08-08). The Likud Conspiracy: Israel in the Throes of a Major Political Crisis. dissidentvoice.org Protests against Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, have raged on for weeks, turning violent sometimes. Israelis are furious at their government's mediocre response to the coronavirus pandemic, especially as COVID-19 disease is experiencing a massive surge throughout the country. Netanyahu warned protesters, thousands of whom have been rallying outside his residence in Jerusalem, against "anarchy …

Fight Back (2020-08-08). Justice for Travis Jordan – 38th birthday protest. fightbacknews.org Minneapolis, MN – Hundreds of protesters rallied outside the Minneapolis police's 4th Precinct in North Minneapolis, July 31, to demand justice for Travis Jordan, on what should have been his 38th birthday. | On November 9, 2018, Travis Jordan was shot and killed by two rookie officers of the Minneapolis Police Department's 4th Precinct during a wellness check for his suicidal ideation. Officers Neal Walsh and Ryan Keyes, who had each been on the police force less than a year, responded to the call. Instead of saving Travis's life and providing him with the mental health support he needed, they killed him. C…

WSWS (2020-08-08). Autoworkers denounce bipartisan drive to reopen schools. wsws.org Opposition is growing among autoworkers and other workers to the back-to-school campaign, which is threatening the health of teachers, students and their families.

_____ (2020-08-08). War And Pandemic Journalism. popularresistance.org The struggle against Covid-19 has often been compared to fighting a war. Much of this rhetoric is bombast, but the similarities between the struggle against the virus and against human enemies are real enough. War reporting and pandemic reporting likewise have much in common because, in both cases, journalists are dealing with and describing matters of life and death. Public interest is fueled by deep fears, often more intense during an epidemic because the whole population is at risk. In a war, aside from military occupation and area bombing, terror is at its height among those closest to the battlefield.

_____ (2020-08-08). Coronavirus Is Being Tackled By Nicaragua's Community-Based Health System. popularresistance.org Nicaragua's Sandinista government is — like every other government — engaged in a struggle to limit the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on its people. But Nicaragua suffers two additional handicaps. One is that it is subject to US and European sanctions, which severely limit the aid it gets from abroad or from multilateral bodies. The other is its internal opposition, which aims to use the pandemic in its latest attempt to destabilize the government and turn opinion against it. To do so it employs a wide range of propaganda methods, at home and abroad. These were very evident in a recent article in t…

Harriet Mayanja-Kizza, Christine Sekaggya-Wiltshire, Desta Kassa (2020-08-08). [Comment] Optimal therapy for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis and HIV. thelancet.com The dual epidemics of tuberculosis and HIV have had a substantial toll on health outcomes, service delivery, and economies in many countries. Additionally, diagnosis of tuberculosis remains a challenge, especially with HIV infection, where the commonly used smears are of limited benefit; compounded by limitations of detecting drug-resistant tuberculosis.1…

yenisafak (2020-08-08). Indonesia reports 2,277 new coronavirus infections. yenisafak.com Indonesia reported 2,277 new coronavirus infections on Saturday and 65 more deaths, data from its health ministry website showed.This brings the country's total to 123,503 coronavirus infections and 5,658 deaths, the data showed.

Jon Queally, staff writer (2020-08-08). Trump Just Admitted on Live Television He Will 'Terminate' Social Security and Medicare If Reelected in November. commondreams.org One progressive critic called the president's promise "a full-on declaration of war against current and future Social Security beneficiaries." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

Wendy Rogers (2020-08-08). [Perspectives] Moral responsibility in medicine: where are the boundaries? thelancet.com All doctors have responsibilities to protect and promote health. These responsibilities lie at the heart of medicine, providing its moral foundation. Some doctors meet their responsibilities treating individuals with diseases, some teach or do research, while others safeguard or promote the health of populations. These responsibilities arise from the social role of doctors that is enshrined—but not always clearly delineated—in social, legal, ethical, and professional standards and norms. The health and wellbeing of the patient is, according to various codes, the pre-eminent responsibility of medicine,…

David N Durrheim, Michael G Baker (2020-08-08). [Correspondence] COVID-19—a very visible pandemic. thelancet.com The COVID-19 pandemic is exacting a confronting and extraordinarily visible toll in lives and livelihoods globally. The last occasion where humanity fought a similar calamitous infectious disease threat was the 1918—19 influenza pandemic. There are many lessons from that pandemic that are still relevant. The first pandemic wave did not grant adequate herd immunity and was followed by one or more subsequent waves, with those waves being more deadly than the initial wave.1 Additionally, stringent public health measures flattened the epidemic curve, preserving hospital capacity and saving many lives.

Dimitrios Moris, Michael Kontos (2020-08-08). [Correspondence] Recurrence of breast cancer after anaesthesia. thelancet.com Daniel Sessler and colleagues1 presented the findings from their multicentre, randomised trial that compared the effect of regional anaesthesia (paravertebral block and propofol) with general anaesthesia (sevoflurane) and opioids on breast cancer recurrence and postoperative pain after potentially curative surgery. Regional anaesthesia was reported to be equivalent to general anaesthesia regarding disease recurrence and postoperative pain.1…

Sharmila Devi (2020-08-08). [World Report] Egyptian health workers arrested after COVID-19 comments. thelancet.com At least seven doctors and two pharmacists have been detained for criticising the Egyptian Government's approach to the pandemic and working conditions. Sharmila Devi reports.

Andrea Germanos, staff writer (2020-08-07). "Let's Make It Happen!" Declares Jayapal of Medicare for All After Single-Payer in Canada Lauded as Shield Against Pandemic. commondreams.org "It is worth fighting for a system that puts public health ahead of profits: Medicare for All," said a doctor touting Canadian system. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

Staff (2020-08-07). Headlines for August 7, 2020. democracynow.org Study Predicts U.S. Coronavirus Deaths Could Reach 300,000 by December, Georgia High Schoolers Suspended for Sharing Images of Unmasked Students in Crowded Halls, India's COVID-19 Cases Top 2 Million as WHO Warns of Worsening Outbreaks in Africa, Peru's Health System in Collapse as COVID-19 Death Toll Reaches 20,000, Congressional Talks on New Coronavirus Stimulus on Brink of Collapse, "Make Billionaires Pay Act" Would Tax Richest 0.001% to Fund Healthcare for Millions, Police Fire Tear Gas at Anti-Government Protesters as Anger Rages over Beirut Blast, New York Attorney General Files Suit to Dissolve NRA over Ex…

Jeffrey St. Clair (2020-08-07). Roaming Charges: Every Which Way to Lose. counterpunch.org "And through the fog of the plague, most art withered into journalism." — Pete Hamill + Four years of Trump, the most precipitous collapse of the US economy in history and one killer pandemic later and we're right back to where we were in the late summer of 2016… Joe Biden's national polling lead is

RT (2020-08-07). Malta bans mass gatherings, makes masks mandatory as coronavirus cases surge. rt.com Malta banned mass gatherings and made it mandatory to wear masks in public on Friday. The move came as new coronavirus infections surged after having been reduced to zero for a week early in July. | Health authorities reported 49 new infections on Friday, the second highest daily number since the first case was detected in early March. Nine patients have died, Reuters reported. | The decision to reimpose controls represents a sharp turnaround for Malta, which depends on tourism for a third of its GDP. | The Mediterranean country has conducted the third-highest level of testing in the EU and had lifted restrict…

The Canary (2020-08-07). Record-breaking summers due to climate chaos 'a danger to human health'. thecanary.co Having record-breaking summers will become a certainty due to the climate crisis, experts have warned, as the UK begins to swelter in what could be the hottest day of the year so far.Just a week after Britain recorded the third warmest day on record on 31 July, with 37.8C (100.04F) recorded in Heathrow, Friday could see temperatures rise to — and possibly surpass — 37C (98.6F) in London and the South East.Michael Byrne, lecturer in earth and environmental sciences at the University of St Andrews, warned that two near-record temperatures so closely spaced is "unusual". | Exceptional heat in the southeast…

The Canary (2020-08-07). Three in 10 people 'uncomfortable' attending A&E if advised to by doctor. thecanary.co Around three in 10 adults would not feel comfortable attending A&E for urgent care if they needed it, a survey suggests.Some 61% of adults said they would feel comfortable to attend a hospital appointment if their doctor asked them to, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.Almost a quarter (23%) said they would feel uncomfortable with this, while 29% said they would feel uncomfortable about going to hospital for emergency treatment.Just over half (55%) said they would feel comfortable about visiting the emergency department if advised.And 14% said they would not feel comfortable seeing a healthcare profes…

Stephen Lendman (2020-08-07). Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), A Cure for COVID-19: Smear Campaign against US Doctors. Promotion of Hazardous Mass-Vaxxing. globalresearch.ca Big Pharma in cahoots with Big Media and Big Government want a known COVID-19 cure suppressed. | Why? Because an effective treatment is readily available, cheap, and if widely used to treat the disease or taken prophylactically to prevent it, Big …

WSWS (2020-08-07). Faculty at University of Akron reject sellout contract. wsws.org On August 5, faculty at the University of Akron voted down an offer that included layoffs of 96 full-time professors, pay cuts and increased health care premiums.

Marlee Kokotovic (2020-08-07). Sanders' Make Billionaires Pay Act would help cover medical expenses for every American for a whole year. nationofchange.org Over 5.4 million-Americans have lost health insurance during this time while billionaires are profiting off of the pandemic.

WSWS (2020-08-07). Health Commissioner forced out as New York City prepares to reopen schools amid national pandemic surge. wsws.org Dr. Oxiris Barbot's ouster indicates a more open return to the herd immunity strategy that guided the city's disastrous early response to the pandemic.

Peoples Dispatch (2020-08-07). Brazilian movements intensify "Out Bolsonaro" campaign. peoplesdispatch.org The authoritarian nature of the Bolsonaro government has rapidly intensified. Bolsonaro, acting against all public health specialists, as well as international entities and protocols, has denied the pandemic and adopted incorrect and disastrous measures. His grave mismanagement of the virus has made Brazil the global epicenter of COVID-19.

WSWS (2020-08-07). The Line movingly conveys health care workers' struggles during the pandemic. wsws.org A powerful play based on interviews shows how New York City's health care workers battled the pandemic as the health care system collapsed around them.

Chuck Collins — Helen Flannery (2020-08-07). Time for an Emergency Charity Stimulus. counterpunch.org We are living through a time of unprecedented challenges: a major public health crisis and a deepening recession. Congress has already authorized trillions in stimulus funds. But millions of Americans are still relying on the support of local nonprofits such as food banks and human services. These nonprofits are going to need major infusions of

Children's Health Defense (2020-08-07). Impacts of 5G Wireless Radiation on Children's Health: CHD Law Suit against FCC. globalresearch.ca What we put in our bodies and our children's developing bodies is the most important and most personal choice we make as human beings. But when it comes to damaging levels of radiation, that right to choose has been stolen …

WSWS (2020-08-07). West Palm Beach, Florida seniors face eviction from low income housing. wsws.org The St. Andrews Residence has been in disrepair for years leading many residents to believe the owners have deliberately neglected their health and safety in order to facilitate a sale of the million-dollar waterfront property.

teleSUR (2020-08-07). Trump Predicts Massive Use of COVID-19 Vaccine Before November. telesurenglish.net President Donald Trump Friday trusts that a vaccine to treat COVID-19 will be released before the elections and boost his presidential campaign. | RELATED: | He talks about a possible vaccine several times a day and assures his people that up to 500 million individual doses will be available very soon. | "I'm optimistic that it'll be probably around that date. I believe we'll have the vaccine befo…

Mehr News Agency (2020-08-07). Iran at forefront of providing aid to Beirut blast's victims. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 07 (MNA) — Appreciating the performance of the Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS), Lebanese Health Minister Hamad Hassan said that Iran is at forefront of providing assistance to Beirut blast's victims.

Mehr News Agency (2020-08-07). VIDEO: Lebanese health min. visits IRCS' field hospital. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 07 (MNA) — Lebanon's health minister visited the field hospital deployed by Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) in Beirut to provide emergency medical care to the people injured in the deadly blast.

imperial.ac.uk (2020-08-07). COVID-19 recovery choices will shape the future climate as well as economy. imperial.ac.uk While a pollution-free period hasn't averted climate change, the recovery offers a chance for health and nature, a study reveals…

_____ (2020-08-07). Professor Mounts High-Altitude Protest Against Pipeline. popularresistance.org Tim Takaro is by himself but insists he isn't alone. | Takaro, 63, is protesting the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project by camping out in a cluster of trees in Burnaby, B.C. | Takaro is a professor of health sciences and environmental health at Simon Fraser University and a former physician, having retired from clinical medicine in December 2019. | He and other environmental activists say trees along the Brunette River near the boundary between Burnaby and New Westminster are slated to be felled between now and Sept. 15 as part of pipeline construction.

sputniknews (2020-08-07). Botswana Rules Out Toxic Chemicals, Viral Diseases as Cause of Mysterious Elephant Deaths. sputniknews.com MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Botswana's Environment Ministry said Friday it had ruled out agrochemicals and infectious pathogens as a possible cause of hundreds of elephant deaths reported since March.

_____ (2020-08-07). War and Pandemic Journalism: The Truth Can Disappear Fast. strategic-culture.org The polio epidemic in Cork supposedly ended abruptly in mid-September 1956 when the local press stopped reporting on it, but that was at least two weeks before many children like me caught it. In a similar fashion, right now, wars in the Middle East and north Africa like the ongoing disasters in Libya and Syria that once got significant coverage now barely get a mention much of the time.

WSWS (2020-08-07). Britain's National Health Service workers demand pay rise amid COVID-19 crisis. wsws.org Hundreds of health workers demonstrated in London last week and dozens of protests are scheduled in cities across the country this Saturday, organised by Facebook groups.

yenisafak (2020-08-07). Coronavirus cases in Africa surpass 1 million mark. yenisafak.com Coronavirus cases in Africa exceeded the 1 million mark on Friday, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said on Friday, as the continent recorded 14,656 new cases over the last 24 hours.The death toll from the virus in Africa reached 22,066, while recoveries rose to 690,436.Southern Africa has confirmed a total of 565,100 cases, of which South Africa alone took by far the greater proportion that stood at 538,200.North Africa has 170,200 cases, West Africa 136,800, East Africa 85,600 and Central Africa 49,600.At least 10,200 people lost their lives to the virus in Southern Africa, 7,000 in North A…

yenisafak (2020-08-07). What you need to know about the coronavirus right now. yenisafak.com Here's what you need to know about the coronavirus right now: Grim forecast for U.S.Nearly 300,000 Americans could be dead from COVID-19 by Dec. 1, University of Washington health experts forecast, although they said 70,000 lives could be saved if people were scrupulous about wearing masks.The latest predictions from the university's widely cited Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) came as top White House infectious disease advisers warned that major U.S. cities could erupt as new coronavirus hot spots if officials there were not vigilant with counter-measures."We're seeing a rollercoaste…

yenisafak (2020-08-07). WHO appeals for $15 million aid for Lebanon after Beirut blast. yenisafak.com The blast, which killed more than 150 and injured more than 5,000, also destroyed 17 containers holding WHO medical supplies including personal protective equipment, the agency's regional office for the Middle East said in a statement late on Thursday.Five hospitals in the area affected by Tuesday's blast are either not functioning or partially functioning, and early reports indicate that many health centres and primary care facilities are also damaged or out of action, it said.Up to 300,000 people have been displaced from their homes and need food or shelter, which "also risks accelerating the spread of COVID-19…

yenisafak (2020-08-07). Russia offers to supply Philippines with COVID-19 vaccine. yenisafak.com Russia is willing to supply a coronavirus vaccine to the Philippines, or team up with a local firm to mass produce it, its ambassador to Manila said on Friday, as infections in the Southeast Asian nation surge.Russia is expecting regulatory approval for its first potential COVID-19 vaccine this month, with doses to be administered to frontline health workers first.But the frenetic race globally to develop a COVID-19 vaccine is raising some concern that speed could compromise safety and that some countries could be putting national prestige before solid science."We are ready to supply vaccines to the Philippines,"

yenisafak (2020-08-07). Beirut port blast: Death toll rises to 154, nearly 5,000 wounded. yenisafak.com The death toll from Tuesday's huge blast in Lebanon rose to 154, the country's health minister confirmed on Friday.Hamad Hasan told the state-run National News Agency that around 5,000 people were injured in the blast at the Port of Beirut, with 20% of them in need of medical treatment in hospitals.He also said that 120 of injured are currently in critical condition and many others require delicate surgeries.A fire at a warehouse at the Port of Beirut led to a huge blast on Tuesday causing massive material damage in several neighborhoods of the capital.The Lebanese government announced the formation of an investi…

commondreams (2020-08-07). Billionaires Should Pay for Needed Health Protections. commondreams.org ______________________________…

Julie Hollar (2020-08-07). As Biden Mulls VP Pick, Pundits Vie for Most Substance-Free Forecast. commondreams.org Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) on stage during the Democratic presidential debate at Texas Southern University's Health and PE Center on September 12, 2019 in Houston, Texas. (Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

Jessica Corbett, staff writer (2020-08-07). Analysis Shows Rapid and Reckless Reopenings Not Only Bad for Public Health—But the Economy Too. commondreams.org "There is no way around it: getting the economy back on track means controlling the pandemic." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

Elise Gould (2020-08-07). As Economic Bounceback Deflates, Lawmakers Must Act Now to Reinstate the $600 Unemployment Boost. commondreams.org "Federal policymakers need to act now to reinstate the $600 unemployment insurance benefits to the 30+ million workers who are desperately trying to make ends meet," writes Gould in response to Friday's latest job numbers. "And, those benefits are supporting a huge amount of spending, which means, with it, the loss of about five million jobs." (Photo: Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

Mark Gruenberg (2020-08-06). Progressives score big wins in Missouri and Michigan. peoplesworld.org ST. LOUIS—Progressive candidates, running on causes such as Medicare For All, the $15 minimum wage, workers' rights, and the Green New Deal, scored impressive wins in the August 4 Democratic primaries in Missouri and Michigan. Next battle up: Minnesota. The biggest win came in St. Louis, where Cori Bush, in her second try for the …

RT (2020-08-06). 'You're breaking the law!' LA mayor vows to CUT WATER & POWER to homes that host 'large parties'. rt.com LA Mayor Eric Garcetti has warned that residents hosting large home gatherings can expect their water and power utilities to be cut, a sharp escalation of the city's strict Covid-19 measures amid a series of recent house parties. | Starting on Friday, Garcetti said that the city's Department of Water and Power (DWP) would shut off service to properties where there are "egregious" violations of local health orders, pointing to house parties in the Hollywood Hills and Calabasas in recent weeks, which he said were held in "flagrant" defiance of the law. | "While we have already closed all bars and nightclubs, the…

RT (2020-08-06). 'Virtue signaling her way to reelection': Michigan governor roasted online after declaring racism 'PUBLIC HEALTH crisis'. rt.com Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer was accused of pandering to those engaged in identity politics, after she declared racism a "public health crisis" and said that everyone is plagued by unconscious bias. | The executive order signed by Whitmer on Wednesday mandates implicit bias training for all state employees. The ultimate goal is to build "a more inclusive and unbiased state that works for everyone," the Democrat governor said. | Implicit, unconscious bias exists within each of us, and, as public servants, we have a duty to understand how our bias can impact the lives of others. | Another measure rolled ou…

RT (2020-08-06). October surprise? Trump says Covid-19 vaccine possible before Election Day. rt.com US President Donald Trump has stepped up the already-improbable timetable on a potential coronavirus vaccine, hinting one might be ready "much sooner" than the end of the year – even before Election Day in November. | Asked by radio host Geraldo Rivera when the much-hyped Covid-19 jab will be available to Americans, Trump promised "Sooner than the end of the year, could be much sooner" on Thursday's show. | Also on rt.com | | When R…