(2020-08-15). [World Report] Lebanon faces humanitarian emergency after blast. thelancet.com The explosion in Beirut is further straining the health system and food supplies, as well as risking the country's COVID-19 response. Sharmila Devi reports.
(2020-08-15). Fauci warns against herd immunity: "the death toll would be enormous" wsws.org Dr. Anthony Fauci, one of world's leading experts on infectious disease, warned against the relaxation of efforts to combat COVID-19, declaring, "The death toll would be enormous and totally unacceptable."
(2020-08-15). Leaking Fossil Fuel Wells: An Economic, Health, and Climate Crisis. indybay.org Leaking oil and gas wells in California are a health, economic, and climate crisis. The government needs to hold fossil fuel companies responsible to protect their citizens.
(2020-08-15). [Correspondence] Donation and transplantation activity in the UK during the COVID-19 lockdown. thelancet.com As of May 14, 2020, over 11‚Äà000 patients with COVID-19 in the UK were admitted to intensive care units (ICUs), with a median length of stay of 9 days.1 The COVID-19 pandemic had the immediate effect of severely reducing living and deceased organ donation and transplantation activity, as happened in other countries.2 On March 23, 2020, the same day that the UK Government announced lockdown restrictions, National Health Service (NHS) Blood and Transplant altered the age acceptance criteria for deceased donors to protect ICU bed capacity and maximise use of organs available for transplantation.
(2020-08-15). Russia starts production of 1st coronavirus vaccine. yenisafak.com Russia has started production of its first COVID-19 vaccine, the Health Ministry said on Saturday.Initial batches of the vaccine will be earmarked for immunizing doctors and health workers, before going to the general public.Russia officially registered the world's first coronavirus vaccine, developed by the Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, on Tuesday.The announcement drew skepticism worldwide as Russia plans to continue the third phase of trials along with the vaccine's production and use.However, Alexander Gintsburg, head of the Gamaleya Research Institute, defended the approach, s…
(2020-08-15). [Correspondence] COVID-19's impact on Australia's health research workforce. thelancet.com The COVID-19 pandemic has seen health and medical research promoted as countries establish resilient health systems and rapidly responsive prevention, detection, and treatment methods. However, the pandemic will probably negatively affect the capacity and outcomes of the health and medical research sector itself.1…
(2020-08-15). Weaponizing Intellectual Property: the Scientist and the Spy. zcomm.org Free cooperative development of ideas in these crucial areas to improve the world — food, energy, health — should be the norm…
(2020-08-15). [Correspondence] Interference in scientific research on COVID-19 in Turkey. thelancet.com Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), as it was later named, was first identified in Wuhan, China, on Jan 7, 2020.1 Over the following months, the virus rapidly spread throughout the world. The disease, COVID-19, was characterised as a pandemic by WHO on March 11, 2020. On the same day, the Turkish Ministry of Health reported the first case in Turkey.2 According to the Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data platform, which analyses the genomic epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2, the disease reached Turkey mainly through Iran, with whom Turkey has strong commercial and touristic ties, and…
(2020-08-15). [Clinical Picture] Crisis? What crisis? Abdominal pain and darkening skin in Addison's disease. thelancet.com A 19-year-old man presented with a 4-day history of abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and fever. He had no medical history. On examination his temperature was 38 ∑8 ∞C, he was dehydrated and tachycardic, and he had postural hypotension: his blood pressure was 110/40 mm Hg supine and 88/36 mm Hg standing. On palpation of his abdomen, the patient reported widespread pain with equivocal rebound tenderness. We also noted diffuse darkening of the mucous membranes and skin, which the patient said had gradually increased over the past 7 years.
(2020-08-15). [Correspondence] COVID-19 is an opportunity for reform in dentistry. thelancet.com The COVID-19 global pandemic continues to have devastating health, economic, and social effects, and is profoundly affecting the delivery of health services. Because of the infection risks associated with aerosol generated procedures, such as the use of high-speed drills, dental services across much of the world have been essentially closed since late March, 2020. During this period there was limited access to emergency dental care. Consequently, many desperate people with excruciating dental pain and acute oral infections have resorted to do-it-yourself dentistry, including the extraction of molar teeth without…
(2020-08-15). [Articles] Trajectories of childhood adversity and mortality in early adulthood: a population-based cohort study. thelancet.com Almost half of Danish children in our study experienced some degree of adversity, and this was associated with a moderately higher risk of mortality in adulthood. Among these, a small group of children had multiple adversities across social, health, and family-related dimensions. This group had a markedly higher mortality risk in early adulthood than that of other children, which requires public health attention.
(2020-08-15). [World Report] COVID-19 worsens Zimbabwe's health crisis. thelancet.com Years of neglect and doctors' strikes have pushed the Zimbabwean health system to the brink. Munyaradzi Makoni reports.
(2020-08-15). [Comment] Childhood adversity and death of young adults in an affluent society. thelancet.com Adversity in childhood can induce health, social, and economic problems that persist throughout the adult years and might be fatal. Systems for child protection, poverty alleviation, and family support are designed to minimise harm, and it is reasonable to expect that the impact of adversity should be lowest in affluent countries that have comprehensive social services. However, research from high-income countries has shown startling links between childhood adversity and premature death. Brown and colleagues1 in the USA, for example, followed up 17‚Äà000 adults who self-reported multiple adversi…
(2020-08-14). Headlines for August 14, 2020. democracynow.org U.S. Records 1,000+ Daily Coronavirus Deaths Again as 2,000+ Quarantined at Schools, Georgia Governor Drops Lawsuit over Atlanta Mask Mandate, CDC Director Warns U.S. Risks Worst Fall in Public Health History, Senate Adjourns Without Deal on New Coronavirus Aid as Millions Face Hunger and Eviction, Coronavirus Cases Surge in India, Peru, Spain, France and Elsewhere, Israel to Normalize Relations with United Arab Emirates Despite Palestinian Protest, Unexploded Missile Found at U.N.-Run School as Israel Attacks Gaza Strip, Trump Admits He's Undermining the U.S. Postal Service to Thwart Mail-in Voting, USPS Confirm…
(2020-08-14). Learning from Harry Haywood in the fight for Black freedom and socialism. fightbacknews.org Anyone doubting the relevance of Harry Haywood's writings in 2020 hasn't paid much attention to political events this year. | After success in three early Democratic primaries, Bernie Sanders' social democratic campaign for president, supported by the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), ran first aground in South Carolina in February. African American voters turned out in greater numbers for his opponent, Joe Biden, even while favoring many of Sanders' policies like Medicare For All. Voter turnout was low in general, owing to the fundamentally undemocratic character of the U.S. political system, and a lot of…
(2020-08-14). Poor People's Army To Protest At Biden's Headquarters During DNC. popularresistance.org Protestors have declared that irrespective of permits, they plan to march on Presidential Candidate Biden's national headquarters on August 17th at 4pm from the Liberty Bell. Upon arrival demonstrators will present the DNC and Biden offices with a list of demands. They include: | ‚óè Unite immigrant families and children | ‚óè Transfer the war budget to provide healthcare, housing, and food for people | ‚óè Meet with PPEHRC homeless families that are forced to live in abandoned houses…
(2020-08-14). Where is resistance to structural violence of capitalism? mronline.org 
The reality in the United States has come to this: 160,000 dead in four months, thousands hospitalized, and many thousands sick or afraid to be sick because they have no sick days and no health insurance.
(2020-08-14). Trump's Plan: Gut Social Security, Bankrupt the States. counterpunch.org 
Trump's economic policy is simple: gut social security and bankrupt the states. He made this clear when he announced his executive orders on August 8. By suspending the payroll tax, he chokes off funding for social security and Medicare; he says he'll ditch that tax completely if reelected. That means in about 10 years the
(2020-08-14). Writing at a time of plague: Boccaccio, Dante, Petrarca, Chaucer. peoplesworld.org 
The Black Plague was the most devastating pandemic ever recorded, resulting in the deaths of between 75-125 million people. It peaked in Europe between 1347 and 1351, having come on Italian merchant ships from Asia via the Silk Road. In fact, the idea of quarantine originates in plague-stricken 14th-century Italy, when ships arriving in Venice …
(2020-08-14). Megachurch sues California, challenging state over ban on large religious services while allowing massive protests. rt.com 
A California church has sued the state, arguing it was hypocritical to restrict religious services because of the Covid-19 pandemic while allowing political gatherings, such as Black Lives Matters protests, to rumble on. | Grace Community Church in suburban Los Angeles filed the suit on Thursday, saying Governor Gavin Newsom and other state and city officials have violated California's constitution by applying pandemic regulations unequally. | "It is time for California to explain how it can justify banning worship to prevent the spread of a disease (with an overall mortality rate of 0.02 percent) while it is…
(2020-08-14). 'Health risks far too great': Iconic 'Tribute in Light' display to honor 9/11 victims 'put out' over CORONAVIRUS fears. rt.com 
Towering beams of light representing the Twin Towers will not be part of this year's 9/11 commemoration, with event organizers saying that a highlight of the anniversary is now canceled due to coronavirus concerns. | The memorial said that it had made "an incredibly hard decision" to cancel the spectacle, but since "a large crew" is required to make it happen, the event entails "far too great" of a risk amidst the coronavirus pandemic. | Instead of the annual display that first pierced the skies over New York City in 2002 — visible all the way to Northern New Jersey and Long Island — the museum said…
(2020-08-14). Spain bans OUTDOOR smoking and shuts nightclubs & discos as Covid-19 cases spike. rt.com 
Madrid has rolled out a new set of anti-coronavirus measures, shutting down some public venues and banning smoking in the street without social distancing. It comes as some 3,000 new cases of Covid-19 are being reported daily. | The new nationwide restrictions were announced on Friday by Spain's Health Minister Salvador Illa. The official didn't give a precise timeframe for when the restrictions would come into force, saying only that it would be within the next few days. | Young people must be particularly careful, Illa stressed, urging them to show "discipline" and follow "the measures, just like older peopl…
(2020-08-14). Trump says he HOPES Russian Sputnik V vaccine works, but US will soon roll out one too. rt.com 
President Donald Trump has expressed the hope that the world's first registered Covid-19 vaccine from Russia will work, but he says the US could have its own ready very soon, after a lengthier trial process. | Production of Russia's Covid-19 vaccine has already begun, and 500 million doses are expected to have been made within the next 12 months. The jab, dubbed 'Sputnik V', is supposed to offer protection from the coronavirus for up to two years. | Asked about the rapidly developed vaccine at a Friday press conference, Trump said he hoped the vaccine would be effective, but claimed the US may soon have good n…
(2020-08-14). More than a third of Americans would not want a Covid-19 vaccine if offered — poll. rt.com 
According to a new poll, 35 percent of Americans will choose not to get vaccinated for the novel coronavirus when the option becomes available — and that number turns out to be similar along all major demographics. | Only 60 percent of US citizens want to get the vaccine, a Friday NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist The numbers don't seem to shift dramatically when breaking the statistics down by political af…
(2020-08-14). All Vaccines Are Unsafe. Russia's Sputnik V COVID-19 Vaccine Now Available. globalresearch.ca On August 11, Russia registered the first vaccine for use against COVID-19, named Sputnik V. More on this development below. | *** | Toxins in vaccines make them hazardous to human health. | Time and again, they cause diseases they're promoted as protection …
(2020-08-14). Open Letter to Dr. Anthony Fauci Regarding the Use of Hydroxychloroquine for Treating COVID-19. globalresearch.ca By George C. Fareed, MD Brawley, California Michael M. Jacobs, MD, MPH Pensacola, Florida Donald C. Pompan, MD Salinas, California | August 12, 2020 | Anthony Fauci, MD | National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases | Washington, D.C. | Dear Dr. Fauci: | You were …
(2020-08-14). Massive Evictions Will Compound the Public Health Crisis. globalresearch.ca Since March of this year the United States has been plunged into the worst outbreak of an infectious viral disease since the influenza pandemic of 1918-1920. | The impact of the COVID-19 outbreaks beginning in February and March has resulted in …
(2020-08-14). School That Suspended Student Documenting Lack of Social Distancing Goes Virtual. zcomm.org In spite of President Donald Trump's errant assurances that children are "almost definitely" immune from COVID-19, at least 97,000 kids in the United States tested positive for the disease in the last two weeks of July…
(2020-08-14). Brazil's national government has undermined COVID-19 containment measures. peoplesdispatch.org Matheus Falcà£o of Brazilian Center for Health Studies and the Peoples Health Movement Brazil talks the COVID-19 situation in Brazil and how the government's decisions got the country to where it is today.
(2020-08-14). Mexicans to Receive the COVID-19 Vaccine for Free, AMLO Vows. telesurenglish.net Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO) Thursday announced that the COVID-19 vaccine, which was created by Oxford University and developed by AstraZeneca, will be distributed free of charge to all inhabitants of the country. | RELATED: | He stressed that the Constitution, which establishes the right to health care, must be respected. As a result, Mexico will not select who will receive the vaccine. | "All…
(2020-08-14). US health insurance companies reap billions as COVID-19 pandemic inflicts death and destitution. wsws.org The largest healthcare chains, including Anthem, Humana, and UnitedHealth Group, have reported second-quarter earnings at double the rate from the same period last year.
(2020-08-14). South Korea: Doctors on Strike to Reject Training Plan. telesurenglish.net Over a quarter of South Korea's medical clinics closed Friday as physicians protest against new plan to train more doctors. | RELATED: | Moon Jae-in's administration plans to train 4,000 new medical students over the next 10 years, arguing the need to be better prepared for public health crises. | The Korea Medical Association (KMA) strongly opposed to an increase in the admission quotas…
(2020-08-14). New Orleans trans community wins $256 name change fee decrease. fightbacknews.org New Orleans, LA – On August 13, the Real Name Campaign NOLA celebrated a $256 filing fee reduction for name changes. The Orleans Parish Civil District Court dropped the fee from an outrageous $506 to $250 after a year of community pressure. | This marks an important victory for trans and gender non-conforming (TGNC) people in New Orleans. Incorrect names on IDs out TGNC people, exposing them to discrimination in employment, healthcare, housing and many other aspects of life. | Naming yourself is a fundamental right, so the courts deny our humanity by denying our names. | But trans communities are beautiful, resi…
(2020-08-14). Brazil: Health Minister Admits Lack Of COVID-19 Medicines. telesurenglish.net President Jair Bolsonaro's administration Friday acknowledged a lack of drugs to fight COVID-19 in Brazil, a country that has reported 3,229,621 cases and 105,564 deaths so far. | RELATED: | Acting Health Minister Eduardo Pazuello said that several municipalities and hospitals had a lack of medicines and that his Ministry did everything within his power to ease that situation. | "States and municipalities never refused to do their part in the fight, with…
(2020-08-14). How the Covid-19 Crisis Affects Individual Rights and Freedoms. A New Crisis in International Law? globalresearch.ca One of the direct impacts of the spread of the coronavirus COVID-19 is challenging human rights. The pandemic not only created and still creating health issues, economic challenges, political crises and social conflicts around the world, it also affects individual …
(2020-08-14). PAHO: COVID-19 Contagions Increase in Central America. telesurenglish.net Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) authorities warned on Friday that there is a resurgence of the COVID-19 pandemic in Central America amid the efforts to de-escalate restrictions measures in several countries. | RELATED: | During the last two months, there has been an increment in deaths and infections in Panama, Costa Rica, Guatemala; El Salvador; Honduras, and Nicaragua, taking into account official data fro…
(2020-08-14). Why I Am Voting No on the Democratic Party Platform. zcomm.org History teaches us that the Democratic Party has sometimes faced an issue so great that it alone should be the yardstick for measuring the wisdom of voting for or against the platform. This is one of those times. And Medicare for All is that issue.
(2020-08-14). Russia to Start the Production of Its COVID-19 Vaccine in Cuba. globalresearch.ca Russia's Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) Chief Executive Officer Kiril Dmitriev announced that Cuba could begin producing the COVID-19 vaccine, the Sputnik V, in November. | "Cuba has a large capacity to produce medicines and vaccines with highly qualified staff. We could …
(2020-08-14). Best COVID-19 vaccine 'may not be the first'. imperial.ac.uk In a week in which Russia approved its 'Sputnik V' coronavirus vaccine, a leading Imperial expert sounds a note of caution on the need for data.
(2020-08-14). Minneapolis Reneging On George Floyd Promises. popularresistance.org At the height of the Minneapolis rebellion, a majority of the city council announced they would move towards "disbanding" their police force, in response to Black Lives Matter "abolition" demands. It turned out that what the councilpersons were actually proposing was a name change, retaining a force of armed cops in a new "Department of Community Safety and Violence Prevention" with a "holistic, public health-oriented" mission. But even this palliative was too much for the Minneapolis Charter Commission, which voted to delay putting the police reorganization question on the November ballot, effectively killing th…
(2020-08-14). Public Health Officials Are Quitting or Getting Fired in Throes of Pandemic. truthout.org Vilified, threatened with violence or in some cases suffering from burnout, dozens of state and local public health officials around the U.S. have resigned or have been fired amid the coronavirus outbreak, a testament to how politically combustible masks, lockdowns and infection data have become. | One of the latest departures came Sunday, when California's public health director, Dr. Sonia Angell, was ousted following a technical glitch that caused a delay in reporting virus test results [mda…
(2020-08-14). North Korea's Kim says no to foreign flood aid. yenisafak.com Addressing Political Bureau of the 7th Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, Kim said: "The situation, in which the spread of the worldwide malignant [COVID-19] virus has become worse, requires us not to allow any outside aid for the flood damage but shut the border tighter and carry out strict anti-epidemic work," state-run Korean Central News Agency reported.At least 39,296 hectares of land was marooned due to the ongoing rainy season and Kangwon, North and South Hwanghae provinces and Kaesong City were hit badly.At least 16,680 houses and over 630 public buildings were destroyed or inundated beside…
(2020-08-14). Iran reports 169 more virus deaths, over 2,500 cases. yenisafak.com At least 169 more coronavirus-related fatalities have raised the death toll in Iran to 19,331, the Health Ministry said Friday.Some 2,501 more people tested positive for COVID-19 over the past 24 hours, pushing the overall count up to 338,825, according to ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari.She said more than 293,811 patients have recovered so far, while 3,956 are hospitalized in critical condition. Over 2.81 million tests have been conducted in Iran to date.Iran is struggling to contain the pandemic since February, when the first cases were confirmed in the holy city of Qom.The coronavirus pandemic has claimed…
(2020-08-14). US declined Russia's help offer on vaccine: Report. yenisafak.com The US allegedly declined Russia's help offer over the coronavirus vaccine, Russian officials told CNN. | The officials, who spoke anonymously, said Thursday that they proposed "unprecedented cooperation" with the US' Operation Warp Speed, a governmental program that aims to begin delivering millions of doses of an effective virus vaccine by the end of 2020. However, they claimed the US "is not currently open" for cooperation. | The remarks came days after Russia announced Tuesday it had developed a coronavirus vaccine. | They added that Russia maintains its will to share information about the vaccine and allow t…
(2020-08-14). Campaigners Warn UK's Covid-19 Vaccine Deals With Novavax and Janssen Threaten Fair Global Distribution. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2020-08-13). Ilhan Omar defeats Corporate Democrat, Israel Lobbies in Overwhelming Primary Victory. zcomm.org Although the Israel lobbies put a lot of money into defeating Omar, the issues on which she won, of progressive policing and health care, were largely disconnected from the geopolitical ones where her straight talk had attracted so much vitriol to her…
(2020-08-13). Bolivia's perfect storm: Pandemic, economic crisis, repressive coup regime. mronline.org 
The rising toll of diseased and deceased from the COVID-19 pandemic has hit Bolivia particularly hard, in a continent that is now in the lead in global contagion rates.
(2020-08-13). U.S. the world leader in both health and economic disaster. peoplesworld.org 
With more than 5 million cases, the U.S. is the world leader in the numbers of people infected with the deadly coronavirus. To top that off, jobless figures released today show that at least 30 million are unemployed, with the actual number estimated to be well over 50 million. The percentage of people who are …
(2020-08-13). Testing and medical insurance: a profitable disaster. workers.org 
Drive-through COVID-19 testing in Bergen County, N.J. These tests were a "partnership" of state government with Quest Diagnostics and Walmart stores hosting the sites. In the midst of a capitalist crash and an out-of-control health crisis, two mega-industries that bear a heavy burden of responsibility for the health disaster are . . . |
(2020-08-13). Fed-up women health workers lead strike of 3.5 million across India. workers.org 
Workers around the world are demonstrating against their governments' policies in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. From South America to Asia, political protests and strikes are taking place. In many countries, health workers are in the lead, as they are on the front lines in this massive medical crisis. They . . . |