(2020-11-05). UN raises alarm over Saudi activist Loujain al-Hathloul's health following hunger strike. middleeasteye.net 
UN raises alarm over Saudi activist Loujain al-Hathloul's health following hunger strike | The Saudi activist launched a hunger strike last month to protest against restrictions on contacting her family | Thu, 11/05/2020 – 12: 56 | UN experts have raised concerns about Loujain's health after launching her second hunger strike(AFP) | UN experts have raised concerns over the deteriorating health of jailed…
(2020-11-05). Palestinian prisoner Maher al-Akhras passes 100 days on hunger strike. middleeasteye.net 
Palestinian prisoner Maher al-Akhras passes 100 days on hunger strike | Taghreed, Akhras's wife, says her husband has been in and out of a coma as his health deteriorates | Thu, 11/05/2020 – 12: 01 | Palestinians carry placards demanding the release of administrative detainee in Israeli custody Maher al-Akhras during a demonstration Hebron, 3 November (AFP) | Palestinian prisoner Maher al-Akhras is on the "ver…
(2020-11-05). Labor Department reports 21.5 million still getting jobless aid. peoplesworld.org 
WASHINGTON—New claims for jobless benefits, from people thrown out of work by the coronavirus pandemic and actions to counter the community spread of the plague, totaled 21.51 million for the week ending on Oct. 17, the Labor Department reported. That doesn't count new claims for state or federal jobless benefits since then, the Bureau of …
(2020-11-05). UN rights experts call for release of Saudi activist championing women's right to drive. news.un.org The deteriorating health‚ÄØof Saudi women's rights activist Loujain Al-Hathloul is‚ÄØ"deeply alarming", UN-appointed rights experts said on Wednesday, calling for her release along with "all other women human rights defenders in detention".
(2020-11-05). Cost-effectiveness of cancer drugs: Comparative analysis of the United States and England. thelancet.com England's National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and the US' Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) both conduct cost-effectiveness evaluations for new cancer drugs to help payers make drug coverage decisions. However, NICE and ICER assessments have been noted to reach different conclusions. We aim to better understand the degree to which their recommendations diverge and what drives these apparent differences.
(2020-11-05). Mass detention of health workers in India; union to continue fight. peoplesdispatch.org As many as 2,000 Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) were forcefully detained in the State of Andhra Pradesh on November 2. They were staging protests to demand the implementation of the National Health Mission guidelines…
(2020-11-05). Official academics downplay the risks of school reopenings as pandemic rages across the US. wsws.org The official bourgeois academics and health experts, as evidenced by the likes of Emily Oster, Ashish Jha and Scott Atlas, place the profit interests of the ruling class above the safety and lives of the working class.
(2020-11-04). 'Serious situation': NHS England moves to highest alert level to stop Covid-19 cases 'spiralling out of control' in 2nd wave. rt.com 
NHS England will move to its highest alert level from midnight tonight as its chief executive warned that strident measures are needed to prevent Covid cases "spiralling out of control" and swamping the health service. | There are currently more than 10,000 Covid-19 patients hospitalized across England, with almost 1,000 on ventilators, according to government data. | Hospitals could handle about 20,000 coronavirus patients before hitting full capacity, according to NHS England on Wednesday. The agency's chief Sir Simon Stevens explained, however, that the country is currently dealing with "22 hospitals' worth…
(2020-11-04). Remember those who cops shot during mental health crisis. workers.org 
I'm angry. I'm a mentally ill person tired of seeing people like us die. I'm angry that no matter what we do, police intervene where they are not wanted and not trained and don't give a damn about us. So many people in the middle of a mental health break . . . |
(2020-11-04). How COVID-19 reveals inequalities in the U.S. economy. workers.org 
The Trump administration has admitted it has no plan to get COVID-19 under control. White House chief of staff Mark Meadows told CNN Oct. 25 that "We are not going to control the pandemic. We are going to control the fact that we get vaccines, therapeutics and other mitigation areas." . . . |
(2020-11-04). How Will the U.S. Election Change the Mideast? scheerpost.com By Juan Cole / Informed Comment If Joe Biden wins the presidency and the Democrats sweep to power in both houses of Congress, it will have a huge impact on domestic policies, on everything from health care to workers' rights to green energy. But the impact on foreign policy would be equally significant. The biggest foreign loser in such a sea change will be Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia is a country… |
(2020-11-04). Amazon Bans Book Exposing US COVID-19 Chaos. popularresistance.org A decision by the Amazon company to block a book focused on a scientific and cooperative approach to COVID-19 amounts to corporate information control operating at a new intensity. This censorship occurs while almost every form of U.S. media permits and promotes racist, unscientific and thoroughly confusing information. | The censored book is "Capitalism on a Ventilator: The Impact of COVID-19 in China & the U.S." This anthology of 55 articles by a broad range of social justice authors discuss the importance of free health care, social distancing, testing, protective equipment, education and social mobilizat…
(2020-11-04). The fraud of IMF-World Bank "debt relief" for poor countries. wsws.org Even where money is provided by the IMF, in many cases it is used not to finance health and other necessary measures, but to pay off private-sector lenders.
(2020-11-04). Capitalism's Worst Nightmare. popularresistance.org On this week's show, Prof. Wolff explores what major social changes will flow from today's combination of major economic crash and the viral pandemic (capitalism's worst nightmare). To answer, we consider how European feudalism changed after its 14th century combination of economic decline and the bubonic plague. The two big changes then were (1) switching from a decentralized to a strong state, monarchical feudalism and (2) transition from feudalism to capitalism. The two big parallel changes now are…
(2020-11-04). Coronavirus Mutations Unlikely To Resist Potential Vaccine. telesurenglish.net A study from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) confirms that SARS-CoV-2 virus mutations should not affect potential COVID-19 vaccines. | RELATED: | According to the Australian institution, after studying the 'D614G' mutation, which was considered "to adversely affect the efficacy of most vaccines," it was demonstrated that the mutation was not stronger than "virus neutralization assays performed…
(2020-11-04). Honduras: Preventable Diseases Impact Heavily on GDP. telesurenglish.net The World Food Program (WFP) warned that malnutrition, overweight, and obesity cost Honduras about 10.2 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP), which has become a significant health problem amid the COVID-19 pandemic. | RELATED: | Program and Policy Officer of the World Food Program, David Natarén said that this disease's overall cost is $2.341.4 million and malnutrition is the most expensive since it represents $2.005.1…
(2020-11-04). Robin Shattock says 'we could be living with COVID-19 for years to come'. imperial.ac.uk Imperial's COVID-19 vaccine lead, Professor Robin Shattock, has told MPs we could be living with the virus for years to come.
(2020-11-04). Is Adam Schiff an Anti-Semite? strategic-culture.org Is Adam Schiff an anti-Semite? | On its face, the question seems absurd. Not only is Schiff himself Jewish, but, as far as anyone knows, he's never uttered an unkind word in his life about Jews as a nation, religion, or ethnic group. So he seems to get a clean bill of health. Yet when it comes to Russia, his thinking hews so closely to the classic anti-Semitic model that one hesitates to let him off the hook. | Basically, Schiff obsesses about the Kremlin the way people used to obsess about a mythical entity known as the elders of Zion. According to the notorious czarist forgery known as the "secret protocols," t…
(2020-11-04). Saving Our Planet Is Our Responsibility. dissidentvoice.org Destructive human behavior based on selfishness, greed and ignorance has created the interrelated environmental emergency. A global crisis of unprecedented scale that threatens the survival of over a million plant and animal species, the security of tens of millions of people and the health of the planet. Unlimited irresponsible consumption of goods, services and animal …
(2020-11-04). South Korea Approves New Test to Simultaneously Detect COVID-19, Flu. sputniknews.com Health officials in South Korea have approved a new test that can detect both COVID-19 and seasonal influenza at the same time.
(2020-11-04). Protecting citizens from COVID while granting refugee access, can be done: UNHCR. news.un.org It is possible for countries to both protect public health and "ensure access" for vulnerable people forced to flee their homes, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said on Wednesday.
(2020-11-04). Coronavirus infects 8,452, kills 419 in Iran in 24 hours. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Nov. 04 (MNA) — The daily count of COVID-19 infections in Iran reached 8,452 on Wednesday, bringing the total cases to 646,164, according to the Health Ministry.
(2020-11-04). Unprecedented Move: The CDC Stops Tracking Influenza for 2020-21 Flu Season. globalresearch.ca I have been covering the fraud that happens every year with how the CDC tracks incidents and deaths due to the annual influenza for almost a decade now. | The numbers used each year to scare the public into getting the …
(2020-11-04). That Mask Is Giving You Lung Cancer. globalresearch.ca I happen to know a thing or two about masks and safety. Why? Because for 25 years I was the editor of an award-winning trade magazine called HazMat Management that covered such topics as pollution prevention and compliance with health …
(2020-11-03). Argentina to get 25 million doses of Russia's pioneering Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine — president. rt.com 
Millions of doses of the world's first Russian-made vaccine against Covid-19 are set to be received by Argentina in the coming months, the country's president has announced. It comes as the pandemic shows no signs of abating. | Some 10 million doses are expected to arrive in Argentina in December, President Alberto Fernandez told RIA news agency on Monday as his nation was holding talks with Moscow on the Sputnik V vaccine supplies. Another batch of 15 million doses is scheduled for early January. The leader later again confirmed the information in a separate tweet. | Como señalé en una entrevista periodística…
(2020-11-03). Dallas tenants stop an eviction, demand housing rights. liberationnews.org 
The tenants of Estelle Village apartments are calling for ceased evictions per the CDC moratorium.
(2020-11-03). Personal data of 1 million Swedes leaked to Facebook, Google & Microsoft by country's biggest insurer. rt.com 
Sweden's largest insurer, Folksam, has revealed that it accidentally leaked sensitive private data from one million of its customers to some of the world's biggest tech companies. | Folksam The leaking of Folksam's data, including customers' social security numbers, has been going on as far back as 2005, according to local
(2020-11-03). Black Hispanic People at Highest Risk for Severe COVID-19 Outcomes – Study. sputniknews.com A new study led by the Boston Medical Center (BMC) and recently published in the Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health has found that Black Hispanic people experience worse COVID-19 outcomes than other individuals.
(2020-11-03). 'The Coming War On China' — Watch John Pilger's Powerfully Relevant Documentary. strategic-culture.org Caitlin JOHNSTONE | "The aim of this film is to break a silence: the United States and China may well be on the road to war, and nuclear war is no longer unthinkable," Pilger says in his 2016 documentary The Coming War on China, which "In a few years China has become the world's second-biggest economic power," Pilger's introduction continues. "The United States is the world's biggest military power, with bases and missiles and ships covering ever…
(2020-11-03). UK Head of Vaccine Taskforce Shared UK Plans with Private Investors. truepublica.org.uk Just weeks after the government announced disgraced TalkTalk CEO Dido Harding was appointed as the head of the government's failed testing programme, it has been forced into making excuses to protect its latest decision over its choice of who should lead Britain's vaccine taskforce. The Times newspaper reported that — "The head of Britain's vaccine …
(2020-11-03). Preserving Elective Surgeries in the COVID-19 Pandemic and the Future. jamanetwork.com This Viewpoint describes the health burden imposed on patients and the logistical and financial burdens posed to health systems by the temporary halting of elective surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic, and proposes organizational and policy responses to maintain standards of quality and safety while sustaining the surgical services patients need.
(2020-11-03). Screening for Adverse Childhood Experiences—Reply. jamanetwork.com In Reply I agree with Dr Harris and with Dr Gordon and colleagues that screening for ACEs may reduce child abuse, improve the outcome of physical and mental disorders, and result in better public health, but this has yet to be proven. Where we primarily disagree is whether there are interventions that have been proven to improve health outcomes for children and adults who report high levels of ACEs on screening.
(2020-11-03). Effect of an Online Weight Management Program With vs Without Individualized Management on Weight Change. jamanetwork.com This cluster randomized trial compares the effects of an online weight management program with vs without a health manager monitoring progress vs usual care on 12-month weight change among adults with overweight or obesity and a diagnosis of hypertension or type 2 diabetes.
(2020-11-03). New Center at FDA Will Advance Digital Health Innovation. jamanetwork.com The FDA is launching a Digital Health Center of Excellence within its Center for Devices and Radiological Health to advance technologies including wearable medical devices and mobile health devices.
(2020-11-03). Pandemic's Toll on Young Black Women. progressive.org Structural racism, discrimination, and poverty—which have historically left Black people out of the healthcare system — are leaving leave us more vulnerable to a serious and deadly virus.
(2020-11-03). Pre-Vaccination Immunity Determines Effectiveness of Vaccines. globalresearch.ca Death due to influenza is over-reported. The Centers for Disease Control distributes a figure of 36,000 deaths a year from the flu. But data from the American Lung Association reveals flu-related deaths as low as a few hundred in a …
(2020-11-03). Long-term Health Consequences of COVID-19. jamanetwork.com This Viewpoint discusses long-term consequences of COVID-19 infection, including cardiovascular, pulmonary, neurologic, and mental health sequelae, and calls for an integrated, multidisciplinary approach to better characterize how post—acute phase disease manifests in organ systems and overall health.
(2020-11-03). Unexpected Health Insurance Profits and the COVID-19 Crisis. jamanetwork.com The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has placed unprecedented financial stress on most of the US health care system, including physician practices, emergency medical service systems, and hospitals. But there is one notable exception: health insurance companies. Sharp declines in elective care during the pandemic have reduced health care expenditures and contributed to earnings that are twice as large as those earned last year. For example, the UnitedHealth Group's net income during the second quarter grew from $3.4 billion in 2019 to $6.7 billion in 2020 and Anthem Inc's net income increased from $1.1…
(2020-11-03). Same Story, Different Decade: How WHO's Definition of a Global Pandemic Benefits Big Pharma. globalresearch.ca When WHO broadened its definition of global pandemic in 2009, H1N1 vaccine makers profited at taxpayers' expense. COVID vaccine makers will likely reap even more benefits. | *** | In the years leading up to 2009, the World Health Organization (WHO) worked …
(2020-11-03). Association of African American Race and Outcomes in Low-Risk Prostate Cancer With Active Surveillance. jamanetwork.com This cohort study estimates 10-year risk for disease progression, surgery, metastasis, and cause-specific and all-cause mortality among African American men with low-risk prostate cancer managed with active surveillance.
(2020-11-03). Large Meta-analysis Digs Into Obesity's COVID-19 Risks. jamanetwork.com This Medical News article is an interview with nutrition expert Barry Popkin, PhD, lead author of a new systematic review and meta-analysis of studies on coronavirus disease 2019 among individuals who are obese.
(2020-11-03). Trends in Industry Payments to Physicians in the United States From 2014 to 2018. jamanetwork.com This study uses Medicare Open Payments data to characterize trends in the prevalence and value of physicians' interactions with industry overall and by specialty between January 2014 and December 2018 after implementation of the federal Open Payments transparency program in 2013.
(2020-11-03). The US Military's 'Four Horsemen of Pharma': Destroying Veterans' Health? globalresearch.ca The
(2020-11-03). Reconsidering Health Care Fraud and Abuse Laws. jamanetwork.com When financial incentives influence physicians' clinical decision-making, there may be cause for concern. Not all inducements aimed at affecting the utilization of medical services, however, are ill-intentioned. At a time when medical spending is stressing the US health care system, financial inducements aimed at encouraging cost controls or improving outcomes should be supported. To more accurately distinguish between public-minded vs detrimental financial inducements, the time has come to revisit the health care fraud and abuse laws that regulate these inducements.
(2020-11-03). Newly Discovered Cellular Protection Pathway Blocks Ebola, COVID-19 Viruses. jamanetwork.com Faced with the urgent need for new antiviral strategies, investigators recently uncovered a surprising pathway that host cells use to protect against diverse viruses, including those that cause Ebola and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The findings, published in Science, point to a potential novel treatment target.
(2020-11-03). Swiss health workers organize week-long protest demanding pay rise and recruitment. peoplesdispatch.org Protests were organized across Switzerland by health workers with the support of trade unions and progressive political groups. The protesters demanded pay rise, bonus, safer working conditions and more recruitment…
(2020-11-02). Portuguese communists call to strengthen National Health Service to fight fresh spike in COVID-19. peoplesdispatch.org The Portuguese government has announced new lockdown restrictions in 121 municipalities across the country in the wake of a fresh spike in COVID-19 cases. A record number of 4,656 COVID-19 cases were reported on October 30…
(2020-11-02). 'If we invest in health systems, we can bring this virus under control' — WHO chief. news.un.org Health systems and global preparedness are not only an investment in the future but "the foundation of our response" to today's COVID-19 health crisis, the head of the UN's health agency said on Monday.