Daily Archives: November 12, 2020

2020-11-12: News Headlines

_____ (2020-11-12). Supreme Court Challenge To ACA Highlights Why We Need Medicare For All. popularresistance.org Once again, the fate of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the health law passed under the Obama administration in 2010, will be in the hands of the Supreme Court. The court heard oral arguments in the case, California v. Texas, on Tuesday. A decision is expected in the spring. This is the third time the law has been tested in the Supreme Court, but this time experts are not certain the outcome will be as favorable as it was in 2012 and 2015 due to the loss of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and her replacement with Amy Coney Barrett.

Hajira Asghar (2020-11-12). Healthcare for millions on the line as ultra-right Supreme Court hears challenge to ACA. liberationnews.org For the third time in the past 10 years, Republicans have launched yet another legal attack at the Supreme Court in an attempt to eliminate healthcare coverage for millions.

RT (2020-11-12). US Covid task force chief Fauci says coronavirus vaccines should reach all parts of the world, not only rich states. rt.com America's top infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci has called on pharmaceutical companies and institutes developing coronavirus vaccines to ensure that they are available in all countries, not only the wealthy ones. | As companies talk about the ability to make billions of doses, "we don't need hundreds of millions for the rich countries," Fauci told a webinar held by British thinktank Chatham House. | "We need billions [of vaccine doses], so whether you live in the darkest part of the developing world, or if you live in London, you should have the same access." | Vaccines clearly have the potential to…

Shirley Sze, Daniel Pan, Clareece R. Nevill, Laura J. Gray, Christopher A. Martin, Joshua Nazareth, Jatinder S. Minhas, Pip Divall, Kamlesh Khunti, Keith R. Abrams, Laura B. Nellums, Manish Pareek (2020-11-12). Ethnicity and clinical outcomes in COVID-19: A systematic review and meta-analysis. thelancet.com Individuals of Black and Asian ethnicity are at increased risk of COVID-19 infection compared to White individuals; Asians may be at higher risk of ITU admission and death. These findings are of critical public health importance in informing interventions to reduce morbidity and mortality amongst ethnic minority groups.

Labor Video Project (2020-11-12). UCSF Hospital Bosses Cutting Staffing In Middle Of Covid Pandemic! indybay.org CNA UCSF nurses and workers from AFSCME 3299 and CWA UPTE spoke up against the cutbacks of nurses and other staff threatening the health and safety of the workers and patients. The UCSF management, UC Regents and Governor Newsom according to the workers are continuing to put profit before patients and workers.

Prof. Bill Willers (2020-11-12). Who Chooses the Official, Governmentally-Approved "Health Experts"? globalresearch.ca "My budget [is] highly earmarked, so it is driven by what I call donor interests." — "For the world at large, normalcy only returns when we've largely vaccinated the …

Peoples Dispatch (2020-11-12). Greek health workers observe national protests. peoplesdispatch.org The Federation of Greek Hospital Doctors' Associations, the key organiser put forth a set of demands to fight the pandemic. These include mass recruitment and appointment to permanent positions for all doctors…

WSWS (2020-11-11). US Supreme Court justices signal support for upholding Affordable Care Act. wsws.org Most of the justices gave a skeptical hearing to arguments that Obamacare should be struck down in its entirety because Congress eliminated the tax penalty for those who did not purchase insurance.

Health Care Voter (2020-11-11). Tuesday 11/10: #SaveTheACA Rally at Supreme Court w/ Health Care Voter (livestream). indybay.org Livestream recording of protest rally…

John Winstead (2020-11-11). Why pharma giant Pfizer should not control the COVID vaccine. liberationnews.org Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, along with its German partner BioNTech, is hoping to cash in on the promising new vaccine for COVID-19 unveiled this week. Studies have shown that when taken twice three weeks apart, the vaccine was up to 90 percent effective at preventing symptomatic occurances of the disease compared to those who took only …

Betsey Piette (2020-11-11). Wallace family calls for firing of police. workers.org The Oct. 26 police killing of Walter Wallace Jr. in Philadelphia was caught on a video that went viral, bringing thousands into the streets to demand justice for the 27-year-old Black man, who had been experiencing a mental health crisis. Despite a series of 911 callers saying Wallace needed an . . . |

Global Research News (2020-11-11). Selected Articles: How COVID-19 Vaccine Trials Are Designed. globalresearch.ca By While vaccine makers insist that any vaccine reaching the market will have undergone rigorous testing, the way trial protocols are designed suggests these vaccines may leave …

RT (2020-11-11). WATCH prisoners escaping by TUNNEL as Brazilian jail witnesses 2nd breakout in 3 months. rt.com Brazil's military police revealed that 11 prisoners escaped Pato Branco Public Prison in the country's south on Tuesday morning. | The inmates were caught on film from CCTV cameras while fleeing from a tunnel they dug. | Police said the fugitives had been digging a tunnel towards a health center nearby, until they reached a water gallery. They group fled around 6: 30am local time. Military Police captain Guido Benjamin told local media that inmates escaped in ordinary outfits, so they urged the public to be on the lookout for suspicious individuals in muddy clothes. He added that it is believed that the grou…

RT (2020-11-11). 'It's about people's lives': Vaccines should not be politicized & Hungary will work with everyone on Covid-19, Hungarian FM to RT. rt.com Political tensions should not affect international cooperation in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, particularly in the field of vaccination, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto told RT. | International cooperation based on mutual respect is now more important than ever before, Szijjarto said, adding that "hypocrisy, political correctness, judging and lecturing each other should be left behind" as the world struggles to cope with the pandemic that already claimed the lives of more than 1.2 million people. | "I have a feeling that the issue of vaccines is becoming over-politicized," he said.

Media Lens (2020-11-11). Robert Fisk: Death of a "Controversial" Journalist. dissidentvoice.org Robert Fisk, the Independent's Middle East correspondent, died on 30 October aged 74. In reviewing his life and career, the newspaper for which he worked for more than two decades wrote of their star reporter: 'Much of what Fisk wrote was controversial…' As John Pilger noted, in describing Fisk's journalism as 'controversial' the Independent was …

MEE staff (2020-11-11). UK urged to boycott G20 over Saudi Arabia's plans to displace Bedouin tribe. middleeasteye.net UK urged to boycott G20 over Saudi Arabia's plans to displace Bedouin tribe | Saudi Howeitat tribe accuses Riyadh of planning to expel them from their ancestors' land to build the megacity Neom on the Red Sea | Wed, 11/11/2020 – 12: 13 | Britain's Secretary of State and Foreign Affairs, Dominic Raab (Reuters) | A Saudi tribe has called on Britain's foreign secretary to boycott the G20 Summit set to be hosted b…

Julia Conley, staff writer (2020-11-11). Two Days After Pfizer's Hopeful Vaccine News, 82% of Doses Already Bought by World's Richest Nations. commondreams.org Campaigners on Wednesday warned that just two days after pharmaceutical giant Pfizer shared positive early results of its coronavirus vaccine trial, mass purchases of the vaccine by the world's richest countries have left more than 85% of the globe without any way to access it. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

WSWS (2020-11-11). Wall Street and global stocks boosted by news of COVID-19 vaccine. wsws.org The surge in the equity markets does not indicate any underlying strength in the economy but is more an expression of the highly speculative character of shifts by Wall Street investors.

Dr. Joseph Mercola (2020-11-11). How COVID-19 Vaccine Trials Are Designed. globalresearch.ca There's been a lot of talk lately about whether or not the fast-tracked COVID-19 vaccine will in fact be safe and effective. While vaccine makers insist that any vaccine reaching the market will have undergone rigorous testing, the way …

teleSUR (2020-11-11). Chinese CoronaVac Vaccine's Clinical Trials Resume in Brazil. telesurenglish.net Brazil's National Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA) Wednesday announced the resumption the Chinese COVID-19 CoronaVac vaccine candidate's clinical trials, which are being conducted in collaboration with the Brazilian Butantan Institute. | RELATED: | The announcement comes just one day after ANVISA decided to suspend phase 3 of CoronaVac clinical trials on Tuesday, following the death of a volunteer who committ…

Brett Wilkins, staff writer (2020-11-11). World Leaders Urged to 'Stand Up for Democracy' and Refuse to Meet With Pompeo After He Denies Election Outcome. commondreams.org "We cannot normalize Pompeo's threats to democratic legitimacy and the principles of a peaceful transition of power," stressed Serra Sippel of the Center for Health and Gender Equity. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

commondreams (2020-11-11). Most of Pfizer's Vaccine Already Promised to Richest, Campaigners Warn. commondreams.org ______________________________…

news.un (2020-11-11). UN envoy urges Yemen's warring parties to place 'a firm bet on peace', as famine threat continues. news.un.org The plight of Yemenis demands "nothing less than a firm bet on peace", the UN Special Envoy told the Security Council on Wednesday.

teleSUR (2020-11-11). Costa Rica: Government's Multisectoral Dialogue Advances. telesurenglish.net Focused on fiscal and public debt management issues, the 7th session of the multisectoral dialogue convened by Costa Rica's government began on Wednesday. | RELATED: | Tax evasion, tax avoidance and fraud, and the management of state assets will be also included in the talks which seek to find solutions to the health, economic, and social crisis sparked by the COVID-19 pandemic. | "We hope that with the same sense of r…

Elie Mystal (2020-11-11). The Affordable Care Act May Live to Die Another Day. thenation.com The Affordable Care Act May Live to Die Another Day…

Staff (2020-11-11). Days After Hopeful Pfizer Vaccine News, 82% of Doses Bought by Richest Nations. truthout.org Campaigners in the United Kingdom on Wednesday Pfizer says…

Peoples Dispatch (2020-11-11). Workers mobilize across Greece demanding protection of public health and safer workplaces. peoplesdispatch.org The Federation of Greek Hospital Doctors' Associations has presented a series of demands in light of the spike in COVID-19 cases. These include urgent mass recruitment and appointment to permanent positions for all doctors…

_____ (2020-11-11). More Than 14 Million May Have Lost Health Coverage. popularresistance.org In the latest analysis, researchers first tried to assess how many workers and dependents relied on job-based coverage as of March 2019. Then, using data from the Labor Department, they estimated how many workers lost jobs and how many of those had employer-based coverage. Researchers examined this information by industry, age and gender. | Some industries were affected more than others and a few were almost spared entirely. "As a result, we would expect the number of people losing jobs with [employer-sponsored insurance] to vary greatly by industry, and possibly by other characteristics, such as age and gender,"

sputniknews (2020-11-11). Argentina's President Alberto Fernandez in Isolation After Encountering a COVID-19 Patient. sputniknews.com The president, whose coronavirus test came back negative, nonetheless went into preventive isolation after Secretary for Strategic Affairs Gustavo Beliz tested positive for the disease.

Staff (2020-11-10). Supreme Court Justices Hint That Obamacare Repeal Is Highly Unlikely. truthout.org Supreme Court justices listening to oral arguments on Tuesday regarding the legality of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), sometimes referred to as Obamacare, signaled reluctance toward finding the law unconstitutional. | At issue is whether a portion of the law called the individual mandate

David Gamble (2020-11-10). White Supremacy Sanctions Internal and External Colonialism. dissidentvoice.org Introduction Regularly, the media has reported the dire effects of European dominance on the communities of a disenfranchised minority: the public execution of African-Americans by police, the epidemic of Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) in Canada, the shadow of residential schools in North America, the legacy of red-lining, the impact of the …

MEE staff (2020-11-10). Saeb Erekat, chief Palestinian negotiator, dies after contracting Covid-19. middleeasteye.net Saeb Erekat, chief Palestinian negotiator, dies after contracting Covid-19 | The 65-year-old senior Palestine Liberation Organisation official was being treated for the disease in a Jerusalem hospital | Tue, 11/10/2020 – 09: 12 | Saeb Erekat, Chief Palestinian negotiator, speaking to reporters in 2014 (AFP) | Saeb Erekat, chief Palestinian negotiator and senior Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) official,…

news.un (2020-11-10). UN agency for Palestine refugees runs out of money as COVID-19 spreads. news.un.org The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNWRA) has run out of cash on hand to keep vital services going amid the worsening health emergency, UNRWA spokesperson Tamara Alrifai told a regular UN press briefing in Geneva on Tuesday.

Dr. Binoy Kampmark (2020-11-10). Viral Optimism: The Pfizer-BioNTech Vaccine. globalresearch.ca The announcement that Pfizer Inc., along with its collaborative partner BioNTech SE, had come up with a successful vaccine candidate to combat the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2

RT (2020-11-10). Paris prosecutor's office advances criminal investigation into alleged mismanagement of Covid-19 in France. rt.com Four judicial inquiries have begun into the handling of the Covid-19 pandemic in France, with criminal charges under consideration including "voluntary abstention from fighting a disaster" and "endangering the life of others." | On Tuesday, five months after opening a wide preliminary inquiry into the potential mismanagement of the Covid pandemic in France, the Paris prosecutor's office decided to escalate the investigation. | The public prosecutor, Remy Heitz, claimed that the inquiry would focus on the impact of public decision-making on healthcare workers, public servants and those who were infected with, o…

Staff (2020-11-10). As U.S. Faces Out-of-Control Pandemic, Pfizer Raises Hope for Vaccine, But Many Questions Remain. democracynow.org Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer has announced that a Phase 3, late-stage study found their potential COVID-19 vaccine showed more than 90% effectiveness. The two-dose vaccine still faces several challenges, including how to store and transport it, since it must be refrigerated at subzero temperatures. Pulitzer Prize-winning science journalist Laurie Garrett says the news is hopeful, but urges caution. "There's been no scientific release. There's no published data," she says. "We don't have anything to go with except what the lawyers at Pfizer massaged carefully into a single-page press release. So, we have to take th…

Staff (2020-11-10). Dehumanizing the disabled won't end with a Dem in office. therealnews.com People with disabilities have loudly pointed out the ways our society and our healthcare system are made inaccessible to them. The COVID-19 pandemic has laid bare the cruelty of these systemic exclusions and injustices, and we can no longer ignore the fact that denying disabled rights means denying human rights.

Mark Gruenberg (2020-11-10). Biden backs Obamacare as SCOTUS ponders its future. peoplesworld.org WASHINGTON—For Julia Skapik, an M.D. who works at a community health clinic in Northern Virginia and sees many people struggling to pay their medical bills, keeping the Affordable Care Act as law of the land is nothing more than "common sense." "Why would you want to make it [health care coverage] more expensive and unpredictable?" …

RT (2020-11-10). WHO panel urges governments to share experience on 'effective fight' against Covid-19. rt.com A World Health Organization (WHO) panel has called on governments to pool their experiences in tackling the novel coronavirus, and so pass on the best methods they have discovered or developed in fighting the pandemic. | Former New Zealand PM Helen Clark, co-chair of the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response, said member states had been invited to make contributions to the group's work. | A "one size fits all" approach to the pandemic will not be appropriate, she added, but countries will still find it useful to "share experiences, and to consider policy alternatives and solutions developed…

Ragip Soylu (2020-11-10). Covid-19: Turkey to be prioritised in receiving vaccine, official says. middleeasteye.net Covid-19: Turkey to be prioritised in receiving vaccine, official says | BioNTech founder says vaccine could be given to Turkish citizens in the first three months of 2021 | Tue, 11/10/2020 – 15: 12 | Vials carrying a potential vaccine against coronavirus (Reuters) | Turkey will be among the first countries to receive the experimental vaccine that is proven to be 90 percent effective in preventing Covid-…

RT (2020-11-10). Displaced Syrians settle in ancient Roman ruin instead of 'overcrowded' refugee camps amid Covid-19 pandemic (PHOTOS). rt.com In a bid to avoid overcrowded refugee camps a family of refugees in Syria has set up home in the ruins of a Roman temple of the ancient settlement of Baquirha in the north of the war-torn country. | Abdelaziz al-Hassan, his wife and three children fled their home in Idlib last winter after a series of attacks on the city. | They now live in a tent village, pitched at the second-century temple of the ancient local god Baal, also called 'Zeus' in Greek mythology. "I chose this place because it provides peace of mind, far from overcrowded places and those riddled with disease," al-Hassan told the AFP news agency,…

The Canary (2020-11-10). Matt Hancock suggests vaccine will be rolled out from December, but not for everyone. thecanary.co The military and NHS staff are on standby to roll out a coronavirus (Covid-19) vaccine across the UK from the start of December, according to the health secretary.Matt Hancock said there were many hurdles to overcome before the "vast task" of vaccination could begin. These include regulatory approval of the new Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine and assessment of its safety data.No escaping second wave: On Monday 9 November, England's deputy chief medical officer Professor Jonathan Van-Tam told the Downing Street press conference he was "hopeful" there would be "some vaccine by Christmas". But he also urged caution.H…

RT (2020-11-10). Netherlands to cull 48,000 chickens after ANOTHER bird flu outbreak. rt.com The Dutch government has ordered the culling of a further 48,000 chickens after an outbreak of highly infectious bird flu was detected — the second such incident in less than a week. | Health officials said on Tuesday that an outbreak of the H5N8 strain of bird flu had been discovered at a chicken farm in the village of Lutjegast, in the northern province of Groningen. | A local transport ban on products including poultry and eggs has been placed on farms within a 10km radius of the affected site by the Minister of Agriculture and Deputy Dutch PM Carola Schouten. | It comes after the Netherlands, Europe'

Staff (2020-11-10). Headlines for November 10, 2020. democracynow.org William Barr Says Prosecutors Can Probe Voter Fraud Claims, as GOP Backs Trump Refusal to Concede, GA Republican Senators Call for Sec. of State to Step Down After They Fail to Win Their Races, Joe Biden Pleads for Use of Face Masks as U.S. Cases Top 10 Million, Saeb Erekat, Chief Palestinian Negotiator, Dies After Contracting COVID-19, Trump Fires Defense Secretary Mark Esper, SCOTUS Hearing Arguments in GOP Attack on Obamacare, Which Could Strip Healthcare for Millions, Evo Morales Returns to Bolivia, One Year After Coup That Ousted Him, Peru Removes President Vizcarra in Impeachment Trial, Protests Erupt in Ar…

Kuehn BM. (2020-11-10). COVID-19 Deaths Among US Clinicians. jamanetwork.com More than 100‚ÄØ000 US health care personnel have contracted coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) since February and at least 641 have died, according to a report by health officials from the CDC and several states.

Mehr News Agency (2020-11-10). Iran's COVID-19 cases surpass 700,000. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Nov. 10 (MNA) — The Iranian Health Ministry has confirmed 10,339 COVID-19 infections in the past 24 hours, bringing the total cases in the country to 703,288.

_____ (2020-11-10). Experts Temper Expectations For Pfizer's COVID-19 Vaccine. popularresistance.org Public health experts were among those who urged cautious optimism on Monday as pharmaceutical giant Pfizer announced that the first formal review of its coronavirus vaccine showed the vaccine is more than 90% effective at preventing the virus in trial volunteers who had never before had Covid-19. | Pfizer shared the news in a press release—not in a peer-reviewed medical journal, noted consumer advocacy group Public Citizen—amid its ongoing 44,000-person trial, which it is conducting with German drug manufacturer BioNTech.

teleSUR (2020-11-10). Sinovac Rejects Halt of its COVID-19 Vaccine's Trials in Brazil. telesurenglish.net Chinese vaccine developer Sinovac Biotech reaffirmed that its COVID-19 vaccine candidate CoronaVac is safe, following the announcement by Brazil's National Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA) over the suspension of clinical trials in the country on Tuesday. | RELATED: | "After communicating with our Brazilian partner, the Butantan Institute, we learned that their board believes that this serious adverse event is not r…

Antonucci E, Giovini M, Dell'Anna A. (2020-11-10). Noninvasive Oxygenation Strategies for Acute Hypoxemic Respiratory Failure. jamanetwork.com To the Editor The systematic review and network meta-analysis by Dr Ferreyro and colleagues found that noninvasive oxygenation strategies (ie, helmet or face mask noninvasive ventilation; high-flow nasal oxygenation) were associated with a lower risk of mortality and endotracheal intubation compared with standard low-flow oxygen therapy in adult patients with acute hypoxemic respiratory failure. This study could support wider use of noninvasive ventilation during the current coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, especially if the availability of ventilators is limited. However, some issues should be discussed furthe…

Gostin LO. (2020-11-10). The Great Coronavirus Pandemic of 2020—7 Critical Lessons. jamanetwork.com The world is experiencing a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic, causing untold human suffering and death, unraveling of social relationships, and robbing individuals of livelihoods and countries of prosperity. The coronavirus pandemic has strained health systems, revealed unconscionable inequalities, and upended international institutions. Here are 7 critical lessons.