(2020-11-25). COVID Economy: A Deliberate Disaster. counterpunch.org 
With nearly 12 million cases and a quarter million deaths in the US so far (over 55 million cases and 1.3 million deaths world-wide), the COVID 19 pandemic is ravaging civilization. The disease is on track to be the deadliest epidemic since 1918. The economic fallout for the working class has been severe. In the
(2020-11-25). Puzzling higher AstraZeneca vaccine efficacy for smaller dosage explained: It was reportedly tested on people only under 56. rt.com 
A seemingly strange phenomenon of a smaller dose of the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine being more effective than a bigger one is reportedly explained by it first being tested on a younger group. | On Monday, the pharmacological company
(2020-11-25). COVID explodes inside prisons, but only guards to get first doses of vaccine. liberationnews.org 
Over the past week, 14,697 new cases of Coronavirus infection were reported inside of state and federal prisons — the highest level since the pandemic began.
(2020-11-25). Cuba Successfully Halts Its COVID-19 Outbreak: A Reflection of the Socialist Revolution and the Legacy of Fidel Castro's Vision of Health Care. globalresearch.ca 'Private medicine grants privileges to those who have money to the detriment of those who do not have it and nothing could be more inhumane than that. It is unbelievable that rich societies that apply this and many other similar …
(2020-11-25). How a Turkish-German Couple Invented a Coronavirus Vaccine. counterpunch.org By now it is largely known that a Turkish-German husband and wife team are the frontrunners in the race to market a vaccine against the coronavirus. This is an extraordinary achievement for the Turkish-born Ugur Sahin who is the CEO of a German biotech firm called BioNTech. He co-founded the company with his wife and
(2020-11-25). Podcast: Statin side effects, vaccine latest and pandemic politics. imperial.ac.uk In this edition: The nocebo effect of statins, the latest on Imperial's COVID-19 vaccine and a former PM talks pandemic.
(2020-11-25). How the privatization of medicine in India is accelerating its COVID-19 death toll. peoplesdispatch.org The COVID-19 crisis was an opportunity for the public systems to recapture their rightful position as the predominant health care providers in the country. But the public systems were unprepared for the task…
(2020-11-25). Putin Talks Global Stability and Coronavirus Vaccine with Ambassadors. globalresearch.ca While receiving newly arrived Ambassadors accredited to the Russian Federation from different foreign countries including Rwanda, Gambia and Central African Republic, President Vladimir Putin stressed the importance of coordinating global efforts to ensure stability and halt the spread of coronavirus …
(2020-11-24). Report: Incarceration Destabilizes Neighborhood Economies. popularresistance.org A report released by the Maryland Center for Economic Policy suggests decreasing the state's prison budget will lead to a healthier economy and increased public safety. | The report, released Wednesday, found that Black Marylanders are 4 1/2 times more likely to serve prison sentences than any other racial or ethnic group. Indigenous Maryland residents are twice as likely to be incarcerated than any other racial or ethnic group. | "None of what we're doing is making any of us safer and it's most certainly not making those Black communities that are being robbed of human capital ‚Äï it's not making…
(2020-11-24). The Imperative To Achieve National Improved Medicare For All. zcomm.org The majority of people in the United States support a universal healthcare system. The opportunity to win it is now because the recession means our uninsured numbers will soar and the current healthcare system cannot address the COVID-19 crisis…
(2020-11-24). 'Foundational and necessary change' needed to heal post-COVID world. news.un.org With the COVID-19 pandemic precipitating one of the world's worst health, socioeconomic and humanitarian crises in over a century, the UN chief told a high-level discussion on Tuesday to seize the opportunity "to make real, foundational, and necessary change".
(2020-11-24). Poor People's Campaign mourns COVID dead, demands immediate help for workers. peoplesworld.org 
WASHINGTON—Demanding justice for the living and remembering those killed by the coronavirus, car caravans organized by the New Poor People's Campaign descended Nov. 23 on Washington, D.C., and 25 state capitals to demand further financial and medical relief from top government officials in the nation's fight against that modern-day plague. "In their memory, we must …
(2020-11-24). South Africa's constitutional Court protects domestic workers. peoplesdispatch.org 
"It's unbelievable. We feel like flying, we are so happy. I nearly broke into song inside [the Constitutional Court], breaking the law…" These were the words of 77-year-old Eunice Dhladhla, a domestic workers' union organizer, after the court ended years of unfair exclusion and discrimination against domestic workers. | Twenty-six years into democracy, and still domestic workers could not claim compensation for contracting a disease, being injured or disabled, or even dying while at work. The Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Disease Act expressly excluded domestic workers from the class of workers who…
(2020-11-24). Over ONE BILLION doses of Russia's Sputnik V vaccine against Covid-19 expected to be ready in 2021 as producer promises low prices. rt.com 
More than 500 million people will be able to take the pioneering Russian Sputnik V vaccine to fight coronavirus next year, according to is developers, who say the jab will be sold cheaper than those of its foreign competitors. | The drug will be produced not only in Russia but also by "leading foreign pharmaceutical companies" which have agreed to cooperation deals with the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF). Talks with additional international partners are underway to further increase production capacity. | "Sputnik V will be two or more times cheaper than mRNA vaccines with similar efficacy levels," RDIF…
(2020-11-24). Over 1 BILLION doses of Russia's Sputnik V vaccine against Covid expected in 2021 as producer promises low prices. rt.com More than 500 million people will be able to take the pioneering Russian Sputnik V vaccine against the coronavirus next year. Its developers say the two-shot jab will be sold cheaper than those of its foreign competitors. | The drug will be produced not only in Russia but also by "leading foreign pharmaceutical companies" who agreed to cooperation deals with the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF). Talks with additional international partners are underway to further increase production capacity. | "Sputnik V will be two or more times cheaper than mRNA vaccines with similar efficacy levels," RDIF said in a st…
(2020-11-24). How Many Lives Would Have Been Saved, If We Had Cooperated on a Vaccine With China? counterpunch.org 
We know that Republican office holders are not allowed to say that Joe Biden won the election. Apparently there is a similar ban in place for news outlets when it comes to the question of the United States collaborating with China, and other countries, in developing vaccines against the pandemic. In recent days, there have
(2020-11-24). Commercial interests & Russia/West geopolitical struggle combine to make race for Covid-19 vaccines a new battleground. rt.com 
It seems that the struggle to find a remedy to deal with coronavirus is being overtaken by geopolitical rivalries and prejudice. Not to mention the commercial interests at stake in a market potentially worth up to $100 billion. | Another vaccine has entered the race to rid the world of the Covid-19 pandemic, but unlike the US version, when the team behind the British-produced AstraZeneca product announced its successful preliminary trial results, the company's shares plummeted in trading on Monday. | By contrast, US pharma giant Pfizer's earlier announcement, on November 9, saw stock markets around the world (…
(2020-11-24). America and Britain are the Big Losers on the World Stage. counterpunch.org 
Lockdowns are unnecessary if the use of masks is practiced by 95 per cent of the population, says Dr Hans Kluge, the World Health Organisation's European chief. This is good to know, though it is a pity that the WHO did not make the point more forcefully in March as the pandemic was exploding across
(2020-11-24). America and Britain are big losers on world stage as they fail to control Covid. zcomm.org "It was clear that none of the great powers were looking to the multilateral system to provide an answer [to the epidemic]. As the death count rose, every country acted as if it was on its own, closing borders, stockpiling medical equipment, and introducing export controls."
(2020-11-24). On Coronavirus, We Must Not Allow Politics to Dictate Science. globalresearch.ca In these past couple of weeks, two important studies have been published that could dramatically increase our understanding of the Covid-19 disease. Adding to the science of how we understand and treat this disease is something that should be welcomed, …
(2020-11-24). Despite the CDC's Eviction Ban, Thousands of Tenants Are Losing Their Homes. thenation.com Despite the CDC's Eviction Ban, Thousands of Tenants Are Losing Their Homes…
(2020-11-24). Argentina: Defense, Health Ministries Ready for Vaccination. telesurenglish.net Argentina's ministries of defense and health are preparing for a large-scale vaccination campaign against the new coronavirus by planning the vaccines' cold-storage delivery and distribution. | RELATED: | "We have been working with the Ministry of Health for a month. First the ministers had a meeting, and now our teams are working together, coordinating almost daily," Defense Minister Agustin Rossi said. | To…
(2020-11-24). Iran to be able to mass-produce corona vaccine: Pres. Rouhani. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Nov. 24 (MNA) — Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that Islamic Republic of Iran will be able to mass-produce coronavirus, COVID-19, vaccines.
(2020-11-24). Capitalist Competition Is Sabotaging the Race for a Vaccine. commondreams.org The global race for a Covid-19 vaccine appears to be in its final leg. The research was publicly funded. But Big Pharma stands to make enormous profits, at the expense of people the world over. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2020-11-24). Strikes and protests across Germany against regular school operations. wsws.org Faced with mass infections at schools and a cover-up by the federal and state governments, students throughout Germany are beginning to take the protection of their health and that of their families into their own hands.
(2020-11-24). Nearly One-Third of New Yorkers May Not Use FDA-Approved COVID-19 Vaccine – Survey. sputniknews.com In the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, New York state, specifically New York City, became one of the top US hotspots that pushed hospitals to their limits and prompted the implementation of refrigerated trucks that were converted into mobile morgues to meet death toll spikes.
(2020-11-24). Active Surveillance Testing to Prevent Staph Spread in NICUs. jamanetwork.com Personnel in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) should conduct active surveillance testing for Staphylococcus aureus colonization of neonates to prevent the spread of infection during outbreaks or when incidence increases, according to a new CDC guideline.
(2020-11-24). Aid for American Indian, Alaska Native Individuals Who Want to Quit Smoking. jamanetwork.com The Indian Health Service (IHS) recently launched SmokefreeTXT, a mobile messaging tool to help American Indian and Alaska Native individuals quit smoking.
(2020-11-24). Hospital Procedural Volume, Market Share, and Outcomes, 2016-2018. jamanetwork.com This study investigates associations between US state certificate of need laws, which regulate health system spending and expansion, and markers of surgical quality, including procedural volume and postoperative outcomes for Medicare beneficiaries.
(2020-11-24). World leading experts in health, science and economics discuss post-Covid world. imperial.ac.uk The world's leading experts in health, science and economics discussed…
(2020-11-24). One sentence from Matt Hancock shows he's clueless about reality for most working Brits. thecanary.co On 24 November, health secretary Matt Hancock addressed a joint session of the Health and Social Care Committee and the Science and Technology Committee. | But one sentence from Hancock showed just how clueless he is about the reality for most workers in the UK. Hancock stated: We are peculiarly unusual and outliers in soldiering on and still going to work, and it kind of being the culture that 'as long as you can get out of bed you still should get into work. | What's really peculiar?: | Financial Times journalist Sarah O'Connor didn't pull any punches in her analysis of what's really peculiar about this…
(2020-11-24). Iran's daily COVID-19 infections exceed 13,700. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Nov. 24 (MNA) — According to the latest announced figures by the Iranian Health Ministry, 13,721 new COVID-19 infections have been confirmed in the past 24 hours.
(2020-11-24). USPSTF Recommendation: Behavioral Counseling for CVD Prevention in At-Risk Adults. jamanetwork.com This 2020 US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement recommends offering or referring adults with CVD risk factors to behavioral counseling interventions to promote a healthy diet and physical activity (B recommendation).
(2020-11-24). Medical Doctor Warns that "Bacterial Pneumonias Are on the Rise" from Mask Wearing. globalresearch.ca First published in October 2020 | "A group is suing Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum and Tulsa Health Department Executive Director Bruce Dart, saying the city's mask mandate is harmful to healthy people," reports
(2020-11-24). USPSTF Guideline: Counseling on Healthy Diet and Physical Activity to Prevent Cardiovascular Disease. jamanetwork.com This JAMA Patient Page reviews the 2020 US Preventive Services Task Force's recommendation to offer behavioral counseling to promote healthy diet and physical activity to prevent cardiovascular disease in adults with CVD risk factors (B recommendation).
(2020-11-24). USPSTF Report: Behavioral Counseling to Promote Healthy Lifestyle in Adults With CV Risk Factors. jamanetwork.com This systematic review to support the 2020 US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement on behavioral counseling to promote healthy diet and physical activity for cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention summarizes published evidence on the benefits and harms of behavioral counseling to promote healthy diet and physical activity for CVD prevention in adults with cardiovascular risk factors.
(2020-11-24). Hand Hygiene Gaps Identified. jamanetwork.com Hand washing or using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer after touching shopping carts, gas pumps, automated teller machines, and other frequently touched surfaces is a key strategy the CDC recommends to curb the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Yet a pair of surveys in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report found serious gaps in hand hygiene practices by race, age, and sex.
(2020-11-24). Community mental health services are letting people down just when they need them the most. thecanary.co Experiences of community mental health services are consistently poor and the coronavirus pandemic will prompt a rise in people seeking help at crisis point, the care regulator has warned. | "Few positive results": | People reported poor experiences of NHS community mental health services relating to access to care, crisis care and support for wider needs and "few positive results", the Care Quality Commission (CQC) said. | Many of those receiving care did not always receive support for their physical health needs or finding advice on managing finances or employment, the regulator said. Significant propor…
(2020-11-24). A month after being hired at suburban Detroit Fiat Chrysler plant, worker dies from COVID-19. wsws.org Stevie Brown, a temporary part-time worker at the Warren Truck Assembly Plant, is the latest victim of the murderous policy of keeping the factories open even as they have become a major vector in the spread of the deadly disease.
(2020-11-24). Study Aims to Identify Drugs That Could Be Repurposed for COVID-19. jamanetwork.com The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) recently launched a study to determine whether drugs that are already approved or in the late stage of clinical development might merit testing in larger clinical trials as a coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) treatment.
(2020-11-24). Workers Struggles: The Americas. wsws.org Health care workers in Argentina, hospital workers in Chile along with medical staff in Uruguay and Paraguay have conducted strikes and protests over inadequate government response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
(2020-11-24). Face Masks Pose Serious Risks to the Healthy. globalresearch.ca First published by GR on May 26, 2020 | "By wearing a mask, the exhaled viruses will not be able to escape and will concentrate in the nasal passages, enter the olfactory nerves and travel into the brain." — Russell Blaylock, …
(2020-11-23). American man with rare muscle atrophy comes to Russia & walks again, after US doctors gave him no chance of recovery (VIDEO). rt.com 
An American man with a rare muscle disorder took a chance on Russia after doctors back home gave him little hope of walking again. In the US, Alan Spencer's prognosis varied between being bedridden for life or wheelchair-bound. | Now, after a month of treatment, under the guidance of Russian specialists, he's able to walk on his own. | Spencer first felt something was wrong with his health around five years ago. Initially, it was his hands that lost their strength, then his condition began gradually worsening. | He was diagnosed with a very rare inflammatory muscle disorder known as inclusion body myositis, wi…
(2020-11-23). A People's Vaccine? Drugmakers Set to Profit from COVID Vaccines Made with Publicly Funded Research. democracynow.org 
With the world pinning its hopes on a successful coronavirus vaccine to curb the pandemic, corporate watchdogs say much of the research and development of the medicines rely on publicly funded research. "The investment in these vaccines, as for most drugs, has really been underwritten by the taxpayer, by the government," says Robert Weissman, president of Public Citizen.
(2020-11-23). Trump's Massive, Lawless, and Immoral Legacy to Our Country Will Continue Unless … counterpunch.org 
Trump has gotten away with almost everything throughout his bankruptcy-driven business career and his corrupt, cruel, and costly political years in the White House. Things changed on November 3, when he was retired by the voters.
(2020-11-23). Chile: Health Workers Go on Indefinite Strike. telesurenglish.net Chile's National Federation of Health Workers (FENATS) started on Monday an indefinite strike in response to failed negotiations with Sebastian Piñera's government over a series of demands, including the increment of funding for public health in the 2021 budget. | RELATED: | The second-largest union in the country stressed in a statement that "the precarious situation of Public Health, aggravated during the Covid-19 health crisis; the lack o…
(2020-11-23). Mass opposition among healthcare workers as estimated deaths exceed 20,000. wsws.org Over 800 St. Mary's nurses in Pennsylvania returned to work on Sunday with no evidence of a contract deal, just one example of various unions strangling strikes as health care workers face death on a massive scale.
(2020-11-23). People of Color Need Healthier Food. progressive.org We have the power to improve health outcomes by addressing a root cause of racial health disparities.
(2020-11-23). Abuses In Palm Oil Fields Linked To Top Beauty Brands. popularresistance.org Sumatra, Indonesia – With his hand clamped tightly over her mouth, she could not scream, the 16-year-old girl recalls — and no one was around to hear her anyway. She describes how her boss raped her amid the tall trees on an Indonesian palm oil plantation that feeds into some of the world's best-known cosmetic brands. He then put an ax to her throat and warned her: Do not tell. | At another plantation, a woman named Ola complains of fevers, coughing and nose bleeds after years of spraying dangerous pesticides with no protective gear. Making just $2 a day, with no health benefits, she can't afford to see a d…
(2020-11-23). New Report Finds that a "Delinquent Dozen" Pandemic Profiteers Failed Essential Workers and Forced Them to Risk Their Health, While Still Profiting Immensely. commondreams.org ______________________________…