Daily Archives: December 8, 2020

2020-12-08: News Headlines

Sara Flounders (2020-12-09). China's global vaccines — a game changer. workers.org In the U.S., with less than 5% of the world's people, there is little concern for the fate of the globe's other 95% who are facing the pandemic. When, how and under what conditions a vaccine will be distributed in the U.S. is the overwhelming U.S. concern. Rates of COVID-19 . . . |

Informed Consent Action Network (2020-12-09). Pathologist Petitions FDA to Halt Pfizer Emergency Use Authorization Until Vaccine Efficacy Confirmed. globalresearch.ca Connecticut pathologist Dr. Sin Hang Lee and Informed Consent Action Network (ICAN) have "Until an accurate count of …

Media Lens (2020-12-08). Stuck in a Lift with John Pilger: News and How to Use It by Alan Rusbridger. dissidentvoice.org Noticing the way journalists seemed unable to resist commenting on our work, even if it was just to slag us off, Glenn Greenwald tweeted us in 2012: 'You are really deeper in the heads of the British establishment-serving commentariat than anyone else — congrats.' ((Greenwald, Twitter, 12 September 2012.)) If that was true then, our relationship …

The Canary (2020-12-08). Six reasons why the coronavirus pandemic will not be over soon. thecanary.co The coronavirus (Covid-19) vaccination programme has started in the UK but the public has been warned that the pandemic is not over yet.Coronavirus restrictions could still be in place for weeks and months to come as the NHS, regulators, scientists and, manufacturers take on the challenge of rolling out vaccines for the country's population.Here are some of the reasons why life still won't be returning to normal soon: 1. Millions of vaccine doses are yet to be deliveredA phial of the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine concentrate is transported from storage ready for use at Guy's Hospital in London (Victoria Jone…

MEE staff (2020-12-08). Covid-19 vaccine: How the Middle East and North Africa is preparing. middleeasteye.net Covid-19 vaccine: How the Middle East and North Africa is preparing | MEE takes a look at which countries have ordered doses so far and what their governments have said about efforts to secure the vaccines | Tue, 12/08/2020 – 09: 29 | With most vaccines requiring two doses per person, large order numbers may not actually be as substantial as they appear (AFP) | This month, Covid-19 vaccines are set to begin ro…

RT (2020-12-08). Russian health watchdog chief calls for two month Covid-19 vaccine booze ban, but top doctor says champagne is fine. rt.com Russian fizz aficionados held their breath today as a row broke out between public health officials over whether it is safe to drink alcohol before or after having the Covid-19 vaccine. | On Tuesday, the head of Russia's health protection agency, Anna Popova,

Ralph Nader (2020-12-08). Action for Change Starts in Congress. counterpunch.org We know their names! We've given immense power to Five Hundred and Thirty-Five People to do good or bad. One Hundred Senators and Four Hundred and Thirty-Five Representatives. Unfortunately, some 1500 corporations control most Members of Congress. Think about all the dreams for a better world that could come to be realized if our elected officials

Sergio Ferrari (2020-12-08). Cuba: A sign of hope for impoverished countries. peoplesworld.org Just a few days before commercial flights with Cuba were reestablished, in the middle of November, the Swiss physician and professor Franco Cavalli traveled to that Caribbean nation. He is president of MediCuba Europe, an important network of healthcare NGOs with a presence in 13 countries. He is also one of the first European scientists …

RT (2020-12-08). Medical journal confirms AstraZeneca's Covid vaccine 70% effective, but confusing test results hinder global rollout. rt.com With AstraZeneca's long-awaited Covid-19 vaccine approaching UK approval, peer-reviewed data shows the jab to be 70 percent effective. Behind that number, however, lurks a confusing backstory. | Developed in partnership with Oxford University, AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine was found to be 70.4 percent effective in a peer-reviewed

Mike Whitney (2020-12-08). The COVID-19 Vaccine; Is the Goal Immunity or Depopulation? globalresearch.ca "There is absolutely no need for vaccines to extinguish the pandemic… You do not vaccinate people who aren't at risk from a disease. You also don't set about planning to vaccinate millions of fit and healthy people with a vaccine …

Mehr News Agency (2020-12-08). Iran COVID-19 update: 11,023 infections, 323 deaths. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Dec. 08 (MNA) — The Iranian Health Ministry has confirmed 11,023 COVID-19 infections and 323 deaths due to the respiratory disease in the past 24 hours.

Kuehn BM. (2020-12-08). Pulmonary Fungal Infections Affect Patients With COVID-19. jamanetwork.com Investigators in Spain and the United States have added 20 new case reports to mounting evidence that patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are vulnerable to developing pulmonary aspergillosis. Authors of the case series noted that increased physician awareness in recent years of an association between severe influenza and the fungal infection may have led to more rapid recognition of coronavirus disease—associated pulmonary aspergillosis (CAPA).

Mehr News Agency (2020-12-08). VIDEO: Old British woman receives world's first COVID vaccine. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Dec. 08 (MNA) — A 90-year-old Margaret British woman, Keenan, became the first patient in the world to receive the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine.

Kuehn BM. (2020-12-08). Looking to Long-term Survivors for Improved Pancreatic Cancer Treatment. jamanetwork.com This Medical News article examines how studying the characteristics of long-term pancreatic cancer survivors might improve treatment and boost survival for others who have the disease…

Butler SM. (2020-12-08). Four COVID-19 Lessons for Achieving Health Equity. jamanetwork.com The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has underscored the deep inequities in our health care system. The disproportionately high levels of COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths among non-White racial groups reflect poorer underlying health, housing, and job conditions among these minority groups, as well as an inequitable distribution of health resources and persistent gaps in insurance coverage.

WSWS (2020-12-08). Workers Struggles: The Americas. wsws.org Health care workers in Argentina and California have staged actions over COVID-19 issues while pandemic related issues have sparked actions by other sections of workers, including food processing workers and hotel workers.

Mike Raccoon Eyes Kinney (2020-12-08). TIBETAN DELEK CHILDREN'S FOUNDATION. indybay.org Non Profit helps Tibetan children with health care & education…

Sasha Abramsky (2020-12-08). We're Now Facing Both a Public Health and a Poverty Catastrophe. thenation.com We're Now Facing Both a Public Health and a Poverty Catastrophe…

WSWS (2020-12-08). Reopening of New York City schools threatens massive spread of COVID-19. wsws.org The driving force behind the homicidal campaign to open schools and nonessential workplaces is not science or public health, but rather the profit interests of the capitalist class.

Abbasi J. (2020-12-08). Using Smartwatch Data to Detect COVID-19 Cases Early. jamanetwork.com Early this year, investigators at the Scripps Research Translational Institute found that resting heart rate and sleep data from wearable sensors could predict population-level trends in influenza-like illness. Now, a new study from the same team suggests that wearable sensor data combined with self-reported symptoms might aid in the early detection of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Melinda C. Mills, David Salisbury (2020-12-08). [Commentary] The challenges of distributing COVID-19 vaccinations. thelancet.com On November 9, 2020, Pfizer/BioNTech reported the preliminary efficacy results for their COVID-19 vaccine, confirming levels of 95% on November 18. On November 16, Moderna announced 95% efficacy and 2 days later, the Oxford and AstraZeneca group reported safety and immunogenicity across a wider range of groups [1]. As attention turns to deployment, we need transparency about vaccine distribution and implementation. Success will hinge on collaboration of complex networks of government, companies, health workers and the public.

Abbasi J. (2020-12-08). Long-acting Cabotegravir Shot Prevents HIV Among Women. jamanetwork.com For the first time, a long-acting shot has been shown to prevent HIV among women in a large-scale trial, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) said in a statement. The institute announced interim phase 3 trial results for an injectable form of cabotegravir, an investigational HIV drug.

Abbasi J. (2020-12-08). Neurodegenerative Dementias Are Differentiated on PET Scans. jamanetwork.com In a recent study, positron emission tomography (PET) could distinguish Alzheimer disease from frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) disorders among living patients based on the location of tau protein deposits in the brain.

Mehr News Agency (2020-12-08). Iran to produce, purchase coronavirus vaccine. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Dec. 08 (MNA) — Iranian President Rouhani announced that the country is producing coronavirus vaccine and has supplying it on the agenda.

Jordan Schachtel (2020-12-08). Everyone Is Already Wearing a Mask. They Just Don't Work. globalresearch.ca One of the most common pro-mask arguments I've heard over the course of the past year, both from "public health experts" and your average citizen, sounds similar to the following statement: | "If only everyone would just wear a mask, we …

Paul Farmer (2020-12-08). Centuries of Inequality in the U.S. Laid Groundwork for Pandemic Devastation. zcomm.org "All the social pathologies of our nation come to the fore during epidemics"

Vahia IV, Jeste DV, Reynolds CF, III. (2020-12-08). Older Adults and the Mental Health Effects of COVID-19. jamanetwork.com This Viewpoint summarizes evidence suggesting that, counter to expectation, older adults as a group may be more resilient to the anxiety, depression, and stress-related mental health disorders characteristic of younger populations during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Kuehn BM. (2020-12-08). Supplement Use Is Common Among Children and Adolescents. jamanetwork.com Although the proportion of US children and adolescents who use a dietary supplement has remained steady at about one-third for the past decade, a growing number now use 2 or more, according to a CDC report.

jamanetwork (2020-12-08). Data Inaccuracies in Text and Tables. jamanetwork.com In the Research Letter titled "Prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies in Health Care Personnel in the New York City Area," published online first on August 6, 2020, and in the September 1, 2020, issue of JAMA, there were inaccuracies that resulted from a coding error. The errors, once corrected, affect the relative risks and 95% CIs for the associations reported in the tables. Working in direct patient care (but not intensive care) is now significant in bivariable but not multivariable analysis, and several demographic variables (including increasing age and non-White race or ethnicity) that were previously reported…

Davidson KW. (2020-12-08). Coding Errors in Study of Factors Associated With SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies in Health Care Personnel. jamanetwork.com To the Editor On behalf of my coauthors, I write to report errors in our Research Letter, "Prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies in Health Care Personnel in the New York City Area," published online first on August 6, 2020, and in the September 1, 2020, issue of JAMA.

Ashley Curtin (2020-12-08). Veterans' health act signed into law; a victory for military veterans and families. nationofchange.org "For many veterans, the path towards healing from service-related trauma goes through public lands. Today, that path got a little easier."

news.un (2020-12-08). New WHO campaign to help COVID-era quitters kick the habit. news.un.org The UN World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday, announced the start of a year-long global campaign to help people quit tobacco, with millions citing the threat of COVID-19 as a new incentive to give up the habit.

news.un (2020-12-07). 54 million women and youth face staggering humanitarian challenges. news.un.org As COVID-19 continues to disproportionately impact women and girls hit by multiple humanitarian crises, the UN sexual and reproductive health agency appealed on Monday for $818 million‚ÄØto provide 54 million women and youth with essential and life-saving services throughout 2021.

Binoy Kampmark (2020-12-07). Jab Me If You Can: How Political Endorsements Defeat Vaccinations. counterpunch.org Will they ever learn? When former US Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton announced that they would publicly take a vaccine against COVID-19, National Public Radio seemed impressed. "Who better to promote a product than a former president? How about three?" On SiriusXM's The Joe Madison Show, Obama held up his hand.

The Canary (2020-12-07). Mother whose child died of asthma calls for education on air pollution. thecanary.co The mother of a girl who died following a chronic asthma attack has said she would have moved house immediately had she known the effects of dangerous levels of air pollution on her daughter's health.Nine-year-old Ella Kissi-Debrah died in February 2013 after suffering numerous seizures and making almost 30 visits to hospital with breathing problems over the previous three years.An inquest at Southwark Coroner's Court is investigating whether dangerous levels of air pollution in the London Borough of Lewisham, where Ella lived with her family, may have contributed to her death.Desperate: Speaking at the in…

Staff (2020-12-07). COVID-19 spikes four times higher in prisons and jails: 'This lack of concern for human lives is calculated'. therealnews.com As COVID-19 cases explode exponentially in the U.S., a glaring component of this public health crisis is being ignored: Prisoners are contracting the virus at four times the national rate, and these spikes will spread to the larger community.

Mohammad Ayesh (2020-12-07). Arabic press review: Family of Egypt's Mubarak to sue EU over 'illegal sanctions'. middleeasteye.net Arabic press review: Family of Egypt's Mubarak to sue EU over 'illegal sanctions' | Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia prepares for reconciliation with Qatar, Bashir's health deteriorates in jail, and video of Egyptian man throwing cash from balcony goes viral | Mon, 12/07/2020 – 16: 38 | Gamal Mubarak (seen to right of his late father Hosni) said he will sue the Council of the European Union after winning…

Peoples Dispatch (2020-12-07). Dutch socialists demand greater expenditure on municipal health services. peoplesdispatch.org Last week, the Socialist Party (SP) in the Netherlands demanded adequate funding for the Municipal Health Services (GGD) in the country to bolster preventive measures against any health crisis…

David Edwards (2020-12-07). Stuck In A Lift With John Pilger — 'News And How To Use It' by Alan Rusbridger. zcomm.org Pilger tells the unfiltered, uncompromised truth about the foundations of power. His focus is on speaking up for the victims of power, not on serving power…

sputniknews (2020-12-07). New Smartphone Tool to Track COVID-19 Vaccine Side Effects Vulnerable to Hacking – Health Experts. sputniknews.com With the COVID-19 pandemic having infected more than 67 million people and killed more than 1.5 million globally, health officials are scrambling to get a viable vaccine approved to help slow the spread of the deadly disease.

commondreams (2020-12-07). Emergency Press Conference On Human Rights Day to Address the Worsening COVID-19 Crisis and to Demand Medicare for All. commondreams.org ______________________________…

Charles Hugh Smith (2020-12-07). About Those Vaccine ID Cards… globalresearch.ca An idea that's simple as an abstraction—vaccine ID cards—turns out to be extremely difficult once real-world operational realities must be dealt with. | Authorities around the world have made it clear that they will do "whatever it takes" to vaccinate their …

2020 news (2020-12-07). Dr. Wodarg and Dr. Yeadon File Application for Suspension of All SARS CoV-2 Vaccine Studies and Call for Co-signing the Petition. globalresearch.ca On December 1, 2020, the ex-Pfizer head of respiratory research Dr. Michael Yeadon and the lung specialist and former head of the public health department Dr. Wolfgang Wodarg

Dr. Joseph Mercola (2020-12-07). What We Know So Far About U.S. Government's Plan to Track COVID Vaccine Recipients. globalresearch.ca To track COVID vaccine recipients, Operation Warp Speed has resurrected a program devised after the September 11 attacks that was quickly defunded following public backlash over privacy concerns. | *** |

news.un (2020-12-07). Prioritize health workers, at-risk groups, for COVID-19 vaccines: WHO chief. news.un.org As countries plan to roll out COVID-19 vaccines in the coming days, weeks and months, health workers and other at-risk populations should be prioritized for vaccination, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday.

Mehr News Agency (2020-12-07). Iran's Leader in good health. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Dec. 07 (MNA) — An informed source affiliated to the office of Iran's Leader rejected the failing health rumors about the Leader of the Islamic Revolution underlining that Ayatollah Khamenei is in good health.

WSWS (2020-12-07). SEIU Healthcare reaches tentative agreement with management in Illinois nursing home strike. wsws.org The union abandoned wage demands and any meaningful protections for workers in order to herd them back into facilities with active COVID-19 outbreaks.

Kelly Borkert (2020-12-07). In sickness and health, Fresno Food Not Bombs turns 25! indybay.org January 2021 will mark the 25th anniversary of Fresno Food Not Bombs Saturday meal serving, an unbroken string of free meals over 25 years. Will that string be broken?>

teleSUR (2020-12-07). Trump's Lawyer Rudy Giuliani Hospitalized Due To COVID-19. telesurenglish.net Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani on Sunday was admitted to Georgetown University Hospital in Washington DC after contracting COVID-19. | RELATED: | No details are known about his health condition or when he tested positive for the disease, although it was President Donald Trump who broke the news that his personal lawyer had been infected. | On November 20, Giuliani's son, Andrew, announced that he had been infected, although…

John P. Geyman (2020-12-07). Toward a 'New Normal' in Post-Covid U. S. Health Care. zcomm.org Although most medical organizations in the U. S. have long opposed national health insurance, there has been a sea change in that pattern with the endorsement of Medicare for All by the American College of Physicians in 2019…