(2021-01-26). Inequality Virus: Pandemic Widens Wealth Gap for Women, People of Color as Billionaire Profits Soar. democracynow.org 
As the wealth of U.S. billionaires soars by over a trillion dollars during the pandemic, Oxfam is warning COVID-19 could lead to the biggest increase in global inequality on record. A new Oxfam report finds it could take more than a decade for poor people to recover from the health and economic crisis, and urges governments to take immediate action. "In every country that we looked at, inequality has gotten worse during the pandemic," says Paul O'Brien, Vice President of Oxfam America. "All around the world now, we are seeing folks struggling on the wrong end of inequality while those who have been the beneficiar…
(2021-01-26). Addressing the Risk of Medicare Trust Fund Insolvency. jamanetwork.com This Viewpoint proposes policy options to forestall insolvency of the Medicare Hospital Insurance Trust Fund, including practical and politically palatable strategies to increase revenues and decrease spending to prevent looming shortfalls.
(2021-01-26). "This Level of Death, It's New"—Health Care Workers in Their Own Words. jamanetwork.com The surge in hospitalizations for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) around the country has led many physicians and other health care workers to speak out. We created this post directly from the recent words of frontline health care workers and medical administrators in 19 states, with the sources linked to the first word or two of each quote. Their words reflect an unprecedented time for the US health care community in the midst of the pandemic.
(2021-01-26). Chinese Outlet Slams Double Standards of Western Media Coverage of Sinovac, Pfizer Vaccines' Issues. sputniknews.com While the Chinese inoculation is undergoing its third round of trials with preliminary results of its efficacy unclear, the vaccine developed jointly by American Pfizer and German BioNTech has seemingly been followed by a trail of significant reactions and even death, which so far have not been directly connected to the coronavirus shot.
(2021-01-26). Iran Approves Use of Russia's Sputnik V Vaccine. telesurenglish.net Iran's Foreign Affairs Minister Mohamad Javad Zarif announced that his country has registered Russia's Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine and expects to start producing it soon on its own territory. | RELATED: | "The Sputnik V vaccine was approved by our health authorities. Soon we hope to be able to purchase it and also start its joint production," Zarif said after meeting with Russia's Foreign Affairs Minister Sergei Lavrov.
(2021-01-26). Tory MP, aged 40, defends decision to accept Covid-19 jab. thecanary.co 
A Conservative MP who volunteered at a local hospital has defended accepting a dose of Covid-19 vaccine, despite being 40 years old. | Brendan Clarke-Smith, who represents Bassetlaw in north Nottinghamshire, was given the AstraZeneca jab on Friday after having done a shift at Retford Hospital vaccination centre. | Vaccinations are currently limited to the government's four priority groups; the over-80s, over-70s, frontline health workers and those people classed as extremely clinically vulnerable. | Clarke-Smith said the dose he got was "left over" from that day's vaccine stock, preventing it going to waste. | On…
(2021-01-26). The NYT's Has Not Heard of China's Vaccine (Or Russia's or India's). counterpunch.org It is more than a bit bizarre that the New York Times can run a major piece about the lack of access of developing countries to Covid vaccines and never once mention the vaccines developed by China, Russia, or India. The piece is very useful in highlighting the fact that the United States and Europe
(2021-01-26). California Man Dies Several Hours After Receiving COVID Vaccine, Cause of Death Unclear. globalresearch.ca Multiple local, state and federal agencies Placer County Sheriff's office said in a
(2021-01-26). Nursing Home Fires Workers for Refusing COVID-19 Vaccination. globalresearch.ca A nursing home run by Rock County is receiving significant pushback after mandating its employees receive the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine regimen or face layoff. | Officials at
(2021-01-26). Imperial vaccine tech to target COVID mutations and booster doses. imperial.ac.uk Imperial is focusing its RNA vaccine technology to target SARS-CoV-2 mutations, boosters and thermostability rather than an immediate efficacy trial.
(2021-01-26). Rural US Is Seriously Short on Resources Needed to Distribute Vaccine. truthout.org 
One afternoon this past December, a package arrived at Mora Valley Community Health Services in northern New Mexico. The rural clinic, which serves a county of 4,521 people, is nestled beside a pasture with a flock of chickens and a few goats. A mile up the road sits the town of Mora — a regional hub just big enough for a trio of restaurants, two gas stations, and a single-building satellite office for a nearby community college. | Shortly after the package arrived, clinic staff received an email ex…
(2021-01-26). Portland Mayor Pepper Sprays Man Who Accosted Him Over COVID-19 Guidelines, Reports Suggest. sputniknews.com Amid the increasing numbers of new COVID-19 cases, some US officials throughout the country have reportedly been spotted violating their own coronavirus guidelines, imposed to prevent the spread of the disease.
(2021-01-26). Four crises, one crisis (or the health of the people). mronline.org 
While it is not clear how many people have lost their lives to COVID-19 in the United States (is it under 400,000 still? Over 500,000 yet?), it is clearer than ever that we are experiencing a continent-wide public health catastrophe. Perhaps this is unsurprising.
(2021-01-26). Drug-Resistant Bacteria Outbreak Linked to COVID-19 Patient Surge. jamanetwork.com Breaches in infection control practices during last spring's coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) surge likely contributed to a 34-patient outbreak of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) infections at a New Jersey hospital.
(2021-01-26). Venezuela denounces large-scale corruption scheme led by Guaido. mronline.org 
"The Government of Paraguay owes $360,000,000 to the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. The commission that was to be shared between Guaidó and the Paraguayans was $26,000,000 do you know how many vaccines could be bought with that?", Rodríguez denounced.
(2021-01-26). Anti-abortion extremists attack clinic on Roe v Wade anniversary. workers.org 
This article is in memory of Sue Davis, a decades-long reproductive justice activist who every year in this newspaper commemorated the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion. In the early morning hours of Jan. 22, shots were fired at the reproductive health clinic in Knoxville, Tenn., operated by . . . |
(2021-01-26). The Costs of US Emergency Department Visits. jamanetwork.com The US population made 144.8 million emergency department (ED) visits in 2017, costing a total of $76.3 billion, estimated a recent statistical brief from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP).
(2021-01-26). Thursday 2/25: Equitable Reproductive Healthcare & BIWOC Communities w/ NOW & Black Women's Blueprint. indybay.org Online event (FREE)…
(2021-01-26). The Coronavirus Vaccine Fail and International Elites. cepr.net The vaccine rollout process has been painfully slow in the United States. More than 40 days after the first vaccine was approved for emergency use by the Food and Drug Administration, just over 6.0 percent of our population has been vaccinated. And that is with just the first shot, very few having gotten the two …
(2021-01-26). Discrepancies in Moderna's FDA Report Demand Answers. globalresearch.ca Search the scientific literature for examples of long-term vaccine randomized clinical trials that use inert placebos — you will not find them. Short-term studies are the preferred mode of vaccine manufacturers — even when there is no emergency — leaving …
(2021-01-26). Russia's Sputnik V Vaccine Has Been Registered in Iran. sputniknews.com Last week, Iranian government spokesman Ali Rabiei stated that Iran had held talks with Russia, China, and India on the potential procurement of vaccines against the coronavirus.
(2021-01-26). Shared Grief—Bridging the Health Equity Gap. jamanetwork.com In this narrative medicine essay a neonatal ICU nurse afraid to hold her newborn daughter after she dies draws comfort and a sense of connection years later from the memory of a parent she had unconsciously stigmatized, who held and loved her infant son at his death.
(2021-01-26). Saturday 2/6: Other Cinema: Plague-Time Play-Time Iii Livestream. indybay.org Virtual Screening…
(2021-01-26). Racial Variations in Parents' Attitudes About Reopening Schools. jamanetwork.com Black, Hispanic, Asian, American Indian, and Alaska Native parents expressed more concern than White parents about the safety of reopening schools last fall, according to a survey commissioned by the CDC.
(2021-01-26). Undocumented Workers Go Unprotected During California Wildfires. projectcensored.org The rise in severity and frequency of wildfires ravaging California has magnified the failure of employers and state agencies to protect workers' health in fire zones. Alleen Brown's September 2020…
(2021-01-26). Obstacles to Implementing AI Tools in Health Care. jamanetwork.com Artificial intelligence (AI) tools have shown promise in predicting patients' health trajectories, recommending treatments, guiding surgical care, monitoring patients, and supporting efforts to improve the health of a community, according to a recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report.
(2021-01-25). Amidst surging COVID numbers, WHO chief urges: 'take heart and take action'. news.un.org The sheer scale of the numbers involved in the COVID-19 pandemic can "make us numb to what they represent", the UN health agency chief said on Monday, reminding journalists in his latest briefing, that each one stands for "a person, a story". As of late Monday, confirmed cases were nearing 99 million, and yet another grim milestone as 100 million cases looms.
(2021-01-25). Houston, Texas hospital remains locked over financial dispute, putting hundreds of patients at risk. wsws.org It is an absolute indictment of the for-profit healthcare system and the financial oligarchs that benefit from it that hospitals should be shut down in the middle of a pandemic, let alone when 83 million already lack sufficient access to primary healthcare, in the richest country in the world.
(2021-01-25). India to Register Russia's Sputnik V Vaccine Within Next Few Weeks, Indian Ambassador Says. sputniknews.com MOSCOW (Sputnik) – India plans to register the Russian vaccine against COVID-19, Sputnik V, after completion of phase three clinical trials within the next few weeks, Indian Ambassador to Moscow Venkatesh Varma said on Monday.
(2021-01-25). The New York Times Has Not Heard About China's Vaccines (or Russia or India's). cepr.net It is more than a bit bizarre that the New York Times can run a major piece about the lack of access of developing countries to Covid vaccines and never once mention the vaccines developed by China, Russia, or India. The piece is very useful in highlighting the fact that the United States and Europe …
(2021-01-25). Spain's defence chief resigns amid mounting anger over COVID-19 vaccine theft. wsws.org Anger is mounting in the working class after generals, royalty and politicians got the COVID-19 vaccination even as vaccines are running out for frontline health care workers.
(2021-01-25). Uruguay Secures COVID-19 Vaccines With Pfizer and Sinovac. telesurenglish.net Uruguay's President Luis Lacalle announced an agreement with the U.S. pharmaceutical Pfizer-BioNTech and the Chinese company Sinovac for the purchase of COVID-19 vaccines. | RELATED: | The agreement with Pfizer-BioNTech covered 2 million doses, 200,000 of which are expected to arrive in March. The deal with Sinovac included 1,750,000 doses. | A US$120 million budget was approved for the drug purchase, which will allow the vaccination of 2,8…
(2021-01-25). Mexico To Get 24 Million Doses of Russia's Sputnik V Vaccine. telesurenglish.net Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO) on Monday spoke by phone with Russia's President Vladimir Putin who agreed to deliver 24 million doses of the Sputnik V vaccine in the next two months. | RELATED: | "Putin was genuinely affectionate. I invited him to visit Mexico and thanked him for the decision to send us 24 million doses," tweeted AMLO, who tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday. | Besides confirming that these dos…
(2021-01-25). Poor Nations Left Reeling After Bill Gates Advised Oxford to Ditch Open Source COVID Vaccine. mintpressnews.com Unable to secure a profit in immunizing poorer nations, Western multinationals, including Oxford's private partner AstraZeneca, have prioritized those who can pay the most.
(2021-01-25). Covid-19: Hundreds of ultra-Orthodox Israelis protest over lockdown rules. middleeasteye.net 
Covid-19: Hundreds of ultra-Orthodox Israelis protest over lockdown rules | Anger has mounted as the government has moved to close illegal religious schools and seminaries | Mon, 01/25/2021 – 10: 16 | Policemen detain an ultra-Orthodox Jew during a protest over coronavirus restrictions in Ashdod, Israel on 24 January 2021 (Reuters) | Hundreds of members of Israel's ultra-Orthodox community…
(2021-01-25). Tiger euthanized after health deteriorated in Covid-19 outbreak at Swedish zoo. rt.com 
A tiger, two lions and a member of staff at a zoo in Sweden tested positive for Covid-19, the country's National Veterinary Institute (SVA) said. One of the cats was put down after suffering neurological and breathing issues. | The 17-year-old female tiger was euthanized on January 11 "for animal welfare reasons due to severe respiratory and neurological symptoms," after its condition deteriorated rapidly over a couple of days, the institute said. | The big cat was an older animal with a poor prospect of recovery, it added. | Samples from the animal were then tested for Covid-19, with positive results confirme…
(2021-01-25). Men in low-skilled jobs more likely to die from Covid-19 in England & Wales, new govt data reveals. rt.com 
Men in low-skilled jobs had the highest rate of death from Covid-19 in England and Wales among working age people between March and December 2020, according to new data from the UK's Office for National Statistics (ONS). | The figures, which show how coronavirus spread through and impacted different sectors in England and Wales, found that almost two-thirds (5,128) of the 7,961 Covid-19 deaths among working age people were primarily men employed in low-skilled jobs, as well as carers, healthcare workers, leisure industry staff and other similar service roles. | "When looking at broad groups of occupations, men…
(2021-01-25). 'Vaccination apartheid': Gaza struggling with Covid-19 infections while Israel rolls out jab. middleeasteye.net 
'Vaccination apartheid': Gaza struggling with Covid-19 infections while Israel rolls out jab | Gaza braces for more avoidable deaths with delayed vaccination rollout and an overwhelmed health system | Mon, 01/25/2021 – 11: 08 | A hospital staff member gets tested for coronavirus in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on 31 August 2020 (AFP/file photo) | In the intensive care unit of the European Gaza…
(2021-01-25). 100 Mln COVID-19 Cases Worldwide Expected This Week: WHO Chief. telesurenglish.net The number of COVID-19 cases worldwide is expected to reach 100 million within this week, said the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. | "A year ago today, fewer than 1,500 cases of COVID-19 had been reported to WHO, including just 23 cases outside China. This week, we expect to reach 100 million reported cases," Tedros said at a WHO press briefing on Monday. | RELATED: | "Num…
(2021-01-25). Peru: Lima Runs Out of ICU Beds for COVID-19 Patients. telesurenglish.net Peru's Ombudsman's Office warned of a pressing health situation in the cities of Lima and Callao due to the lack of intensive care unit (ICU) beds. | RELATED: | On Sunday, Health Ministry (MINSA) reported that there were only 107 remaining ICU beds across the country. In the Lima region alone, only 8 of 934 beds were available in health institutions. | MINSA officials also noted that 1,758 ICU beds were occupied by COVID-19 pati…
(2021-01-25). Refusing to vaccinate prisoners is both cruel and dangerous. therealnews.com 
Prisons and jails are hotbeds of coronavirus contagion—for incarcerated people and staff, but also for the wider community. Prioritizing them for vaccinations is a humanitarian and public health necessity.
(2021-01-25). Selected Articles: Eurostar Train Near Collapse, Biden's Policy on Israel & Latin America, The Nuclear Ban Treaty. globalresearch.ca 
By Shutting down an economy flatly contradicts a founding principle of the WHO: "Economic development and public health are inseparable and complementary… the social, …
(2021-01-25). Australia: Inquiry reveals chronic under funding and lengthy wait times for South-West Sydney health services. wsws.org The healthcare crisis is a direct result of the decimation of public health services by consecutive state and federal government, Labor and Liberal-National alike, with union support.
(2021-01-25). 'We've let the worst happen': Reflecting on 400,000 dead. nationofchange.org Eight months later, with 300,000 additional American lives lost and the chaotic distribution of the vaccine underway, Caroline Chen, health care reporter, shares her thoughts on where we are and what happens next.
(2021-01-25). CDC Quietly Removes Website Headline Claiming "Vaccines Do Not Cause Autism" globalresearch.ca The change was quietly made last August, with no announcement, following a …
(2021-01-25). Tory MPs Reportedly Revolt Against Further Remote Learning Amid Warning of 'Lost Generation of Kids'. sputniknews.com Over the weekend, UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock hailed the vaccination rollout as making "brilliant progress", yet was forced to acknowledge that the NHS was still struggling under intense pressure and hopes for an easing of lockdown restrictions in the country were a "long, long, long way" off.
(2021-01-25). The Problem With Mental Health Awareness. thenation.com The Problem With Mental Health Awareness…
(2021-01-25). Understanding The Politics Of Urban Apartheid In The United States. popularresistance.org Baltimore Maryland is a majority-black but hyper-segregated city. Following the uprising in Baltimore in 2015 in response to the police murder of Freddie Gray, Dr. Lawrence Brown, a public health expert at Morgan University, a historically black university in Baltimore, found that historical context and data were missing from the conversation about what was happening. Thus, he wrote "The Black Butterfly: The Politics of Race and Space in America." In this book, Dr. Brown describes the history of and the players who created the urban apartheid and how Baltimore became a template for many cities across the country.
(2021-01-25). Take Care of Yourself 2021 Coronavirus. indybay.org Early and regular work can lead to greater health and longevity. Just ask a dancer.
(2021-01-25). Farmers' Protests Reflect Existential Crisis of Indian Agriculture. dissidentvoice.org With over 800 million people, rural India is arguably the most interesting and complex place on the planet but is plagued by farmer suicides, child malnourishment, growing unemployment, increased informalisation, indebtedness and an overall collapse of agriculture. Given that India is still an agrarian-based society, renowned journalist P Sainath says what is taking place can be described …