(2021-02-01). Shooting Down Deficit Hawks. realprogressives.org 
Deficit hawks, like dive-bombing kamikazes, are out now again, circling the battleship of our collective efforts to save ourselves. Can we pay ourselves to produce, distribute, and administer the Covid vaccine to every American in six months? No! say the dive-bombing Kamikazes—we cannot collect enough taxes to pay for that. It would require the government to borrow hundreds of billions more, increasing our "deficit" and the national "debt." Can we pay ourselves to design and build a low-carbon infrastructure that will help put a cap on global warming? No and No! say the circling deficit hawks—and h…
(2021-02-01). After Enduring "Complete Hell" During Pandemic, Food Workers Face Obstacles Getting Covid-19 Vaccinations. commondreams.org There are still unanswered questions about how and whether the vaccines will actually get to a workforce that ranks among the most vulnerable to the coronavirus. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2021-02-01). Spanish fascists vote to save Podemos party's bank and corporate bailouts. wsws.org The vote exposes that the EU bailout policy, as well as the health and financial policies of the Podemos-social democrat government, enjoys the full support of the fascists.
(2021-01-31). Israel to give few Covid-19 vaccines to Palestinians amid 'apartheid' accusations. middleeasteye.net 
Israel to give few Covid-19 vaccines to Palestinians amid 'apartheid' accusations | Israel's defence ministry says it agreed to transfer 5,000 vaccines to Palestinian medical workers | Sun, 01/31/2021 – 11: 46 | A Maccabi Health vaccination centre worker administers the Pfizer-BioNtech Covid-19 vaccine in the Givatayim mall parking lot, Tel Aviv, on 26 January 2021 (AFP) | Israel said on S…
(2021-01-31). Gamestop—And the Game That Never Stops! zcomm.org We should be less concerned about day traders getting burned, and more about the tens of millions of Americans families going hungry, jobless, being evicted from their rents, and dying in the hundreds of thousands due to a failed health care system and gross government mismanagement…
(2021-01-31). The PCR Test does not Identify the Virus: Covid "False Positives" Used to Justify the Lockdown and Closure of the National Economy. globalresearch.ca We are led to believe that the corona epidemic has entered into a Second Wave, and that the virus is spreading relentlessly. That's a lie. | The PCR test used to estimate covid positive cases is flawed. There is no second …
(2021-01-31). Easing Lockdown Has To Be Done "Very Cautiously", UK Expert. telesurenglish.net Susan Hopkins, chief of COVID strategy at Public Health England, said lessons have to be learned from the past. | "We have learned, as we did on the first occasion, we have to relax things really quite slowly, so that if cases start to increase we can clamp down quite fast," she told the BBC.
(2021-01-31). We Must End Big Pharma Monopoly on COVID Vaccine Supply & Price. zcomm.org An interview on sharing technology so more companies in more countries can produce the vaccines…
(2021-01-31). Massachusetts congressman tests positive for Covid-19 after getting 2 shots of Pfizer vaccine. rt.com 
Representative Stephen F. Lynch of Massachusetts has tested positive for Covid-19, his office said. The lawmaker received his second shot of the Pfizer vaccine before Joe Biden's inauguration. | The 65-year-old tested positive on Friday, his office said. A staff member in his Boston office tested positive for Covid-19 earlier this week, spokesperson Molly Rose Tarpey added. | Lynch "had received the second dose of the Pfizer vaccine and subsequently received a negative Covid-19 test prior to attending President Biden's Inauguration," on January 20, the statement added, without specifying the date. Lynch has no…
(2021-01-31). India expected to increase public spending in post-pandemic budget. laprensalatina.com New Delhi, Jan 31 (efe-epa).- Economists and experts expect the Union Budget of India, set to be presented by the government on Monday, to include greater public spending with a special emphasis on the health sector in order to rescue the country's economy. In its annual economic survey released on Friday, the Indian finance ministry …
(2021-01-31). Pandemic claims 35 lives in Libya. yenisafak.com The coronavirus pandemic claimed 35 lives in Libya and caused one fatality in Bahrain on Sunday.Libya's National Center for Disease Control said in a statement that the COVID-19 sickened 981 people over the past 24 hours, while 1,349 patients recovered.The country's count now rose to 118,631 cases, including 1,877 deaths, and 98,706 recoveries.In Bahrain, the Health Ministry said the Gulf state's death tally rose to 373 after one patient had died from the virus, while 655 new infections were registered.The country's nationwide count now stood at 102,626 cases and 98,160 recoveries.Globally, the COVID-19 pandemic…
(2021-01-31). Ireland Could Have 'Picked up the Batphone to Biden' to Force EU to U-Turn in COVID Jab Row With UK. sputniknews.com The European Union, which has been far outpaced by the UK in its race to inoculate its population, threatened to invoke Northern Ireland Brexit emergency powers to control the flow of COVID-19 vaccines into Britain on Friday, but was forced to backtrack on part of the announcement after an immediate backlash from London, Dublin and Belfast.
(2021-01-31). Mexican president sick with Covid, Mexico sick of disinformation. laprensalatina.com By Pedro Pablo Cortes Mexico City, Jan 31 (efe-epa).- Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador spent the past week sick with Covid-19, his health status being kept largely secret by the government in the country with the world's third-largest death toll from the disease. "The government has not handled the information about the president's health …
(2021-01-31). 'Focus on Collaboration': Britain Ready to Assist EU Amid Bloc's COVID Jab Shortfalls. sputniknews.com The UK and the European Union have been locked in a dispute over the distribution of a vaccine manufactured by the British-Swedish company AstraZeneca and Oxford University, as Britain has been ramping up its sweeping inoculation programme, while the EU bloc deals with shortages and setbacks in its anti-COVID roll-out.
(2021-01-31). Should governments use cash incentives to nudge people to get vaccinated? yenisafak.com In the healthcare sector, money incentives to steer the public into making better choices have grown more and more popular. Insurers and companies have been dishing out dollars to nudge people to take their meds, give up bad habits, and hit the gym.But if such incentives are championed in normal times, might the same strategy be sound for promoting the use of vaccines against coronavirus, the largest healthcare crisis of the modern era?For some time now, a majority of US companies have offered financial incentives to employees who take part in programs beneficial to their health, or alternately penalize those wh…
(2021-01-31). Israeli forces kill Palestinian in occupied West Bank. yenisafak.com Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian in an alleged stabbing attack in the occupied West Bank on Sunday, according to the Israeli army.A military statement said a Palestinian armed with three knives connected to a stick allegedly attempted to stab soldiers at Gush Etzion Junction south of Bethlehem.The army said the attacker was neutralized. No injuries were reported among Israeli soldiers.The Palestinian Health Ministry confirmed that a Palestinian was martyred by Israeli fire south of Bethlehem.Local residents said the Palestinian was injured and left bleeding to death.On Tuesday, Israeli forces shot dea…
(2021-01-31). IMF and big business for universal vaccination: Better red than dead. peoplesdispatch.org The me-first policy on vaccine sharing will bring losses of $203 billion to $5 trillion to rich countries, while the returns are the highest if they support global universal vaccination…
(2021-01-31). Hopes of fresh momentum in fight against leprosy, but stigmatization persists. news.un.org Progress is being made in the fight against leprosy, but millions are still affected by the disease, and many sufferers have to contend with social exclusion. On World Leprosy Day, marked annually on 31 January, experts are calling for an end to ongoing discrimination and stigmatization.
(2021-01-31). Democrats' Internal Conflict Over the Filibuster Is Just Getting Started. commondreams.org Joe Manchin doesn't necessarily have an interest in the institutional health of the Democratic Party, but the party's leaders have a vital interest in passing sweeping reforms that gratify its base and mitigate its structural disadvantages. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2021-01-31). Cuba To Apply Mandatory Quarantine for International Travels. telesurenglish.net Cuba's National Epidemiology director Francisco Duran announced that institutional isolation would be applied to all international travelers starting February 6 in a bid to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus in the country. | RELATED: | The isolation of Cuban residents will be carried out in authorized centers by the Health Ministry. Fees will not be charged for transportation to the centers and bac…
(2021-01-30). Congress Took on Vital Health Issues in Last Month's Massive Spending Bill. truthout.org 
This story also ran on Late last month, before President Joe Biden took office and proposed his pandemic relief plan, Congress passed a nearly 5,600-page legislative…
(2021-01-30). Algeria begins Covid-19 campaign with Russian vaccine. middleeasteye.net 
Algeria begins Covid-19 campaign with Russian vaccine | Algeria says it is trying to get enough vaccines to cover the whole country | Sat, 01/30/2021 – 22: 18 | An Algerian health worker holds up a vial of Russia's Sputnik V vaccine (AFP) | Algeria launched its coronavirus vaccination campaign on Saturday with the newly arrived first shipment of Russia's Sputnik V vaccine. | The campaign…
(2021-01-30). Little-Known Federal Volunteer Unit Remains Underutilized for Mass Vaccinations. truthout.org 
In theory, Alice Weisz retired in 2016. But in practice, the retired endocrinologist in Virginia Beach has had a busy year. Last January, as Covid-19 reached the U.S., Weisz volunteered to help the local health department field phone calls. By late spring, she was sliding swabs up people's nostrils at drive-through Covid-19 testing sites. | In the fall, Weisz administered flu shots. And earlier this month, she found herself in the vacant ambulance bay of a Virginia Beach emergency medical…
(2021-01-30). Health workers, students and teachers rise up for their rights in Greece. peoplesdispatch.org Health workers demanded fresh investment in the sector to combat the pandemic while students and teachers opposed the deployment of security forces on university campuses…
(2021-01-30). Ranks of workers receiving unemployment insurance grows in January. fightbacknews.org San José, CA – The broadest measure of unemployment insurance, which includes the regular state unemployment insurance or UI, the federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance or PUA, the federal Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation or PEUC, as well as the state Extended Benefits or EB rose in the first week of January by 2.3 million people to a total of 18.3 million people. While down from its peak in April, it is still nine times as high as it was a year ago before the recession began, according to the weekly report by the U.S. Department of Labor released on Thursday, January 28. | Part of the bounce in une…
(2021-01-30). The failings of our unemployment insurance system are there by design. mronline.org 
Our unemployment insurance system has failed the country at a moment of great need. With tens of millions of workers struggling just to pay rent and buy food, Congress was forced to pass two emergency spending bills, providing one-time stimulus payments, special weekly unemployment insurance payments, and temporary unemployment benefits to those not covered by …
(2021-01-30). US imposes federal mask mandate on all forms of public transportation from February 1. rt.com 
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has ordered Americans to wear masks on all forms of public transport, including airplanes, trains, and buses. They also must remain masked up in airports and bus terminals. | Starting from February 1, people in the US must wear masks on planes, trains, subways, buses, taxis, ships, and ferries. They must do the same in transportation hubs, including airports, train stations, and bus terminals. | Transportation companies and personnel were instructed to deny service to maskless passengers and to otherwise enforce the new rules. | The CDC said that surgical…
(2021-01-30). Reddit users in US, Canada plagued by outages in service amidst GameStop stock frenzy. rt.com 
Users in both the US and Canada reported outages on Reddit for a short period on Saturday, with the company admitting there have been "higher error rates" this week amidst newfound attention on the r/WallStreetBets subreddit. | Outage monitor downdetector.com reported the outage complaints from users. Outages for the site have been reported "We did have some issues with higher error rates this week…It meant slower load times for some users but we were never hard down," a spokesperson for Reddit told…
(2021-01-30). Pentagon halts plan to give Covid-19 vaccination to Gitmo detainees after wave of outrage from conservatives. rt.com 
Following a recent report that the Biden administration planned on vaccinating detainees at Guantanamo Bay before millions of Americans caused outrage, the Pentagon has announced the plan has been "paused." | "No Guantanamo detainees have been vaccinated," Defense Department Press Secretary John Kirby tweeted on Saturday. "We're pausing the plan to move forward, as we review force protection protocols. We remain committed to our obligations to keep our troops safe." | No Guantanamo detainees have been vaccinated. We're pausing the plan to move forward, as we review force protection protocols. We remain committ…
(2021-01-30). Covid-19: Iran says locally produced vaccine effective against UK variant. middleeasteye.net 
Covid-19: Iran says locally produced vaccine effective against UK variant | Meanwhile, Tehran sets new rules requiring travellers from Europe to self-quarantine for two weeks after testing negative upon arrival | Sat, 01/30/2021 – 13: 45 | A health worker in Iran prepares an injection during the first trial phase of a locally made vaccine for the Covid-19 coronavirus disease in Tehran on 29 December 2020 (AFP)…
(2021-01-30). EU Continues Its Smoke Screen Stunts Towards the UK and Its Own Vaccine Chaos. strategic-culture.org With the deaths rising in countries like Italy many are wondering if the EU will run out of time to claw back the credibility that the European Commission and Ursula von der Leyen badly needs. | Was it the great Groucho Marx who once said, when asked about whether he was a member of a club, "I wouldn't want to join a club which would accept me as a member"? | Is this perhaps the dilemma now for many member states of the European Union who are beginning to wake up to some harsh realities about the project? Italy, for sure, will be counting its dead and wondering why or how the EU managed to take so long to get aro…
(2021-01-30). [Comment] Offline: The case for No-COVID. thelancet.com As many countries continue to struggle with a third wave of COVID-19—Hong Kong is suffering its fourth wave and is contemplating a fifth and sixth—all governments and public health authorities will need to remain open to new ideas for controlling the pandemic. This past week, Ilona Kickbusch, founding director of the Global Health Centre at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva, shared a proposal being widely discussed in Germany. The approach devised by a group of clinicians and academics, which in addition to Kickbusch includes Melanie Brinkmann, Michael Hallek, M…
(2021-01-30). [Editorial] Health and care workers are owed a better future. thelancet.com It has been a traumatic and testing year for the health and care workforce globally. In recognition of their contribution and struggles during the pandemic response, WHO has designated 2021 as the International Year of Health and Care Workers. This campaign highlights the need for investment in health workforce readiness, education, and learning to manage the COVID-19 pandemic, to maintain health services, and to prepare for vaccine roll-outs. A call for action on behalf of the health-care workforce is welcome.
(2021-01-30). Algeria starts COVID-19 vaccination campaign. yenisafak.com Algeria has started its vaccination campaign against the coronavirus pandemic on Saturday, according to local media.State-run television aired images of a health worker being vaccinated in the southern Blida province, an epicenter of the COVID-19 virus."Blida was chosen in a symbol move at the start of the vaccination campaign since the province was the first epicenter of the pandemic last March," Health Minister Abderrahmane Benbouzid told a press conference.Jamal Fourar, the head of the anti-virus national committee, said the months-long vaccination campaign aims to vaccinate around 80% of the country's 44 mill…
(2021-01-30). The Vaccines, The Plunder, and the Arrival of the Great Reset. globalresearch.ca "Rebuilding trust and increasing global cooperation are crucial to fostering innovative and bold solutions to stem the pandemic and drive a robust recovery." | — Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum [1] | "I don't consider the …
(2021-01-30). Israel to provide Palestinian Authority with 5,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccine. laprensalatina.com Jerusalem, Jan 30 (efe-epa).- Israel is to provide the Palestinian National Authority with 5,000 doses of the coronavirus vaccine. The jabs are designated for the healthcare workers, an Israeli official source told Efe on Saturday. Some of which could be sent to the Gaza Strip. Israel is expected to start delivering the Pfizer-BioNTecH vaccine early …
(2021-01-30). Iran COVID-19 update: 82 deaths, 6,317 cases in 24 hours. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jan. 30 (MNA) — The Iranian Health Ministry has confirmed 6,317 COVID-19 infections and 82 deaths due to the disease in the past 24 hours.
(2021-01-30). 'Mafia-Like EU 'Cocked up Big Time' Over 'Trumpian' Move to Block COVID Jabs From Entering UK. sputniknews.com Earlier, Brussels introduced export controls on COVID-19 vaccines, affecting countries like the UK, US, Canada, and Australia, while temporarily overriding Brexit deal terms enabling goods to flow across the Northern Irish border, only to swiftly backtrack on what was branded by Northern Ireland as an "incredible act of hostility."
(2021-01-30). 'Greatest Crisis Since World War II': EU Struggles With COVID Vaccine Roll-Out Amid Shortages. sputniknews.com Earlier, the European Union slapped restrictions on exports of COVID-19 inoculations outside the bloc amid an escalating vaccine trade war with Great Britain, as Brussels found itself under fire over the slow pace of delivery to the 27 member-states, while post-Brexit UK was making impressive immunisation strides.
(2021-01-30). [World Report] Health experts slam Bolsonaro's vaccine comments. thelancet.com Brazil has begun COVID-19 vaccinations, but health experts are having to boost confidence following the president's remarks. Joe Parkin Daniels reports.
(2021-01-30). Vietnam approves AstraZeneca vaccine amid fresh Covid-19 outbreak. laprensalatina.com Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, Jan 30 (efe-epa).- Vietnam on Saturday announced that it had approved the Covid-19 vaccine developed by British-Swedish firm AstraZeneca, the first to be authorized in the country. It comes amid a sudden new outbreak of the virus, with 34 new cases reported Saturday. AstraZeneca has pledged to supply 30 million …
(2021-01-30). An ever-growing memorial: Peru's health worker death toll nears 300. laprensalatina.com Lima, Jan 30 (efe-epa).- A row of almost 300 portraits of healthcare professionals who have died from Covid-19 lines the sidewalk outside the Medical College of Peru in the capital Lima. The memorial was launched in June 2020 with around 45 portraits to pay tribute to those who lost their lives in the campaign against …
(2021-01-30). Iran authorizes use of Russian COVID-19 vaccine. yenisafak.com Iranian envoy to Moscow Kazem Jalali said Saturday that the second consignment of the Russian vaccine will reach Iran by the end of February.In the second phase, the vaccine will be jointly produced by the two countries, Jalali said, while emphasizing its safety and efficacy.The confirmation first came during Foreign Minister Javad Zarif's visit to Moscow this week, where he said the vaccine has been registered in Iran after approval from the country's health authorities.Produced by Russian Health Ministry's Gamaleya Center, Sputnik V has so far been approved for use in 14 countries even though discussions at the…
(2021-01-30). 'About half' of virus cases in Lisbon due to UK variant. yenisafak.com Hospitals in Portugal's capital Lisbon continued overflowing with patients on Friday, with nearly half of the COVID-19 infections in the worst-hit region thought to be caused by the coronavirus variant first detected in the UK.The highly contagious variant is responsible for more than 32% of cases nationwide and almost 50% of all cases confirmed in Lisbon, Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa said on Twitter late Thursday.Citing the same figures, Health Minister Marta Temido said the data may not paint a full picture as it is coming from just one laboratory.Portugal has been under lockdown for two weeks and ha…
(2021-01-30). New York Governor Cuomo Shifts Blame For Nursing Home Scandal to Trump Administration. sputniknews.com Last year, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo faced criticism for his order for nursing homes to accept COVID-19 patients while the facilities were under-equipped. He's now under fire again after a report by the NY Attorney General revealed that the state health department under-counted the number of deaths from COVID-19 in nursing homes by 50 percent.
(2021-01-30). Rebels invite UN envoys to assess famine in Yemen. yenisafak.com Yemen's Houthi group on Saturday invited envoys of the UN Security Council members to visit the war-torn country to assess the exacerbating humanitarian situation."We call on representatives of the Security Council member-states to visit Yemen to see the catastrophic situation, which has been termed as the world's worst humanitarian catastrophe," Mohammed al-Houthi, a member of the group's Supreme Political Council, said on Twitter.He called on the Council members to "play their humanitarian role to address the famine and the blockade imposed on Yemen".The Houthis blame the Saudi-led coalition for the humanitaria…
(2021-01-30). [Seminar] Multiple myeloma. thelancet.com Multiple myeloma is the second most common haematological malignancy in high-income countries, and typically starts as asymptomatic precursor conditions—either monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance or smouldering multiple myeloma—in which initiating genetic abnormalities, such as hyperdiploidy and translocations involving the immunoglobulin heavy chain, are already present. The introduction of immunomodulatory drugs, proteasome inhibitors, and CD38-targeting antibodies has extended survival, but ultimately the majority of patients will die from their disease, and some from treatment-relat…
(2021-01-30). [Comment] High burden of postoperative cancer mortality in LMICs. thelancet.com Low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) have a large burden of cancer mortality compared with high-income countries, with as many as 70% of global cancer deaths in these regions and a paucity of data to drive cancer policies.1,2 Several factors contribute to this burden, ranging from late presentation of disease to poor access to diagnosis and treatment.2 Access to surgical interventions is reduced in LMICs, and the risk of complications of surgery is high in these regions.3—5 When surgical interventions are available, knowledge about how to avoid complications can be scant.
(2021-01-30). [Perspectives] Afraid together. thelancet.com "I think the neighbours have it." My mum was always conscious of her health. Nevertheless, the anxiety in her voice was jarring. Although we were talking by telephone, I could picture what she looked like. Her usual smile would flatten, transforming her face into an ashen mask. "I am scared. If I get it, I have no one. I am alone."
(2021-01-30). [Perspectives] Fransisca Handy Agung: improving adolescent health in Indonesia. thelancet.com Fransisca Handy Agung thinks she was "too serious" as an adolescent growing up in Indonesia. "I was just thinking about how to get to medical school. I wasn't exposed to other parts of life", she recalls. "Adolescents need to have more experiences and exposures that provide them with all the life skills they need", she says. Nonetheless, Agung's early drive and focus are now benefiting her country's younger citizens. Agung is a lecturer in child and adolescent health at the Universitas Pelita Harapan, Tangerang, Banten, Indonesia, a paediatrician at Siloam Hospital, Karawaci, Banten, and the founder of the Indone…