Daily Archives: January 5, 2021

2021-01-05: News Headlines

Stephen Lendman (2021-01-05). Draconian NY Police State Assembly Bill: Indefinite Detainment of "Disease Carriers" globalresearch.ca Draconian NY State Assembly Bill A416 calls for indefinitely detainment of residents considered to be "disease carriers (sic)." | It's aimed at seasonal flu/influenza, diabolically disguised as covid. | It's all-about wanting to eliminate fundamental freedoms on the phony pretext of …

RT (2021-01-05). Conspiracy theorist pharmacist who sabotaged Covid-19 vaccines claims they're 'not safe for people' and could 'change their DNA'. rt.com Wisconsin pharmacist Stephen Brandenburg is a self-confessed "conspiracy theorist" who destroyed over 500 doses of coronavirus vaccine as he thought they would change people's DNA, according to both the police and his wife. | Brandenburg was arrested on December 31 for allegedly sabotaging more than 500 doses of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine, stored at the Advocate Aurora Health Hospital, believing they were unsafe for humans. | There is no evidence to suggest the vaccine alters human DNA in any way. Many vaccines use altered forms of viruses to train the immune system to fight off the real-life pathogens but d…

Stowe J, Smith H, Thurland K, et al. (2021-01-05). Stillbirths During the COVID-19 Pandemic in England, April-June 2020. jamanetwork.com This study uses National Health Service data to compare the stillbirth rate overall and regionally during the initial April-June 2020 coronavirus lockdown vs the same period in 2019.

news.un (2021-01-05). WHO chief begins 2021 with plea for 'less politicking' over health. news.un.org In a race to "save lives, livelihoods and end this pandemic", the head of the UN heath agency said on Tuesday that it was important to remember COVID-19 was just one of a number of major disease outbreaks facing communities across the world.

Staff (2021-01-05). "Medical Apartheid": Israeli Vaccine Drive Excludes Millions of Palestinians in Occupied Territories. democracynow.org Israel has administered COVID-19 vaccines faster than any country in the world, with more than 14% of Israelis receiving vaccines so far. Despite the fast rollout, human rights groups are expressing alarm over Israel's decision not to vaccinate Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza, where about 1,500 people have died during the pandemic. Israel has defended its actions citing the Oslo Peace Accords, which put Palestinian authorities in charge of healthcare in the West Bank and Gaza. Palestinian officials are facing a number of hurdles in launching their own vaccine campaign, including a shortage of mone…

Mehr News Agency (2021-01-05). Iran ready to test advanced generation of COVID-19 vaccine. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jan. 05 (MNA) — Virology Research Director of Pasteur Institute of Iran said the the country is ready to enter human test in advanced generation of coronavirus, COVID-19, vaccine.

Mehr News Agency (2021-01-05). Daily deaths turned two-digit after some 6 months. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jan. 05 (MNA) — The Iranian Health Ministry reported double-digit Covid-19 deaths in the country, confirming 6,113 COVID-19 infections and 98 deaths due to respiratory disease in the past 24 hours.

Nadda Osman (2021-01-05). Covid-19: Egypt health minister under fire for attending wedding amid pandemic. middleeasteye.net Covid-19: Egypt health minister under fire for attending wedding amid pandemic | Social media users have contrasted the minister violating lockdown measures with the dire state of Egypt's overwhelmed hospitals | Tue, 01/05/2021 – 11: 47 | The large wedding was compared to scenes of hospitals and medical staff facing shortages in Egypt (Screengrab/Twitter) | Egypt's Health Minister Hala Zayed has come und…

The Canary (2021-01-05). Foodbanks at risk of closure due to new coronavirus strain. thecanary.co Independent foodbanks are at risk of closure due to the rapidly spreading coronavirus variant and are calling on the government to provide cash to hungry families to "protect public health". | The Independent Food Aid Network (IFAN) has written to the prime minister calling on him to give struggling families money to reduce food bank reliance over the new year lockdown. | The letter says that distribution of emergency parcels "cannot address worsening poverty" and with the number of infections rising "could well contribute to the spread of Covid-19". | Meanwhile, the need to self-isolate could mean services reduc…

Peter J Hotez (2021-01-05). [Commentary] Vaccinating cassandra. thelancet.com Receiving the first of two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine was a more emotional experience than I anticipated. I'm a vaccinologist co-leading a team of scientists developing a potential recombinant protein COVID-19 vaccine for global health [1]. Vaccine production, manufacture, and distribution is led by Biological E (BioE) in India where it is being widely tested, with the aspirational goal that it might fill an urgently needed gap in low-cost COVID-19 vaccines for low- and middle-income countries [2].

Online News Editor (2021-01-05). Mexico receives 1st Pfizer vaccine shipment of 2021. laprensalatina.com Mexico City, Jan 5 (efe-epa).- The year's first shipment of the Pfizer/BioNTech anti-Covid vaccine arrived in Mexico on Tuesday, 53,605 doses earmarked to immunize healthcare personnel in Mexico City and the northern state of Coahuila. "This brief ceremony, the first of the year, keeps us united with everyone, and I remind you: everyone will get …

Seiji Yamada (2021-01-05). The Racism That Undergirds Global Public Health. counterpunch.org With his thin volume (143 pages of text, with 46 pages of notes) Epidemic Illusions: On the Coloniality of Global Public Health, Eugene Richardson takes to task the discipline of epidemiology, and with it, global public health. Utilizing the West Africa Ebola epidemic of 2013-2016 as his canvas, Richardson paints a picture that highlights the racism

Montgomery Rice V. (2021-01-05). Diversity in Medical Schools—A Much-Needed New Beginning. jamanetwork.com This Viewpoint reviews the many factors contributing to underrepresentation of Black physicians in US medical training pipelines and the health care workforce, and urges actions to dismantle structural barriers to Black medical school enrollment and achieve racial parity in the profession.

Mahé G, Lanéelle D, Le Faucheur A. (2021-01-05). Postexercise Ankle-Brachial Index Testing to Diagnose Peripheral Artery Disease. jamanetwork.com To the Editor Dr Mehta and colleagues presented the advantages and drawbacks of postexercise ankle-brachial index (ABI) testing based on a clinical case. However, several concerns about…

Voelker R. (2021-01-05). New Tool Offers Faster Notice of Foodborne Illness Outbreaks. jamanetwork.com The FDA has created a new way to inform the public about foodborne illness outbreaks before health advisories or product recalls are issued.

Voelker R. (2021-01-05). First Progeria Drug Is Approved. jamanetwork.com A new medication intended to reduce the risk of death from a genetic disease that causes premature aging has been approved for patients 1 year or older.

Mehta A, Sperling LS, Wells BJ. (2021-01-05). Postexercise Ankle-Brachial Index Testing to Diagnose Peripheral Artery Disease—Reply. jamanetwork.com In Reply Dr Mahé and colleagues are concerned about the sensitivity and specificity of the thresholds used for diagnosing PAD in patients with normal (1.00-1.40) or borderline (0.91-0.99) resting ABI and exertional non—joint-related leg pain. The diagnostic threshold of either a postexercise ABI decrease of more than 20% or a postexercise ankle systolic pressure decrease of more than 30 mm Hg were suggested by Aboyans et al as a reasonable diagnostic criterion for PAD (recommendation class IIa; level of evidence A) in the 2012 American Heart Association scientific statement on measurement and interpretation…

Cushing K, Higgins PR. (2021-01-05). Management of Crohn Disease. jamanetwork.com This review discusses the diagnosis and management of Crohn disease, including the importance of disease severity and risk stratification when determining a treatment strategy, the importance of maintenance therapy, and the adverse effects of treatment options.

Bauchner H. (2021-01-05). A Medical and Scientific New Year's Wish List. jamanetwork.com The last 4 years have been difficult for science and medicine. The relentless attack by members of the executive and legislative branches of government on science and federal agencies that conduct science has shaken the fundamental pillars of great US institutions such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Food and Drug Administration, Environmental Protection Agency, and in some regards the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Although the 2020 NIH budget increased to almost $42 billion, more individuals are uninsured, and although health care costs have not increased substantially over the past 4 y…

Lily Russell-Jones (2021-01-05). New Year's resolutions: Here's why I'll be joining a Trade Union in 2021. thecanary.co I think it's fair to say that the UK is glad to see the back of 2020. While exercising more, eating healthier, or quitting smoking might seem like more typical resolutions to put on the list for lockdown in 2021, this year I plan to join a Trade Union. | Exit stage right: | In the unlikely event that, like me, you have spent the past week pouring over the 1,200-page trade deal that the UK has agreed with the EU, then you may share my concern that it contains scant protection for workers' rights. | If there's one thing that's clear from the mammoth document, its that the trade and cooperation agreement wil…

Online News Editor (2021-01-05). China authorizes clinical trials of new vaccine based on mRNA technology. laprensalatina.com Beijing, Jan 5 (efe-epa).- Chinese pharma major Tibet Rhodiola on Tuesday said the anti-coronavirus vaccine it is developing with Stemirna Therapeutics has got approval from China's drug regulator for clinical trials. The company said in a statement that the National Medical Products Administration has allowed it to carry the tests "as planned." However, the company …

teleSUR (2021-01-04). Open Arms Lands Eritrean Migrants in Sicily. telesurenglish.net The Italian authorities on Monday allowed the Spanish humanitarian ship Open Arms to dock in Porto Empedocle in Sicily to disembark the 265 sub-Saharan migrants who were rescued in the Mediterranean Sea a few days ago. | RELATED: | Among those saved are 63 minors, six babies under three years of age, and 14 women, one of whom is in the ninth month of pregnancy. | Doctors from the Office of Maritime Health (USMA…

Julia Conley (2021-01-04). Paygo Exemptions Will Help Pave Way for Green New Deal and Medicare for All. zcomm.org "Paygo's the biggest scam of the decade, designed to legitimize the fear-mongering over artificial deficits. This is a big win by progressives."

Andrea Germanos, staff writer (2021-01-04). 'Good': Billionaire-Backed Effort to Upend US Healthcare System Collapses After Just 3 Years. commondreams.org "For-profit corporations ruined our healthcare system. They're not going to be the ones to fix it." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

Fight Back (2021-01-04). Arizona educators planning sick-out in several school districts. fightbacknews.org Tucson, AZ – As COVID-19 rates and deaths continue to rise in Arizona, as many as 750 educators in the districts of Chandler, Dysart, Peoria and Deer Valley are planning a sick-out to resist the order to return to in-person instruction. | The event is called "Blackout for the Benchmarks" using the hashtag #RIPMetrics in order to highlight the neglect of state and county COVID-19 health benchmarks and safety metrics demonstrated by these school districts. State Superintendent of Schools Kathy Hoffman recommended at least two weeks of virtual learning as students return from winter break. Reactionary Governor Doug…

teleSUR (2021-01-04). Africa's Confirmed COVID-19 Cases Surpass 2.83 Mln: Africa CDC. telesurenglish.net The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the African continent has reached 2,830,462 as of Monday, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said. | The continental disease control and prevention agency said in a statement that the death toll from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has reached 67,246 as of Monday afternoon. | RELATED: | The Africa CDC, a specialized healthcare agency of the African Union (AU) Com…

WSWS (2021-01-04). Over 2,900 US health care workers have died from COVID-19. wsws.org A new report by the Guardian and Kaiser Health News published last week estimates that over 2,900 health care workers have died in the United States due to COVID-19.

teleSUR (2021-01-04). More Than 100 Doctors Who Fought COVID in Kuwait Return to Cuba. telesurenglish.net One hundred members of the Henry Reeve internationalist medical brigade returned to Cuba today after seven months of collaborating with Kuwait's health personnel in confronting the COVID-19 pandemic. | RELATED: | The Cuban specialists worked in eight public hospitals (Hospital Al Jaber, Adan, Mubarach, Ibn Sina, Farwaniya, Jahra, Amiri, and the Field Hospital), where they attended 33,753 patients and performed 374,680 nursin…

Brian Berletic (2021-01-04). COVID-19: The Emergence of the Pandemic Industrial Complex. globalresearch.ca : | If official numbers are to be believed, the United States is one of the worst hit countries in terms of COVID-19 infections and deaths. According to the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), at the time of writing, …

WSWS (2021-01-04). UK teaching unions call for no work in "unsafe schools" as opposition among educators mounts. wsws.org Schools have been a major vector for the spread of COVID-19, worsened by a new and more contagious variant of the disease.

WSWS (2021-01-04). Hospitals overwhelmed and bodies loaded into semi-trailers as California reaches breaking point with COVID-19. wsws.org The flood of coronavirus cases has exposed the underfunded and unprepared health care system in the richest state in the US.

Editor (2021-01-04). Medical Alliance Urges Officials to OK Ivermectin to Fight Virus. scheerpost.com By Stephen Londe, MD FACS, FACC / Original to ScheerPost In August, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) COVID-19 Treatment Guidelines Panel recommended against the use of the generic drug ivermectin for the treatment of COVID-19, except for clinical trials. Now, after numerous recent trials worldwide have demonstrated the drug's efficacy against the virus, a group of determined doctors is… |

RT (2021-01-04). Health authorities on alert after nurse DIES following vaccination with Pfizer's Covid-19 shot in Portugal. rt.com Health authorities in Portugal are investigating the sudden death of a pediatric surgery assistant in Porto, who was reportedly in "perfect health" when she received the Pfizer vaccine against the coronavirus. | Identified on Monday as Sonia Azevedo, 41, the mother of two worked as a surgical assistant at the Instituto Portugues de Oncologia (IPO), an oncology hospital in Porto. She was among the 538 healthcare workers at IPO who received their first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine last Wednesday. Azevedo had dinner with her family on New Year's Eve, and was found dead in bed the following morning. | "Ms A…

RT (2021-01-04). Putin opens door to 'vaccine passports' for international travel as growing number of Russians get Covid-19 jab. rt.com The Russian government will consider developing and distributing new documents for those who have been vaccinated against coronavirus, in an effort to cut risks associated with international travel. | In a series of instructions to officials, published at the end of 2020, President Vladimir Putin ordered policymakers "to consider issuing certificates to people who have been vaccinated against Covid-19 infections using Russian vaccines… for the purpose of enabling citizens to travel across the borders of the Russian Federation and those of other countries." | Russia's Prime Minister, Mikhail Mishustin, has be…

RT (2021-01-04). Head of Ukrainian doctors' group accuses government of 'lying' over refusal to register Russian Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine. rt.com A row in Kiev over the government's decision not to register a Russian-made coronavirus jab has worsened, with one of the country's most senior doctors saying officials are not being straight about the reasons behind the move. | Sergey Kravchenko, the head of the National Medical Chamber of Ukraine, a public organization representing doctors, rubbished claims that Kiev could approve vaccines only once they had completed phase-three trials. Writing on Facebook on Sunday, he said it was "a lie [from health officials] that it is impossible to register the Sputnik V vaccine." | The World Health Organization, he sa…

RT (2021-01-04). Boris Johnson confirms new national lockdown for England as UK registers record Covid-19 cases. rt.com England will enter a new national lockdown until at least mid-February, when vulnerable groups should be vaccinated against Covid-19, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced on Monday. | Describing the move as part of "a great national effort to fight Covid," Johnson announced a nationwide lockdown until at least mid-February. By that time, Johnson said that "if things go well and with a fair wind," all of the UK's frontline health and social care workers, elderly, and clinically vulnerable will be vaccinated. | The weeks ahead will be the hardest yet. But we are entering the final phase. The end is in sight…

RT (2021-01-04). Danish govt backs delaying 2nd dose of Covid-19 vaccine like UK, despite safety concerns from Pfizer. rt.com Denmark will follow the UK in delaying administering second doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 jab beyond the recommended 21-day period, despite safety warnings from the manufacturer against altering the vaccine regimen. | On Monday, the director of the Danish National Board of Health, Søren Brostrøm, told the news agency Ritzau it had updated its guidance so Danes could be given their second shot of the two-part inoculation up to six weeks after the first dose. | However, Brostrøm added that second doses of the Pfizer vaccine should still be given three to four weeks after the first, w…

RT (2021-01-04). 'Those with faith in Christ shouldn't fear death from Covid-19:' Russian Orthodox bishop shares 'optimistic' message for 2021. rt.com With the coronavirus pandemic still looming large as we enter the new year, one Orthodox bishop has sought to put it all into perspective with a cheery message of hope for his followers, and for people across the world. | The head of the Ekaterinburg diocese, in Russia's Ural region, Metropolitan Evgeny, told local news site E1 that "the most frequently mentioned words in 2020 were 'disease,' 'virus,' and 'pandemic.' They have been said probably just as often as, in 1941, 'Germans,' 'fascists,' and 'war' were." | According to him, at that time, former Soviet leader Joseph Stalin and the Orthodox Church teamed…

Nicole Karlis (2021-01-04). We asked health care experts why the coronavirus vaccine roll-out has been so slow. salon.com "There's no such thing as a full-time COVID-19 vaccinator": Mass vaccination snafus, explained…

sputniknews (2021-01-04). South African COVID-19 Variant 'More of a Problem' Than UK One, Health Secretary Matt Hancock Says. sputniknews.com A new variant of COVID-19 has been identified in South Africa. Known as 501.V2, the new variant of the virus carries mutations in its spike protein, which it uses to penetrate host cells and cause infection.

Sovereignty (2021-01-04). Pfizer VP Calls For Vaccine Withdrawal, Flu Shots Down, Nobel Prize Winner Warns. indybay.org Why have flu shots dropped 98%? | Why does a retired Pfizer VP petition EU health agency to withdraw vaccine? Why are not just pregnant women but all women who want ever to conceive warned against vaccine? Nobel Prize winner and creator of PCR test says it should not be used in covid 19 tests. Why?>

Mehr News Agency (2021-01-04). COVID-19 claims 55,650 lives across Iran. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jan. 04 (MNA) — The coronavirus has infected 6,073 people and claimed 110 lives in Iran in the past 24 hours, according to the Iranian Health Ministry.

teleSUR (2021-01-04). Mexico: 32,824 Health Workers Have Been Vaccinated So Far. telesurenglish.net Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO) Sunday announced that 53,625 doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been received in the country, 32,824 of which have been applied to health personnel. | RELATED: | He added that 50,000 more doses will arrive on Tuesday to continue the vaccination in the healthcare sector , which has at least 750,000 workers. | The elderly population will be vaccinated with the…

Rafael Figueroa (2021-01-04). Health Department Closes Two Drive-Through COVID Vaccine Sites This Week to Focus on Long-Term Care. laprensalatina.com SHELBY COUNTY, TN (WREG) — The Shelby County Health Department announced they will focus their vaccination efforts this week on those residents and staff in "congregate settings." According to the health department, this includes residents and staff members at long-term care facilities who are part of the 1a1 priority group. While the health department focuses …

Alan Macleod (2021-01-04). Media Praise of Israel's COVID Vaccination Drive a Form of "Medical Apartheid" mintpressnews.com Completely missing from media accounts of the Israeli vaccine drive was mention of the millions of Palestinians living under Israeli occupation, none of whom have received the vaccine.

WSWS (2021-01-04). COVID-19: Global vaccination stymied by nationalism and profit gouging. wsws.org The race to procure vaccines against a fast-spreading virus that travels unimpeded by border controls has set in motion a ferocious national competition that threatens to prolong and intensify the pandemic.

teleSUR (2021-01-04). Egypt Licenses Sinopharm COVID-19 Vaccine for Emergency Use. telesurenglish.net Egypt's Health Minister Hala Zayed said that the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Chinese drugmaker Sinopharm has been officially licensed for emergency use in Egypt. | RELATED: | "The Egyptian Drug Authority (EDA) will send us the official license early in the morning, which it has already issued today," he announced. | Egypt received the first batch of Sinopharm vaccines on Dec. 10. The minister said that the batch…

teleSUR (2021-01-04). Venezuela Denounces Obstacles To Access COVID-19 Vaccines. telesurenglish.net Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro on Sunday denounced the blocking of resources by international banks and western nations against the country to prevent the acquisition of COVID-19 vaccines, noting the moves are in line with the U.S. unilateral sanctions. | RELATED: | The Venezuelan assets to buy COVID-19 vaccines "have been stolen and frozen by the U.K, Portugal, Spain, and the U.S.," Maduro pointed out, recalling that his administration has ma…

Online News Editor (2021-01-04). Colombia's capital puts 2.5 mn people under strict quarantine. laprensalatina.com Bogota, Jan 4 (efe-epa).- Alarmed by the high number of Covid-19 patients in intensive-care units and the rapid spread of that respiratory disease, Colombia's capital is set to put 2.5 million residents of three hard-hit neighborhoods under new strict quarantines. Bogota, the main focal point of the pandemic in Colombia, has registered 480,219 confirmed coronavirus …

Online News Editor (2021-01-04). Japan considers declaring state of emergency in Tokyo area. laprensalatina.com Tokyo, Jan 4 (efe-epa).- Japan Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said Monday that the government was considering declaring another state of emergency in Tokyo and the surrounding areas due to the continued rise of Covid-19 cases that have piled up the pressure on the country's healthcare system. The emergency declaration, if announced, would affect the capital …