(2021-01-24). Mad Dog Time. counterpunch.org 
In mid-January, Britain achieved the gruesome distinction of becoming the world leader in the Covid-19 death rate. No other nation is seeing a greater proportion of its people die of the disease, not even the Covidapalooza of the United States. It is now beyond any doubt that Boris Johnson's Tory government has been following a
(2021-01-24). A Life Saving Hope or Death Defying Jab? Three Perspectives on the Experimental COVID Vaccine. globalresearch.ca "I believe that people should be aware that side effects can happened, that it is not good for everyone and in this case destroyed a beautiful life, a perfect family, and has affected so many people in the community. …
(2021-01-24). The mRNA COVID Vaccine Is Not a Vaccine. globalresearch.ca First posted by Global Research on January 15, 2021 | It's NOT a vaccine. The mRNA COVID vaccine now being militarily deployed in many nations around the world, is NOT a vaccine. I repeat: it is not a vaccine. It is …
(2021-01-24). The Coronavirus Vaccine: The Real Danger is "Agenda ID2020" globalresearch.ca WHO has most likely received orders from "above", from those people who also manage Trump and the "leaders" (sic) of the EU, European Union. The final decision to go ahead NOW with COVID-19 pandemic, was taken in January 2020 at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos – behind very much closed doors.
(2021-01-24). Portugal goes to the polls amid lockdown. yenisafak.com Polls opened in Portugal's presidential elections on Sunday morning as the country faces record-high levels of COVID-19 deaths and infections.The country has been under lockdown for 10 days, and the epidemiological situation continues to worsen.On Saturday, the Health Ministry reported 15,133 new infections and 274 more deaths — the highest figures for both since the pandemic began.Lockdown exceptions are being granted for people to leave their homes to cast ballots on Sunday.Portugal's president has no legislative powers, but can dissolve parliament and call new elections.The incumbent Marcelo Rebelo de So…
(2021-01-24). Asian, Black Patients More Likely to Die of COVID-19, Claims Study Probing Ethnicity-Linked Outcomes. sputniknews.com As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to rack up a death toll across the globe, with governments rolling out vaccination programmes in an effort to stop the spread of the respiratory disease, extensive research continues to probe the plethora of factors that are behind the different outcomes of the infection among diverse populations.
(2021-01-24). Defense official resigns for early virus shot in Spain. yenisafak.com Spain's chief of defense staff resigned following a controversy that saw him getting the coronavirus vaccine by breaking the vaccination protocol, according to media reportsGeneral Miguel Angel Villarroya submitted his resignation to Defense Minister Margarita and it was accepted.In his resignation letter, he said he had honestly served Spain throughout his 45-year military career.His resignation comes on the heels of a scandal about Spanish military and political officials getting early vaccinations supposedly reserved for health workers and residents in retirement homes.Since December 2019, the pandemic has cla…
(2021-01-24). Anthony Fauci Joins the Long List of People Incapacitated by Coronavirus Vaccine. globalresearch.ca Anthony Fauci, the director of the United States government's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told reporters Thursday that he was "knocked out" for about 24 hours after, on Tuesday, taking the second dose of experimental coronavirus vaccine. Fauci …
(2021-01-24). Double Suicide Bombing: Baghdad Blast Responsibility in Question. globalresearch.ca A deadly double suicide bombing ripped through a second-hand clothing market in Tayaran Square, located in Bab Al-Sharqi commercial district of Baghdad on Thursday. Hassan Mohammed Al-Tamimi, Iraq's Health Minister, said at least 32 people were killed and 110 others …
(2021-01-23). Nursing leaders call for more effective PPE in light of new coronavirus variants. thecanary.co Nursing leaders are calling on the government to urgently review the use of standard surgical masks by healthcare staff. A review would raise the question of whether surgical masks offer enough protection against highly transmissible strains of coronavirus (Covid-19). | One nurse told the PA news agency that she feels staff are like "lambs to the slaughter" due to the inadequacy of surgical masks. | Urgent call for higher grade of PPE: | The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has written to the government after members raised fears they have inadequate personal protective equipment (PPE). Separately, it's als…
(2021-01-23). Thousands call on Home Office to shut barracks housing refugees amid coronavirus outbreak. thecanary.co 
120 people have reportedly tested positive for coronavirus (Covid-19) at a military barracks housing refugees in Kent. The outbreak has sparked fears of a health crisis.Around 400 people are living at Napier Barracks in Folkestone, Kent, which means that over 1 in 4 residents could be infected. The virus outbreak has added to concerns over conditions at the barracks."Unbearable": Residents, many of whom have crossed the English Channel in small boats, have described it as "unbearable". They say social distancing is impossible at the facility.Earlier in January, many residents went on hunger strike in prote…
(2021-01-23). Scientists warn against lifting lockdown amid 'more deadly' mutant coronavirus strain. thecanary.co 
Scientists have warned there can be no early easing of lockdown rules after evidence that the mutant coronavirus variant which emerged in the South East of England may be more deadly than the original strain.Mortality rates: Boris Johnson has appealed to people to stay home and follow the rules after he revealed the new variant may be associated with "a higher degree of mortality".He also said the government could have to bring in further restrictions on travel. This was following a warning that other new variants found in South Africa and Brazil may be more resistant to the vaccines that have been develop…
(2021-01-23). Welsh Tory leader caves in & resigns after flouting Covid-19 drinks ban. rt.com 
Having a few drinks with fellow politicians at the Senedd has cost Paul Davies of the Welsh Conservatives his leadership position. He announced his resignation on Saturday, a day after refusing to do so. | Davies insisted that his consumption of alcohol at the Welsh Parliament did not constitute a breach of Covid-19 restrictions, and that his decision to resign was motivated by a wish to avoid "distraction" from criticizing the Labour-led government of the country, which the scandal caused. | "For the sake of my party, my health and my own conscience, I simply cannot continue in post," he said. | Paul Davies'
(2021-01-23). Stay silent, please! France's Academy of Medicine advises people to 'avoid talking' on public transport to stop spread of Covid-19. rt.com 
The French National Academy of Medicine has urged people to quit the chatter on packed buses and trains, where social distancing is impossible. The country's health minister earlier asked everyone to wear better quality masks. | "The compulsory mask-wearing on public transport, where physical distance cannot be respected, must be paired with a very simple precaution: avoid talking and making phone calls," the Academy said in a statement. | The Academy updated its recommendations in light of the more transmissible coronavirus mutations that were discovered in Britain and South Africa. | The High Council of Publ…
(2021-01-23). Thailand's Billionaire-led Opposition Lie about Vaccine Prices. thealtworld.com The US-backed billionaire-led opposition in Thailand has continued to attack the Thai government over its COVID-19 response despite Thailand's response being among the best in the world. | Now the opposition is lying about the costs of AstraZeneca's vaccines and about the nature of the deal made with the Thai government for vaccines, technology transfers, and the manufacturing of vaccines in Thailand. | References: | Twitter — Pannika Wanich @Pannika_FWP: | BBC — Covi…
(2021-01-23). [Editorial] COVID-19: the intersection of education and health. thelancet.com What lessons does the COVID-19 syndemic offer when considering the convergence between health and education? The International Day of Education, on Jan 24, provides an opportunity to reflect on the weaknesses of the education system before COVID-19, and on the impact of school closures and education disruptions on children and adolescents. Since March, 2020, more than 1 ∑5 billion students worldwide—an unprecedented number—have been affected by school or university closures. The implications of these closures are enormous.
(2021-01-23). [Obituary] Suhaila Siddiq. thelancet.com Afghan Public Health Minister, surgeon, and lieutenant general. Born in Kabul, Afghanistan, she died there on Dec 4, 2020, after reportedly contracting COVID-19. She was believed to be in her early 80s.
(2021-01-23). [World Report] CEPI criticised for lack of transparency. thelancet.com The publicly funded epidemic response agency CEPI has been criticised for the lack of transparency in its grant agreements with COVID-19 vaccine developers. Ann Danaiya Usher reports.
(2021-01-23). [Correspondence] Reaffirming health and safety precautionary principles for COVID-19 in the UK. thelancet.com In their case for a sustainable UK strategy for COVID-19, Deepti Gurdasani and colleagues1 recommend "restoration of an adequate health and safety inspectorate". We do not believe that the UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE) should, like Public Health England, be made a scapegoat for lack of ministerial direction2 but rather that the HSE should be restored the wherewithal to fulfil its mandate.
(2021-01-23). Spain's rich and powerful secretly monopolised COVID-19 vaccines. wsws.org The ruling class orders workers and youth back to work and school, knowing thousands will get sick and die, knowing they can illegally obtain the vaccine for themselves.
(2021-01-23). Video: France's Medical Doctors Speak Out. "Pour la vérité de Covid-19" globalresearch.ca The New Tang Dynasty (NTD) broadcast a Press Conference of 9 January 2021 of independent French medical doctors for the truth about Covid-19. It is called "Coordination Santé Libre" or "Free Health Coordination". | The Group, based in France, represents more …
(2021-01-23). 'Overpromise and Under Deliver': Netizens Rap Biden for Saying COVID Trajectory 'Cannot be Changed'. sputniknews.com Democrat Joe Biden, who campaigned ahead of the 2020 presidential election on a vow to make COVID-19 relief a top priority ostensibly in divergence from the Trump administration's pandemic response, which he had slammed as ineffectual, signed a slew of executive orders on his first day in office as POTUS to combat the ongoing health crisis.
(2021-01-23). Greater numbers dying as COVID-19 infections spread in UK workplaces. wsws.org Data published by Public Health England covering January 4-10 showed a near 70 percent increase in reports of COVID-19 infections related to workplaces, with 175 clusters. These workplaces were other than schools, hospitals or care homes.
(2021-01-23). Economic and Social Council turns 75; President reaffirms mandate to tackle pandemic, development challenges. news.un.org Marking its 75th anniversary amid the most serious economic and health crisis the UN has ever faced, the Organization's Economic and Social Council "has the mandate and the responsibility to respond to these challenges," the body's President, Munir Akram, said on Saturday.
(2021-01-23). Why California's vaccine roll-out has been such a mess. salon.com The current surge and an underfunded public health system created a storm of disarray…
(2021-01-23). [Correspondence] Causal ordering among risk factors in the PURE study. thelancet.com Salim Yusuf and colleagues'1 findings on the heterogeneity of risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease in low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries are important. However, hazard ratios (HRs) and population-attributable fractions (PAFs) need to account for causal ordering among risk factors.2,3 PAFs calculated by use of HRs from regression models that include all risk factors simultaneously violate the principle that causation occurs in sequential steps. The calculated HR is what is left over after adjusting for risk factors that are, at least partly, on the causal pathway leading to cardiov…
(2021-01-23). [Comment] Offline: The danger of unreliable narrators. thelancet.com "We can see the way out", ran the headline in last week's Sunday Express. Governments across Europe are increasingly optimistic. Ministers are looking visibly more relaxed. US President Joe Biden is now in the White House and he is serious about science, unlike his predecessor. Vaccines are being delivered at scale. Claims are now being confidently made that all adults in the UK will have been vaccinated by June or September, 2021. Although other countries have been slower to start, they will catch up.
(2021-01-23). [Correspondence] Considering dose in pharmacological therapies for heart failure. thelancet.com Muthiah Vaduganathan and colleagues'1 analysis was insightful in contextualising the potential benefits observed in trials for the medical treatment of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). A noted shortcoming of the analysis was not accounting for the role of the dose of disease-modifying medication in the disease course of HFrEF. Vaduganathan and colleagues1 correctly identified the CHAMP-HF,2 QUALIFY,3 and CHECK-HF4 registries as evidence of the underuse of mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRAs) and angiotensin receptor neprilysin inhibitors, but they also attributed the stagnation in HF…
(2021-01-23). [World Report] South Africa responds to new SARS-CoV-2 variant. thelancet.com Land borders have been closed and restrictions continue as a new variant stresses the health system. Munyaradzi Makoni reports.
(2021-01-23). [Comment] Precision medicine in rheumatology: are we getting closer? thelancet.com The overarching aim of precision (also referred to as personalised) medicine is to identify the best possible management approach for an individual with a certain disease. The main prerequisite for such an approach is the identification of characteristics linked to a favourable outcome of a certain treatment. The characteristics of interests might be clinical or molecular biomarkers or identified through imaging, allowing for stratification of patients and prediction of response. The size of the strata might range from big subgroups covering a substantial proportion of patients to individual patients.
(2021-01-23). Complex Life Threatened. dissidentvoice.org Throughout the world, scientists are speaking out like never before. They're talking about an emergency situation of the health of the planet threatening "complex life," including, by default, human life. It's scary stuff. On this subject, America's green NGOs prefer to address the danger by sticking to a middle ground, don't scare people, too much …
(2021-01-23). Kenyan health professionals continue strike after governors refuse to sign agreement. peoplesdispatch.org Kenya's nurses and clinical officers continue to be on strike as the second tier of government – the Council of Governors – has not signed the return to work formula agreed upon by the unions and the country's health ministry…
(2021-01-22). Can US Workers Be Dismissed for Refusing to Be Vaxxed? globalresearch.ca According to Law Professor Dorit Reiss: | "Requiring a vaccine is a health and safety work rule, and employers can" fire noncompliant staff. | Attorney David Betras explained that "workplace vaccination requirements aren't new, and they passed constitutional muster long ago," …
(2021-01-22). Brazil's Lula Thanks Venezuela for Sending Oxygen to Manaus. telesurenglish.net Brazil's former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Friday thanked the Venezuelan government for sending medical oxygen to Manaus, an Amazonian city that is severely hit by the COVID-19 second wave. | RELATED: | "I want to thank President Nicolas Maduro for his political greatness in the face of Manaus' health emergency," Lula wrote in a letter addressed to the Venezuelan government. | "The Brazilian people will not forget this gesture of s…
(2021-01-22). As Pandemic Rips Through Indian Country, Indigenous Communities Work to Save Elders & Languages. democracynow.org 
We look at the fight to save tribal elders and Native language speakers as the pandemic rips through Indian Country, with Indigenous communities facing woefully inadequate healthcare, lack of governmental support, and the living legacy of centuries of colonialism. Native Americans have died from COVID-19 at twice the rate of white people across the U.S. To combat this crisis, the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe has prioritized elders who speak the Dakota and Lakota languages to receive vaccines. "Knowing that there were a lot of elders who were at really, really high risk, this was a concern from the very beginning," s…
(2021-01-22). Corporatization of Canada's virtual health services part of broader privatization drive. wsws.org Telecommunications giant Telus is exploiting desperate patients who lack timely access to healthcare services, the need for social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic, and rising chronic illness to significantly expand its presence in the health care sector.
(2021-01-22). Boris Johnson faces 'mother of all arguments' over Covid restrictions next month. thecanary.co 
Boris Johnson faces the "mother of all arguments" next month when he comes under pressure to loosen the lockdown while the NHS remains seriously stretched, a government adviser has predicted.Professor David Spiegelhalter, a member of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), warned that intensive care units will still be strained even as deaths drop significantly.A large number of Tory backbenchers are likely to be among those heaping pressure on the Prime Minister at that point to ease England's third national lockdown.(PA Graphics)Spiegelhalter said "the benefits of the vaccine" will begin being see…
(2021-01-22). Swedish health agency investigates after 1,000 people receive Moderna vaccine kept at too low a temperature. rt.com 
Around 1,000 Swedes have received Moderna Covid-19 shots that were kept too cold while being transported, the company in charge of deliveries, Apoteket AB, said on Friday. | A total of 2,100 doses of the US-made vaccine that were kept too cold in transit have been delivered to the regions of Gävleborg, Halland, Värmland, Dalarna, and Östergötland, a government spokesperson said. | The Swedish Public Health Agency has said there is no risk to those given the Moderna vaccine, but it has halted the rollout and is investigating whether keeping doses too cold may affect the vaccine's efficacy.
(2021-01-22). WHO vaccine chief says 'crushing transmission' of Covid-19 is vital to avoid further mutations amid global vaccine roll-out. rt.com 
The global transmission of Covid-19 must be drastically curbed to ensure that the virus does not mutate further, potentially undermining the current deployment of vaccines, a World Health Organization (WHO) expert said on Friday. | The agency's immunization and vaccines chief, Professor Katherine O'Brien, said she wanted to emphasize the "importance of really crushing transmission" of the virus in order to guarantee the "maximum impact" of vaccines. | "The risk of variants relative to the vaccines is ever greater when the transmission is very high in communities," she told a WHO media briefing on Friday. | Not…
(2021-01-22). Wisconsin Nursing Home Staff Laid Off for Declining COVID-19 Vaccine. anti-empire.com 
Employees at a Janesville nursing home risk losing their job if they do not take the COVID-19 vaccine, a policy that has caused outrage among many staff members. | Officials at Rock Haven, a Rock County-owned facility, issued a memo in December telling employees that the vaccine was "a requirement for all staff" and that employees who failed to get the vaccine would be laid off. A copy of the memo was obtained by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel through an open records request. | According to the memo, a laid-off employee will not be eligible to return to work until they complete the two-dose vaccine regimen. | Roc…
(2021-01-22). EU Commission, member states 'deeply dissatisfied' with AstraZeneca after revelation of delayed vaccine delivery. rt.com 
AstraZeneca has warned the EU's executive that there will be delays to its delivery of Covid-19 vaccines in the first three months of the year, prompting the bloc's health commissioner to express "deep dissatisfaction." | In a series of tweets late Friday, EU Commissioner for Health Stella Kyriakides said the delays had been revealed by representatives for the British-Swedish pharma firm earlier that day "compared to the forecast for the first quarter of this year." | "The EU Commission and Member States expressed deep dissatisfaction with this," she added. | We insisted on a precise delivery schedule on the b…
(2021-01-22). Media Elevate Eugenicists, sideline disabled voices in discussions of Covid rationing. mronline.org 
In the sticky conversations around rationing life-saving treatments and vaccines during the Covid pandemic, corporate media have elevated some experts without disclosing their troubling views on disability, aging and the value of human life. Meanwhile, media outlets have largely sidelined the voices of disabled activists and others who could speak on behalf of those most …
(2021-01-22). Czech Republic reports 2nd outbreak of highly infectious H5N8 bird flu in a week. rt.com 
The Czech Republic has reported its second H5N8 bird flu outbreak in as many days after not seeing any for nearly a year, its State Veterinary Administration said on Friday. | Around half of a flock of 30 birds died in the outbreak at a poultry farm in the Tabor region, 99 kilometers south of the capital Prague, which officials said was probably contracted from wild ducks at a nearby pond. | All poultry at the farm will be slaughtered, while vets have set up three- and 10-kilometer exclusion zones within which a series of health measures will be imposed, including banning poultry exports. | The infection follo…
(2021-01-22). Coronavirus hits labor movement: Union numbers down, density up. peoplesworld.org 
WASHINGTON—The galloping spread of the coronavirus plague took its toll on U.S. unions in 2020, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. But in a paradox, while union membership declined in its annual report, union density rose by 0.5%, to 10.8% in 2020. That's because as the economy tanked to try to prevent the disease's spread, …
(2021-01-22). Healthier world means 'safer America' Tedros stresses, as UN-led vaccine initiative announces deal for 40 million doses. news.un.org The World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday announced the signing of an advance purchase agreement securing up to 40 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID vaccine, under the UN-led COVAX equitable vaccine supply programme.
(2021-01-22). Lockdown loneliness led to an increase in anxiety and depression in people over 50. thecanary.co Older people's mental health declined during the Covid-19 lockdowns as their loneliness contributed to a rise in anxiety and depression, according to a study. | Researchers at the University of Exeter and King's College London studied data from more than 3,000 people aged over 50. | They said loneliness emerged as a key factor linked to worsening symptoms of depression and anxiety. | And a decrease in physical activity since the start of the pandemic was also associated with worsening symptoms of depression and anxiety. Women were also more likely to be struggling with their mental health, as were retired people.
(2021-01-22). 'Deeply Alarming': AstraZeneca Charging South Africa More Than Double What Europeans Pay for Covid-19 Vaccine. commondreams.org "This is the problem when you have essential medicines in the hands of big business, with almost no transparency as to pricing." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2021-01-22). Mali To Start COVID-19 Vaccination With Support From COVAX. telesurenglish.net On Friday, Mali's Ministry of Health announced that the COVID-19 vaccination campaign begins in April as the government plans to acquire 8.4 million doses. | RELATED: | The authorities explained that health workers, the elderly, and those with comorbidities would be prioritized. The government will carry out the immunization with the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, which will arrive in the country by the end of March. | We're proud to release a report…
(2021-01-22). Why is Thanathorn Complaining about Affordable Medicine? thealtworld.com US-backed opposition leader and billionaire Thanathorn has attacked the Thai government's response to COVID-19 and its hesitation to rush into a vaccine campaign.
(2021-01-22). Vaccination of Politicians Sparks Outrage in Spain. telesurenglish.net Although Spanish politicians and high-ranking officials are not part of the groups with a preference to receive COVID-19 vaccines, some of them have been vaccinated by dodging the order of precedence. This discovery has sparked a growing controversy in Spain about the ethics of its leaders. | RELATED: | "In less than 48 hours, three public officials have resigned for 'jumping the queue' for vaccines," the local outlet…