(2021-02-04). "Viruses Know No Borders": In Push for Global Vaccine Equity, U.S. AIDS Program Offers Blueprint. democracynow.org 
As the U.S. COVID death toll tops 450,000, the Biden administration is attempting to ramp up its vaccination campaign to slow the spread of new coronavirus variants. Meanwhile, health experts warn any vaccination progress in the United States will be threatened without global vaccine equity. "We need to, as quickly as possible, expand access to the vaccines, both in this country, in the United States, as well as around the world," says Dr. Wafaa El-Sadr, director of the ICAP at Columbia University and professor of epidemiology and medicine at the Columbia Mailman School of Public Health. She argues that the U.S.
(2021-02-04). The Never Ending COVID Crisis. popularresistance.org It was in early 2020 that the word COVID-19 entered the lexicon. In the past year more than 440,000 people in the United States have died from this disease. The impact of shutdowns meant to end the spread of disease have cost millions of people their jobs, and businesses large and small no longer exist at all. COVID-19 has proven that the political system is devoted to the interests of the billionaire class and is therefore incapable of acting in the interests of the people. | The vaccines which hold some promise are distributed by the same for-profit entities that run what passes for a health care system in this…
(2021-02-04). 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 …
(2021-02-04). In Push for Global Vaccine Equity, US AIDS Program PEPFAR Offers Blueprint. truthout.org 
As the U.S. COVID death toll tops 450,000, the Biden administration is attempting to ramp up its vaccination campaign to slow the spread of new coronavirus variants. Meanwhile, health experts warn any vaccination progress in the United States will be threatened without global vaccine equity. "We need to, as quickly as possible, expand access to the vaccines, both in this country, in the United States, as well as around the world," says Dr. Wafaa El-Sadr, director of the ICAP at Columbia University…
(2021-02-04). The So-Called Moderna Vaccine Is a Publicly Funded Miracle. counterpunch.org 
The so-called "Moderna" vaccine is a miracle of science. It is nearly 100 percent effective at preventing serious illness and death. By vaccinating the world, we can end the COVID-19 pandemic and save millions of lives. The only problem? We don't have nearly enough doses. But there's a solution: If the Biden administration allowed generic manufacturers, not
(2021-02-04). Cuba develops COVID-19 vaccines, takes socialist approach. peoplesworld.org 
Cuba's socialist approach to developing vaccines against Covid-19 differs strikingly from that of capitalist nations of the world developing vaccines. Socialist Cuba's production of four vaccines is grounded in science, in a dedication to saving the lives of all Cubans, and in international solidarity. Cuba is the only vaccine manufacturer in Latin America; there are …
(2021-02-04). Wednesday 2/3: Dicussion on Science of COVID Vaccines & Inequities Contributing to Vaccine Hesitancy. indybay.org Online event…
(2021-02-04). NACOSH unveils comprehensive job safety/health strengthening plan. peoplesworld.org 
HOUSTON—One year after the coronavirus pandemic hit the country, Marcos Vasquez, a 20-year day labor construction worker in Houston, still toils for employers who won't provide him an anti-viral mask. Or gloves. Or other personal protective equipment. "There's not enough social distancing," he adds. "The bathrooms" on worksites "are dirty and they lack water and …
(2021-02-04). 'What I Want For Me, I Want For You'. popularresistance.org The 1,400 workers at Hunts Point Market, the largest produce distribution market in the country, went on strike the night of Sunday, January 17. They walked out of the warehouse to win a better contract after risking their lives as essential workers since the beginning of the pandemic. | Management offered them a minimal $0.32 per hour raise. Their demands? Bring members who are making $18.75 an hour up to $20 an hour, give everyone else a $1 an hour raise, and maintain their healthcare coverage at no additional costs to the workers. This was the first time the union, Teamsters Local 202, went on strike since at…
(2021-02-04). American Healthcare System Failed Black Americans. popularresistance.org There are certain policy positions that are such a slam dunk that if someone does not support them, I can't take anything they say seriously, nor can I trust their judgement. Medicare for All is one of those polices. It is the most pro-black legislation in mainstream political discourse right now. Our black leaders, such as Jim Clyburn, teaming up with health insurance companies and Big Pharma, are why the state of healthcare in the African American community is so bleak, as I laid out in my previous article | Liberals, for good reason, hold social wedge issues as their primary litmus test. Can you imagine a stan…
(2021-02-04). After Years of Outrage Politics, RepubliQans have surrendered to the Neo-Nazi Conspiracy Theorists. juancole.com Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) — From Sarah Palin's alarmist and mendacious charge of death panels in the Affordable Health Act to Benghazi, where the smarmy Mike Pompeo tried to hang a terrorist attack around the neck of secretary of state Hillary Clinton (who was not in charge of military or intelligence decisions), the brand of …
(2021-02-04). The Digital Police State Is Being Institutionalized Throughout the Western World. thealtworld.com This report sounds like science fiction, but it comes from a credentialed source and is posted on a respected website. If correct, the only possible conclusion is that a police state is being institutionalized throughout the Western world and perhaps all of the world. If correct, the report certainly validates my conclusion that the digital revolution is the worst disaster ever to befall humanity, and it validates my conclusion that no Western government represents the people. PCR | Implanted "Vaccine Package" ID: Germany's Parliament Has Ratified GAVI's Digital "Agenda ID2020" | By Peter Koenig, Global Research…
(2021-02-04). The Failings Of Unemployment Insurance Are By Design. popularresistance.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 the system. And, because of their limited short-term nature, President Biden must now advocate for a third. | The system's shortcomings have been obvious for some time, but little effort has been made to improve it. In fact, those shortcomings were baked in…
(2021-02-04). [Commentary] Is ivermectin ready to be part of a public health policy for COVID-19 prophylaxis? thelancet.com The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic led to a worldwide time trial in search for therapeutic alternatives that would be effective, safe, and accessible. The despair of front-line physicians in the face of the increment in mortality led to the empirical use of various therapies in a sort of "war medicine." Most of the studies evaluating the efficacy of multiple therapeutic options have been carried out mainly in hospitalized patients with severe or critical illness. Most treatments have proved to be ineffective or partially effective at these stages.
(2021-02-04). New York restaurants eagerly await arrival of Covid-19 vaccines. laprensalatina.com New York, USA, Feb 4 (efe-epa).- New York's bars and restaurants — once the beating heart of the Big Apple but which have been shut because of the pandemic — are eagerly awaiting the arrival of Covid-19 vaccines after mayor Bill de Blasio announced that their workers are now eligible to be vaccinated. On a …
(2021-02-04). Iranian press review: Health officials reject Russia's Covid-19 vaccine. middleeasteye.net 
Iranian press review: Health officials reject Russia's Covid-19 vaccine | Meanwhile, Tehran hosts Taliban to talk about US-brokered Afghan peace deal, and the Islamic Republic is said to be eying the Caucasus to bypass US sanctions | Thu, 02/04/2021 – 11: 22 | A woman receives an injection during the first trial phase of a locally-made vaccine for Covid-19 in Iran's capital Tehran on 29…
(2021-02-04). Headlines for February 4, 2021. democracynow.org CDC Director Warns Coronavirus Variants Could Reverse Drop in Caseload, Education Secretary Nominee Favors Return to In-Person Classes, Supports Trans Athletes, Senate Agrees to Power-Sharing Deal That Leaves Democrats in Control of Committees, Republican Leader Won't Punish Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene over Racist and Violent Rhetoric, 100s of Congressional Aides Call on Senate to Convict Trump and Bar Him from Holding Office, Canada Designates Proud Boys as a Terrorist Group, Prosecutors Seek Rearrest of Kyle Rittenhouse, Wisconsin Teen Charged with Killing 2 Protesters, Tigray Opposition Say 52,000+ Killed in C…
(2021-02-04). Two S. Africa, one Brazil variant detected in Turkey. yenisafak.com Two Turkish citizens have contracted the South African variant of the coronavirus while one has contracted the Brazilian variant, the country's health minister said Wednesday.Moreover, 196 cases of the UK virus strain have been detected in the country, Fahrettin Koca said.The patients have been isolated, he added.In the wake of rising cases once again, the measures against the pandemic will continue full throttle, he said.The vaccination of citizens over 65 and the second group will commence after safety tests are completed, Koca said.So far, 2.4 million people in the country have been vaccinated with vaccination…
(2021-02-04). US initial jobless claims beat expectation. yenisafak.com Analysts expected 830,000 for the week ending Jan. 30, while the previous week's number was revised down by 35,000 from 847,000 to 812,000.Despite the fall in claims, there are still more than 10 million jobless Americans since the coronavirus pandemic-hit US economy shed 22 million jobs in March and April.Private American companies, on the other hand, added 174,000 jobs in January, as private payrolls recovered from a 123,000 fall in December when they marked the first monthly decline since April.Services sectors added 156,000 jobs last month, with health care leading the way with 48,000, according to ADP Resear…
(2021-02-04). Turkish health minister pens editorial for UN body. yenisafak.com Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca and James Campbell, director of the health workforce for the World Health Organization, penned an editorial on the challenges frontline workers face amid the pandemic.According to the editorial, Financing and Protection for the Health and Care Workforce, across the world there was a shortage of 18 million employees in the health sector, mostly in low and lower-middle income countries.Although health care employees were quick to respond to the outbreak, they faced many difficulties such as "accelerated rates of infection and deaths, lack of adequate personal protective equipm…
(2021-02-04). Sturgeon: over-simplistic to argue Brexit benefit for coronavirus vaccines. thecanary.co Nicola Sturgeon has labelled arguments that Brexit has brought a benefit to the UK procuring more coronavirus vaccines as "over-simplistic". | Brexit: | During an interview on Good Morning Britain, Scotland's first minister was asked about comments made by SNP MP Dr Philippa Whitford last July when she said the UK Government should be working with EU partners to find a vaccine. Interviewer Susanna Reid suggested the UK now managing to get vaccines because it is not part of the EU vaccination programme "must be one of the most powerful arguments for Brexit". | The SNP leader replied: I think there's a bigge…
(2021-02-04). [Research Paper] Outcome trends in people with heart failure, type 2 diabetes mellitus and chronic kidney disease in the UK over twenty years. thelancet.com In a cohort of people with new onset HF, hospitalisations and deaths are high in patients with T2D or CKD, and worst in those with both comorbidities. Whilst outcomes have improved over time for patients with HF and comorbid T2D, similar trends were not seen in those with comorbid CKD. Strategies to prevent and manage CKD in people with HF are urgently needed.
(2021-02-04). Children in crisis don't need a celebrity ambassador, they need a fully funded mental health service. thecanary.co In response to Children's Mental Health Awareness Week, Boris Johnson
(2021-02-04). Ethiopia plans to vaccinate 20% population in 2021. yenisafak.com Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Muluken Yohannes, a senior adviser to the Health Ministry, said a national coordinating committee and a task force have been set up for the purpose to ensure vaccination.Further, the country is actively engaged in a unique global alliance representing more than two-thirds of the world, to ensure that developing nations get vaccines equitably in terms both of access and cost.The alliance includes the World Health Organization (WHO), the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI), the Gates Foundation, and 191 countries to…
(2021-02-04). Entry of Russian Sputnik V into Iran. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Feb. 04 (MNA) — The first batch of the Russian V vaccine to immunize against the coronavirus arrived at Tehran Imam Khomeini Airport on Thursday.
(2021-02-04). Georgia to allow in Turkish nationals without vaccines. yenisafak.com Georgia on Wednesday added Turkey to its list of countries whose unvaccinated nationals would be allowed into the country with just a negative novel coronavirus test result.Natia Turnava, the country's minister of economy and sustainable development, said that Turkish nationals with a negative PCR test result would not need a vaccine report to be allowed to travel to Georgia.Turnava said that with the decision, international flights would increase and bring more tourists to the country, adding that this would have positive effects on the markets.The Georgian government decided on Jan. 29 that only citizens of EU…
(2021-02-04). In A Six-Day Strike, Bronx Produce Workers Inspired New York. popularresistance.org New York City – Drivers and warehouse workers who feed New York City have won their strike. After six days off the job, the strikers at Hunts Point Produce Market in the Bronx ratified a contract that doubled management's wage offer and defeated a health care cost increase. | The 1,400 workers at the world's largest wholesale produce market, members of Teamsters Local 202, are responsible for packing and delivering 60 percent of the fruits and vegetables that go to restaurants and grocery stores in New York City. | The unit is comprised of 14 different companies that bargain a contract together. Before the strike…
(2021-02-04). Wednesday 2/10: Plant-Based Meals: Good for Climate, Health & Your Budget. indybay.org Online event…
(2021-02-04). Getting Lazy in Discussing Winning in the Stock Market. cepr.net Neil Irwin had an interesting piece reporting on returns to investors who just held stock index funds over long periods of time. The point of the piece is that people who just held an index, rather than trying to speculate on individual stocks, have seen very healthy returns over the last three decades. While the …
(2021-02-03). PatriotCare and the Pandemic: MMT Healthcare. realprogressives.org 
We are nearly a full year into the COVID-19 pandemic, and If the capitalist governments of the Western world conti…
(2021-02-03). 'Unlawful': Backlash against Egypt's plan to offer Covid-19 vaccine for money. middleeasteye.net 
'Unlawful': Backlash against Egypt's plan to offer Covid-19 vaccine for money | As Cairo is set to charge the majority of the public for the coronavirus jab, one lawyer launches a legal challenge against the country's president arguing the decision is unconstitutional | Wed, 02/03/2021 – 10: 04 | Egypt's Health Minister Hala Zayed speaks during a news conference announcing the details o…
(2021-02-03). Covid-19: Tunisia and occupied Palestinian territory to receive vaccine via Covax. middleeasteye.net 
Covid-19: Tunisia and occupied Palestinian territory to receive vaccine via Covax | Both areas were given vaccines from Covax after meeting the requirements for the programme | Wed, 02/03/2021 – 13: 38 | The World Health Organisation said that Tunisia would receive 37,000 shots from Pfizer and BioNTech with the Palestinians getting 93,600 (AFP)
| Tunisia and the occupied Palestinian t…
(2021-02-03). Can the U.S. keep COVID variants in check? Here's what it takes. salon.com The U.S. has struggled with every step of its public health response in its first year of battle against COVID-19…
(2021-02-03). Western media smeared Moscow's Covid-19 vaccine efforts but new trial data now has countries queuing for Sputnik V Covid-19 jab. rt.com 
Clinical trial data published in The Lancet medical journal this week shows the Russian-made Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine works for more than nine in 10 people, making it among the most efficacious jabs available. | The formula has been at the center of a fierce information war, with a number of commentators casting aspersions on the evidence that underpinned Russia's decision to urgently register it in August last year. However, it appears that the final word on subject lies with the scientists who published their results on Tuesday. | More than 91 percent of those given the vaccine were estimated to have de…
(2021-02-03). Caught in tangled web of vaccine nationalism. mronline.org 
As known COVID-19 infections exceed 100 million internationally, with more than two million lives lost, rich countries are now quarrelling publicly over access to limited vaccine supplies. With 'vaccine nationalism' widespread, multilateral arrangements have not been able to address current challenges well.
(2021-02-03). Number of UK Covid-19 infections 'still alarmingly high,' but schools likely to reopen next month — PM. rt.com 
As the UK hit the marker of 10 million people receiving a first dose of Covid vaccine, PM Boris Johnson has warned that levels of infection in the country remain "alarmingly high," as he hoped to start easing lockdown this month.
(2021-02-03). White New Yorkers Have Received Lion's Share Of COVID-19 Vaccine. popularresistance.org Three white residents receive a COVID-19 vaccine for every Black or Latino person in the city, according to new demographic data released by the mayor's office on Sunday. | At a press briefing, Mayor Bill de Blasio said there was a "profound disparity" about seven weeks into the city's vaccination program. | "Clearly, what we see is a particularly pronounced reality of many more people from white communities getting vaccination than folks from Black and Latino communities," de Blasio told reporters. The vast difference in vaccine coverage shows the city isn't meeting its pledge for equitable distribution. | The m…
(2021-02-03). A mutant strain of the coronavirus may be able to evade vaccines — but you should get yours anyway. salon.com Mutant coronavirus strains are alarming scientists. Does this change the pandemic plan?>
(2021-02-03). Implanted "Vaccine Package" ID: Germany's Parliament Has Ratified GAVI's Digital "Agenda ID2020" globalresearch.ca Alarming News. In Germany the Parliament (Bundestag) ratified on 29 January 2021, the implementation of Agenda ID2020. | This is a centralized general electronic data collection of every citizen to which every government agency, police — and possibly also the private …
(2021-02-03). New Zealand approves Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine. laprensalatina.com Sydney, Australia, Jan 3 (efe-epa).- New Zealand has approved Pfizer/BioNTech's Covid-19 vaccine, the first to be given the green light in the country and expected to be rolled out from March, the government announced Wednesday. "The provisional approval of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine is a positive step in New Zealand's fight against Covid-19. It means we …
(2021-02-03). Chile kicks off mass vaccination campaign. laprensalatina.com Santiago, Feb 3 (efe-epa).- Chile on Wednesday kicked off a mass inoculation campaign after receiving a shipment of nearly 4 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine developed by Chinese biopharmaceutical company Sinovac Biotech. The government's plan is to vaccinate the country's at-risk population — nearly 5 million people — between February and March and the …
(2021-02-03). What Does It Mean for a Virus to Become 'Endemic?'. anti-empire.com 
We already forgot we flattened the curve to allow hospital capacity to increase. The supposed purpose of the lockdowns was not to stop the virus but merely to better ration medical resources. | We already overlooked the common sense espoused by the We already missed the opportunity vaccines offered for us to rehabilitate social interaction and the economy. | And now, if we fail to recognize when Covid becomes 'endemic' and move on, society will be stuck in lockdown until 2023. | Even if you lock down society for two weeks (or two months) [md…
(2021-02-03). Key workers in 145 countries to receive COVID vaccines under UN-backed initiative. news.un.org Key workers and other vulnerable people in 145 countries should receive COVID-19 vaccines in the first half of this year, under the joint UN-led COVAX initiative for fair access to coronavirus-beating jabs, it's been confirmed.
(2021-02-03). 'Cancer patients must be priority for COVID-19 vaccine'. yenisafak.com Cancer patients should be prioritized in the COVID-19 vaccination schedule as they are in the highest risk group, a Turkish doctor said on Wednesday."Fatalities due to COVID-19 among cancer patients are higher than in all other groups. Cancer patients, who are in the highest risk group for the virus, must have priority in the vaccination calendar," Dr. Yavuz Anacak, the head of the Turkish Radiation Oncology Association, said in a statement ahead of the World Cancer Day.Alsancak urged all authorities to prioritize cancer patients in the vaccination schedule.Underlining that cancer is the second leading cause of d…
(2021-02-03). China to offer 10M virus vaccine doses to COVAX. yenisafak.com China on Wednesday said it will offer 10 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to the international consortium of vaccines led by World Health Organization (WHO)."At the request of the WHO, China has decided to offer 10 million COVID-19 vaccine doses to WHO's COVAX, to meet the urgent need of developing countries," China's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Wang Wenbin told a news conference in Beijing.Last month, China's Sinovac, Sinopharm, and CanSinoBio vaccine manufacturers had submitted applications to join the global COVAX initiative that aims to provide COVID-19 vaccines to poor and middle-income countries.The announ…
(2021-02-03). Medicare For All Reaches The Crossroads. popularresistance.org In 2021 the U.S. healthcare crisis has, again, reached a boiling point. It was already simmering in 2019 when the number of uninsured grew to 33 million. Covid then triggered a job crisis that added anywhere from 15 to 27 million to the ranks of the uninsured. The still-growing job crisis has pushed the number of uninsured near or beyond the 49 million uninsured that existed prior to Obamacare, whose goal was "universal healthcare." | It's no surprise then that Medicare For All emerged, pre-Covid, as the most popular policy during the Presidential Democratic primaries. But after the Democratic Party organized, on…
(2021-02-03). Headlines for February 3, 2021. democracynow.org Democrats Say Trump "Singularly Responsible" for Jan. 6 Insurrection in Impeachment Brief, U.S. to Start Sending Vaccines to Pharmacies; Single AstraZeneca Shot Cuts Transmission by 67%, Senate Confirms Alejandro Mayorkas as DHS Chief, Pete Buttigieg as Transportation Secretary, Senator Warren to Introduce Wealth Tax on Households Worth Over $50 Million, Kevin McCarthy Weighs Removing Marjorie Taylor Greene from Education Committee After Bipartisan Condemnation, Alexei Navalny Receives 3.5 Years in Prison Amid Mass Protests, Healthcare Workers in West Bank Receive Vaccines from Israel While Other Palestinians Mad…
(2021-02-03). #TheCanaryLive — The real story of the coronavirus crisis. thecanary.co This #TheCanaryLive event will be broadcast at 7pm on Wednesday 3 February | Tragically, more than 100,000 people have died in the UK since the coronavirus pandemic began. Join us as we explore the real story of the coronavirus crisis, how the Johnson government has presided over such a monumental loss of life and how we balance protecting public health with protecting civil liberties. | Panelists | Dave Carr, an intensive care nurse, will speak about the distressing reality on the frontline. |
(2021-02-03). France, Sweden, Poland, Germany, France: Oxford/AstraZeneca Vaccine Not for Elderly. anti-empire.com 
The Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine should be prioritized for people younger than 65, according to recommendations by government advisory bodies in France and Sweden on Tuesday, while Poland set its threshold at 60. | "Currently available data for people aged 65 and over are limited by a small sample size and don't allow for a conclusion on the safety and the efficacy of the [AstraZeneca] vaccine for this population," the French national authority for health (HAS) said. "The [AstraZeneca] vaccine is therefore recommended preferentially for health professionals under 65 and people under 65." | The three countries join…
(2021-02-03). Macron: AstraZeneca Vaccine Seems 'Quasi-Ineffective' for Over-65s. anti-empire.com 
French President Emmanual Macron said Friday the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine appeared to be "quasi-ineffective" on people older than 65 — just hours before the EU's drugs regulator "The real problem on AstraZeneca is that it doesn't work the way we were expecting it to," Macron told a group of reporters, including POLITICO, in Paris. "We're waiting for the EMA [European Medicines Agency] results, but today everything points to thinking it is quasi-ineffective on pe…