(2021-02-14). Layoffs continue at high rate. fightbacknews.org San José, CA – During the week ending February 6, almost 800,000 (793,000) people filed for new claims for regular state unemployment insurance. More than 330,000 others applied for the federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance or PUA that covers the self-employed and gig workers. This comes to a total of more than 1.1 million people who have lost their jobs in the past week. | Beginning the week ending March 21, 2020, more than a million Americans each and every week have had to file for unemployment insurance benefits. As of the latest data for the week ending January 23, there were still more than 20 million pe…
(2021-02-14). The Growing Vaccine Corps of Medical Students Could Aid Underserved Areas. truthout.org 
The U.S. faces one of the most consequential public health campaigns in history right now: to vaccinate the population against COVID-19 and, especially, to get shots into the arms of people who cannot easily navigate getting vaccinated on their own. | Time is of the essence. As new, potentially more
(2021-02-14). Saudi Arabia extends virus restrictions for 20 days. yenisafak.com Saudi Arabia on Sunday extended precautionary measures against the coronavirus pandemic for additional 20 days, in an effort to curb the spread of the virus.The extension of the restrictions will be effective as of Sunday 10: 00 pm (19: 00 GMT), the Saudi Interior Ministry said in a statement cited by the official SPA news agency.On Feb. 3, the kingdom ordered precautionary measures to stem the spread of the pandemic upon recommendations from health authorities.Under the measures, social gatherings should not exceed 20 people and the suspension of all events and parties, including weddings, and corporate meetings a…
(2021-02-14). Peru's health minister resigns amid vaccine row. yenisafak.com Peru's Health Minister Pilar Mazzetti stepped down from her post after it was revealed that the former president received the COVID-19 vaccine before it became widely available in the country, according to local media on Saturday.Following the news that Martin Vizcarra got the vaccine shot in October 2020, months ago the vaccine reached Peru, Mazzetti was criticized by Congress and she submitted her resignation to President Francisco Sagasti Friday night.Speaking on the issue, Sagasti thanked Mazzetti for her fight against the pandemic and said she was treated unjustly.Last week, the first batch of vaccines, cont…
(2021-02-14). Lebanon starts COVID-19 vaccine rollout. yenisafak.com Lebanon's national vaccination campaign against the coronavirus pandemic began Sunday.Mahmoud Hasson, the head of the intensive care unit at the Rafik Hariri Hospital in Beirut, and actor Salah Tizani, 93, received the first shots.Caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab and Health Minister Hamad Hassan were present during the inoculation."I will not be receiving the vaccine today," Diab told reporters. "Priority will be given to the medical staff, who have made great sacrifices and they must be given full protection in order to do their message."The medical staff and people over 75 will be the first to be vaccinated…
(2021-02-14). Atlantic Council Braces for Opportunities of Potential Bioterror Attack. strategic-culture.org 
Less than a month away from the one-year anniversary of the pandemic's official declaration, policy wonks at the Atlantic Council together with former and current government officials are dissecting the "lessons" of the Covid-19 epidemic to advise the Biden administration on the steps to take in order to avert the next disaster.
(2021-02-14). Catalans set to vote in an election that could be a test for the separatist movement. thecanary.co Voting has started in Spain's north-eastern Catalonia as 5.3 million voters are called to cast their ballots. It's an election that will test the region's secessionist movement. | Salvador Illa will lead the ticket of the Socialists' Party of Catalonia. Until January, he was in charge of Spain's coronavirus (Covid-19) response as its health minister. | A tight race: | Illa is hoping to end the hold that pro-independence politicians have held in the regional parliament for the past decade. | Polls, however, predict a tight race. The Socialists will compete for votes with the two leading pro-secession parti…
(2021-02-14). Japan okays use of Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccine. laprensalatina.com Tokyo, Feb 14 (efe-epa).- Japan on Sunday formally approved Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccine for domestic use, marking an important step to immunize most of its people in the run-up to the Summer Olympics that begin on July 23 in Tokyo. The immunization drive will start on Wednesday as the government targets to inoculate its entire population …
(2021-02-14). Germany closes borders with Austria, Czechia amid coronavirus variant fears. laprensalatina.com Berlin, Feb 14 (efe-epa).- Germany on Sunday closed its borders with the Czech Republic and Austria to non-German nationals and residents in an effort to control the spread of new, virulent variants of coronavirus. People traveling for family reasons, those who cross the border for work, truckers and healthcare staff will be exempted from the …
(2021-02-14). Why More and More Countries Are Choosing the Russian Vaccine. strategic-culture.org 
On January 29, 2021, the Russian Direct Investment Fund applied for registration of the Sputnik V vaccine in the European Union. In January, Hungary became the first EU country to register the Russian vaccine joining dozens of other states across the world.
(2021-02-14). Forced Labor In The United States. popularresistance.org By any measure, the United States has the worst human rights record among the nations called democratic or developed or advanced or "free world" or any of the other labels that rich capitalist countries use to describe themselves. The U.S. has the worst health care system in that group, the worst benefits for workers, and the worst income inequality. It also has the dubious distinction of being the world's biggest jailer, with some 2.3 million people behind bars. This country which treats its people so terribly is also the one most likely to project its evil doing on to others. | There is a method to the madness.
(2021-02-14). Vaccine Transparency: Why Antibody-Dependent Enhancement (ADE) Might be a Ticking Time Bomb. globalresearch.ca All Global Research articles can be read in 27 languages by activating the "Translate Website" drop down menu on the top banner of our home page (Desktop version). | *** | Associate Professor of Health Sciences
(2021-02-14). The Centers For Disease Control (CDC). indybay.org The CDC began as yet another federal agency like the NIH and FDA, controlling access to pharmaceuticals. Its unelected officials have gradually turned an agency which should defer to the legislature into a dictatorship.
(2021-02-13). The Path to Winning a Floor Vote for Medicare for All in Congress. zcomm.org The #ForceTheVote debate is about how to hold members of Congress accountable — not whether to do so…
(2021-02-13). Selected Articles: The Corona Virus Vaccine. globalresearch.ca Global Research brings to the attention the attention of our readers a selection of articles on the coronavirus vaccine. | "The Second Wave of the pandemic commenced in October 2020. The Pfizer Moderna corona vaccine was launched in early November 2020. …
(2021-02-13). Lebanon receives first Covid-19 vaccine shipment. middleeasteye.net 
Lebanon receives first Covid-19 vaccine shipment | The vaccines have been sponsored by the World Bank, as Lebanon struggles with a financial crisis and a devastated healthcare system | Sat, 02/13/2021 – 15: 47 | Hospitals in Lebanon, including St George Hospital devastated by the 4 August Beirut blast, have been struggling to care for the influx of Covid-19 patients (MEE/Elizabeth Fitt)…
(2021-02-13). Peru: Health Minister Resigns After Vizcarra's Vaccination. telesurenglish.net According to the local newspaper La República, Mazzetti decided to resign due to the constant criticism from parliamentarians after it became known that the former president Manuel Vizcarra (2018-2020) was vaccinated against the new coronavirus, the cause of COVID-19, before the vaccine became available to the general public. | RELATED; | Similarly, Mazzetti announced her resignation due to the criticism of the management…
(2021-02-13). Five public Los Angeles vaccination sites forced to close due to lack of doses. wsws.org Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti has announced that five vaccination sites must close for at least two days due to an inadequate supply of COVID-19 vaccine, leaving thousands in the lurch.
(2021-02-13). Yemeni scientist in Turkish team developing COVID-19 vaccine. yenisafak.com Even as Yemen continues shocking the world, with its images of deaths, destruction, and starvation, one of its citizens Ali Azzawri is part of a Turkish scientific team rolling out a vaccine against the COVID-19.Azzawri, 39, was selected by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey known as TUBITAK in May 2020 to be part of a team of 13 scientists to indigenously develop Messenger RNA vaccines — also called mRNA vaccines to combat the pandemic.According to experts, these are new types of vaccines, who direct cells to make a particular protein to trigger an immune response. Other vaccines, inst…
(2021-02-13). [Editorial] Improving prisoner health for stronger public health. thelancet.com COVID-19 vaccine policy for prisoners has been in the headlines across the USA and the UK. Discordant strategies exist, ranging from no vaccination, to vaccination equivalent to people in the community, to higher prioritisation for people in prison. Prisons are dangerous hotspots for acquiring SARS-CoV-2, and individuals who return to the community could unwittingly transmit the virus. In the USA alone, 372‚Äà583 prisoners have had COVID-19, with 2359 deaths, according to the Marshall Project. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need to address racial and social inequalities globally, but…
(2021-02-13). [Comment] Research in forced displacement: guidance for a feminist and decolonial approach. thelancet.com The COVID-19 pandemic has deepened inequities and undermined health, human rights, and gender equality for forcibly displaced populations.1,2 The United Nations Refugee Agency estimates that, at the end of 2019, there were 79 ∑5 million people forcibly displaced as a result of persecution, conflict, violence, human rights violations, or events seriously disturbing public order.3 Evidence about the needs of these populations is crucial to tailor effective and equitable responses, but data collection efforts are faced with considerable new challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic.
(2021-02-13). Remember the "Fake" 2009 H1N1 Swine Flu Pandemic: Manipulating the Data to Justify a Worldwide Public Health Emergency. globalresearch.ca A Worldwide public health emergency is unfolding, 4.9 billion doses of H1N1 swine flu vaccine are envisaged by the WHO.
(2021-02-13). Rouhani warns Iranians of fourth wave of Covid-19. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Feb. 13 (MNA) — Iranian President, called on Iranians to be careful not to enter the fourth wave of the Covid-19, saying that people must observe health protocols even after vaccination.
(2021-02-13). [World Report] Tanzania refuses COVID-19 vaccines. thelancet.com Government officials have dismissed COVID-19 vaccines and promoted unfounded remedies. Munyaradzi Makoni reports.
(2021-02-13). Massive fire engulfs Afghan port bordering Iran. yenisafak.com A massive fire broke out on Saturday in a dry port in western Afghanistan, officials said.The fire engulfed scores of oil and gas tankers in the Islam Qala Port bordering Iran.Herat province's Governor Sayed Abdul Wahid Qatali said the reason of the fire and damage caused by it could not be immediately assessed. However, he added, the blaze was so big that neighboring Iran was asked for help in controlling it.Mohammad Rafiq Sherzai, spokesman for the Health Department, told Anadolu Agency that at least 10 people with fire burns were rushed to the public hospital. He feared the casualties could rise.Visuals circul…
(2021-02-13). Scientists warn of new coronavirus wave if lockdown is lifted too quickly. thecanary.co Britain could face a coronavirus wave as big as the current one if lockdown restrictions are lifted too quickly, a scientist advising the government has said. | Professor Steven Riley, a member of the SPI-M modelling group, said that while the rollout of the vaccination programme had been "incredibly successful" it did not mean controls could simply be dropped. | "Scientists are genuinely worried": | Prof Riley told the BBC Radio Today programme: No vaccine is perfect. We are certainly going to be in the situation where we can allow more infection in the community but there is a limit… | I think scientis…
(2021-02-13). [Perspectives] Rebecca Lee Crumpler: first Black woman physician in the USA. thelancet.com A passionate vocation to care for others and a desire to empower her patients drove Rebecca Lee Crumpler (1831—95) to overcome 19th-century prejudice against her gender and ethnicity and qualify as "doctress of medicine" (the term she used), the first African American woman to do so. Crumpler gained extensive experience treating destitute former enslaved people in the southern states after the end of the American Civil War, and published A Book of Medical Discourses: in Two Parts, a practical guide to the care of infants and women's health.
(2021-02-13). [Perspectives] Black women in medicine—rising above invisibility. thelancet.com The voice and agency of Black women health professionals have been systematically neglected, despite progress towards egalitarianism in medicine. The relationship of Black women to medicine has historically included unethical treatment, dismissal, invalidation, and other harms with roots in structural racism and racial stereotyping. This history has present-day consequences that must be understood as foundational to a representative recognition of Black women in medicine. There needs to be a restructuring of the systems that have been complicit in the silencing of Black women and reducing their value to a diversi…
(2021-02-13). [Perspectives] Ndidiamaka Amutah-Onukagha: advancing maternal health justice. thelancet.com "I see myself as a scholar—activist", says Ndidiamaka Amutah-Onukagha, Associate Professor of Public Health and Community Medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston, MA, USA. At Tufts she leads research on the underlying causes of maternal health disparities in Black women. "This previously underrecognised issue has come into sharp focus after the US Surgeon-General declared last November how maternal health disparities across the USA have become a national crisis", she says.
(2021-02-13). [Perspectives] Easy in, tough out: the dam of health-care racism. thelancet.com Until the 1980s, the practice of turning away patients on the basis of their ability to pay, without evaluating or treating them, was legal and frequent in US hospitals. A 1986 study at Cook County Hospital, a public hospital in Chicago, noted that 89% of patients transferred from private hospitals to their facility were Black and Hispanic, and 87% of them were transferred because they did not have adequate insurance. Mortality was disproportionately high among those transferred, likely due to delays in stabilisation and definitive care.
(2021-02-13). [Correspondence] Progress towards inclusive blood donation. thelancet.com GLADD—The Association of LGBTQ+ Doctors and Dentists welcomes the announcement that the UK Department of Health & Social Care has accepted in full the recommendations of the FAIR (For the Assessment of Individualised Risk) steering group, moving the UK towards inclusive blood donation while maintaining the safety of our blood supply.1…
(2021-02-13). [World Report] New global initiative to tackle Alzheimer's disease. thelancet.com The Davos Alzheimer's Collaborative aims to build a diverse patient cohort for study, coordinate clinical trials, and improve care. Nayanah Siva reports.
(2021-02-13). Miraculous mRNA Vaccines Are Only the Beginning. zcomm.org The radical future unleashed by the genetics and biotechnology revolutions has already begun. It's up to us to start shaping it…
(2021-02-13). Global Economic Recovery, Debt, Climate, Vaccines Top G7 Finance Agenda. indybay.org Japan Says Accessing Global Reserve Funds Discussed…
(2021-02-13). CDC pushes US schools to reopen "at any level of community transmission" wsws.org On Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released unscientific, politically motivated guidelines intended to justify school reopenings everywhere.
(2021-02-13). 15 Of Many Things We Can Learn From the European Union. indybay.org fewer wars, no executions, free health care, lower drug costs, better animal rights and environment legislation, less censorship etc…
(2021-02-12). Indigenous Peoples Improvise a COVID-19 Hospital in Manaus. telesurenglish.net In response to the inefficiency of the Brazilian authorities, the residents of the Manaus neighborhood "Tribes Park" (Parque das Tribos) set up their "Support Unit" (SU), a rudimentary field hospital to treat COVID-19 patients. | RELATED: | Despite the high number of COVID-19 cases, they are not being treated directly by the Special Secretariat for Indigenous Health (SESAI) because they reside in an urban area. | "
(2021-02-12). Wednesday 2/17: Medicare for All Resolutions Webinar: Take Health Care Action in Your Community. indybay.org Online…
(2021-02-12). Why do US health care workers continue to refuse vaccination against COVID-19? wsws.org Haunted by the inadequate, criminal, chaotic and disorganized response by the ruling class to the coronavirus pandemic, some health care workers turn away from a safe and efficacious vaccine.
(2021-02-12). Netanyahu relies on vaccine to beat pandemic in Israel while offering just 5,000 doses to the Palestinians. wsws.org The prime minister's refusal to supply the Palestinians with the vaccine is a violation of Israel's responsibilities under the 1949 Geneva Convention for the health of the Palestinians living in the areas it controls…
(2021-02-12). CDC Study Finds Two Masks Are Better Than One Vs. COVID-19. laprensalatina.com NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. government researchers found that two masks are better than one in slowing coronavirus spread, but health officials stopped short of recommending that everyone double up. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday, February 10, reported the results of a lab experiment that spaced two artificial heads 6 feet …
(2021-02-12). Fauci Says There Could Be "Open Season" for COVID Vaccines by April. truthout.org 
On Thursday, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the longtime director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, delivered hopeful news about vaccine availability and the country's lagging roll-out. "By the time we get to April, t…
(2021-02-12). Vaccination To Help Revive Tourism in Chile's Easter Island. telesurenglish.net Residents of Easter Island (Rapa Nui) in this week are receiving the Sinovac COVID-19 vaccines made in China. | RELATED: | This Chilean territory has seen zero coronavirus cases since March 2020, when local authorities barred the entry of tourists to curb the spread of the disease. | The move was effective, but potentially painful, cutting off the community's major source of income. Now residents hope the vaccine push w…
(2021-02-12). French health advisory body says single dose of Covid-19 vaccine is enough for people who previously caught virus. rt.com 
France's public health authority HAS (Haute Autorité de Santé) has recommended that just one shot of a Covid-19 vaccine be given to people who have previously contracted the virus, instead of the two currently being administered. | People who have already caught Covid-19 should wait for three to six months before being immunized with a single dose, but not longer, the HAS said in an opinion released on Friday. | The HAS is a scientific advisory body, meaning that the French government will now need to decide whether to deviate from France's current vaccine rollout and take up its recommendation. | France is ro…
(2021-02-12). South Africans being infected with Covid-19 variant AGAIN after recovering from virus — WHO chief scientist. rt.com 
Some people in South Africa have been re-infected with variants of Covid-19 after they had already recovered from the virus, the World Health Organization's (WHO) chief scientist, Soumya Swaminathan, said on Friday. | "We are now getting reports of people getting re-infected with the new variant of the virus, and there have been some initial reports from South Africa suggesting that people who have had prior infection could get infected again," she told a WHO news briefing. | Swaminathan did not specify the number of people re-infected in South Africa, but said that ongoing scientific studies are looking at ho…
(2021-02-12). The City of Toronto's Dangerous Game and the Covid-19 Outbreak at Seaton House Shelter. counterpunch.org 
In spite of a Covid-19 outbreak affecting dozens of residents and staff at what was once Canada's largest homeless shelter, Seaton House, the City of Toronto's Public Health unit and Shelter administration say they have no plans to change policies, procedures, or reporting practices. In April 2020, Brian Cleary (pictured above) developed symptoms consistent with
(2021-02-12). Public option in Biden plan could change the face of US health care. juancole.com 
By Michael Williams | — President Joe Biden issued 10 executive orders to fight COVID-19 on his first day in office on Jan. 20, 2021. Among those orders: Speed up vaccine production, expand testing, support the safe reopening of schools and reduce racial and ethnic disparities in care and treatment. As a physician and health …
(2021-02-12). Amazon Sars-Cov-2 Variant More Contagious, Minister Claims. telesurenglish.net Brazilian Health Minister Eduardo Pazuello has claimed that a SARS-CoV-2 mutation identified in the Amazon region be three times more contagious, although available COVID-1 vaccines can be effective against it. | RELATED: | "Thank God, we had clear news from the analysis that the vaccines still affect this variant. But it is more contagious. By our analysis, it is three times more contagious," the official said. | Técnico…
(2021-02-12). President Maduro Seeks Multilateral Mechanisms To Get Vaccines. telesurenglish.net Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro on Thursday said he was looking for an agreement with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) to create a fund to finance COVID-19 vaccines. | RELATED: | This agreement would seek to obtain US$300 million to purchase COVID-19 vaccines, a task that is currently very difficult due to the U.S. blockade on the country. | The Bolivarian leader made p…
(2021-02-12). Do Mandatory Masks and Vaccines Break the 10 Points of the Nuremburg Code? dissidentvoice.org 
Mandatory masks continue to be the standard operating procedure for many counties, regions, districts, states and nations worldwide, as the COVID cult agenda progresses. In many places, while COVID vaccines are not yet mandatory, authorities are rushing to prepare to make them so, by setting up schemes like immunity passports, vaccine certificates and mandatory tracking …