Monthly Archives: February 2021

2021-02-04: News Headlines

Staff (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…

Prof Michel Chossudovsky (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 …

Staff (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…

Alex Lawson (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

W. T. Whitney Jr. (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 …

March for Science (2021-02-04). Wednesday 2/3: Dicussion on Science of COVID Vaccines & Inequities Contributing to Vaccine Hesitancy. indybay.org Online event…

Mark Gruenberg (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…

Juan Cole (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 …

Paul Craig Roberts (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…

Céleo Ramírez, Edwin F. Herrera-Paz, Guímel Peralta, Gaspar Rodríguez, Reyna M. Durón (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.

Online News Editor (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 …

MEE correspondent (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…

Staff (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…

yenisafak (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…

yenisafak (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…

yenisafak (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…

The Canary (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…

Claire A Lawson, Samuel Seidu, Francesco Zaccardi, Gerry McCann, Umesh T Kadam, Melanie J Davies, Carolyn SP Lam, Hiddo L. Heerspink, Kamlesh Khunti (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.

Sophia Purdy-Moore (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

yenisafak (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…

Kamal Iranidoost (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.

yenisafak (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…

Mothers Out Front Silicon Valley (2021-02-04). Wednesday 2/10: Plant-Based Meals: Good for Climate, Health & Your Budget. indybay.org Online event…

Dean Baker (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 …

Phelan Acheson (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…

MEE correspondent (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…

MEE and agencies (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…

Anna Maria Barry-Jester (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…

RT (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…

Jomo Kwame Sundaram (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.

RT (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…

Matthew Rozsa (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?>

Peter Koenig (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 …

Online News Editor (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 …

Online News Editor (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 …

Micha Gartz (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…

news.un (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.

yenisafak (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…

yenisafak (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…

Staff (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…

Andrew Butler (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. |

Pierre-Paul Bermingham (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…

Rym Momtaz (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…

2021-02-03: News Headlines

Phelan Acheson (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…

Peter Koenig (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 …

MEE and agencies (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…

MEE correspondent (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…

Jomo Kwame Sundaram (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.

March for Science (2021-02-03). Wednesday 2/3: Dicussion on Science of COVID Vaccines & Inequities Contributing to Vaccine Hesitancy. indybay.org Online event…

_____ (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…

Staff (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…

Andrew Butler (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. |

Online News Editor (2021-02-03). Palestine gives first doses of coronavirus vaccine to healthcare workers. laprensalatina.com Hebron, West Bank, Feb 3 (efe-epa).- Palestine started its coronavirus vaccine rollout on Wednesday, administering the first doses to healthcare workers. The Palestinian National Authority received its first 5,000 doses of the BioNTech vaccine from Israel on Saturday. This comes a few days after the PNA's foreign minister Riyad al-Maliki told the United Nations Security …

_____ (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…

Online News Editor (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 …

Online News Editor (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 …

Micha Gartz (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…

yenisafak (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…

yenisafak (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…

Rym Momtaz (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…

Pierre-Paul Bermingham (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…

Online News Editor (2021-02-03). WHO team visits Wuhan lab Trump claimed was coronavirus source. laprensalatina.com Beijing, Feb 3 (efe-epa).- A team of international experts from the World Health Organization mission investigating the origins of the coronavirus in China visited the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) and its maximum security P4 laboratory on Wednesday. The head of the mission, Denmark's Peter Ben Embarek, confirmed to the Chinese state-run Global Times that …

Online News Editor (2021-02-03). Staff in more than 70 Myanmar hospitals strike to protest coup. laprensalatina.com Yangon, Myanmar, Feb 3 (efe-epa).- Staff from more than 70 hospitals and medical centers in Myanmar responded to calls for a civil disobedience campaign and stopped work on Wednesday to protest against the coup staged by the military earlier this week, the organizers said. Specialists, nurses, dentists, doctors and other health workers from 74 hospitals …

Mette Nà∏rgaard, Erzsébet Horváth-Puhó, Priscila Corraini, Henrik Toft Sà∏rensen, Victor W. Henderson (2021-02-03). [Research Paper] Sleep disruption and Alzheimer's disease risk: Inferences from men with benign prostatic hyperplasia. thelancet.com During up to 21 years of follow-up, men with BPH had persistently higher risk of AD and all-cause dementia compared with men in the general population. Our results identify BPH as a common, potentially remediable disorder associated with dementia risk.

Natalie Shure (2021-02-03). What's Keeping the Vaccine From Getting to Those Who Need it Most? thenation.com What's Keeping the Vaccine From Getting to Those Who Need it Most?

Staff (2021-02-02). Russia's Sputnik V Is Found to Be 91.6% Effective, Providing Boost for Global Vaccination Effort. democracynow.org Russia has been one of the countries hardest hit by the pandemic, recording about 73,000 deaths and over 3.8 million infections over the past year. Meanwhile, there is widespread skepticism over the domestically developed Sputnik V vaccine, with many Russians reluctant to get the shot. Now a peer-reviewed study published in the respected Lancet medical journal has confirmed the vaccine's 91.6% efficacy, as developers of the shot have long maintained. "That's good news for the developers of the vaccine in Russia. That's good news for Russia writ large, which certainly has plenty of geopolitical ambitions surroundi…

Staff (2021-02-02). Latinx COVID Deaths Rise by 1,000 Percent in Los Angeles as Vaccine Rollout Lags. truthout.org Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, Black and Latinx people in the United States have died at higher rates, and new data shows that they are getting vaccinated at much lower rates than white people. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports more than 60% of those vaccinated were white, while just 11.5% were Latinx, 6% were Asian, and just over 5% were Black. The CDC data is based on details gathered during the first month of the U.S. vaccination campaign that saw nearly 13 million…

Wachterman MW, Sommers BD. (2021-02-02). Dying Poor in the US—Disparities in End-of-Life Care. jamanetwork.com The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has focused attention on stark disparities in the US, with higher rates of infections and deaths among lower-income populations and communities of color. Illness and death rates are not the only sources of health inequity in this country. There are also substantial differences in the care that patients with serious illnesses receive near the end of life that are based on race or socioeconomic status. Although pandemic-related efforts to improve equity rightfully focus on preventing death, in this and numerous other contexts, policy makers and clinicians should also…

Herzer KR, Pronovost PJ. (2021-02-02). Ensuring Quality in the Era of Virtual Care. jamanetwork.com This Viewpoint discusses residual questions about virtual health care as a substitute for in-person visits during the COVID-19 pandemic and proposes principles of safety, effectiveness, efficiency, patient-centeredness, and equitability to guide the growth of telehealth care in the future.

Lily Galili (2021-02-02). Covid-19: Netanyahu basks in vaccine success as Israelis suffer his pandemic failures. middleeasteye.net Covid-19: Netanyahu basks in vaccine success as Israelis suffer his pandemic failures | Coronavirus is running amok in Israel, but the prime minister won't let you hear it as he embarks on yet another election campaign | Tue, 02/02/2021 – 14: 22 | Benjamin Netanyahu receives a Covid-19 vaccine injection at the Sheba Medical Center in Tel Aviv (Reuters) | Muslims pray five times a day; observant Jews thre…

Nicole Karlis (2021-02-02). Is it safe to use public restrooms during the pandemic?>. salon.com We asked public health experts just how COVID-safe public bathrooms are — and what to be wary of…

Alistair Ryder (2021-02-02). The March of COVID-19. progressive.org Two new documentaries show the pandemic through the eyes of frontline health care workers.

Peter Koenig (2021-02-02). 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.

Juan Cole (2021-02-02). Biden's Green Energy Plans are just Market Wisdom: Norway's Investment Fund just Dumped $6 Bn. in Oil Stocks. juancole.com Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) — Some have questioned how realistic Biden's plans are to move the US rapidly off fossil fuels. In fact, it is the fossil fuels that are unrealistic. Burning petroleum and coal are bad for everyone's health and destined to make earth swelteringly hot, with lots of climate catastrophes and extreme weather. …

Dr. Robert Kluger (2021-02-02). German Doctors Letter to Chancellor Merkel, Put an End to the Covid "Fear Machine" globalresearch.ca This article was originally published on November 8. | Dear Chancellor Dr. Merkel, | We, the signatories, are doctors from all areas of healthcare, who have been serving people in practices and clinics for decades. During this time, we have witnessed more …

RT (2021-02-02). 'Really good news': Vaccine expert hails trial results of Russia's coronavirus vaccine Sputnik V published in Lancet. rt.com Results of the Phase III clinical study of Russia's Sputnik V coronavirus jab should dispel any skepticism and help the global fight against Covid-19, Dr. Hildegunt Ertl from the Wistar Institute for vaccine research told RT. | Trial results, published on Tuesday in the Lancet — the UK's most prestigious medical journal — as a peer-reviewed study, show the vaccine is over 91 percent effective in all age groups, including the elderly most at risk of death from Covid-19, and 100 percent effective in preventing the severe cases of the disease. | "That's really good news," Dr. Ertl told RT from Philadelp…

Rafael Figueroa (2021-02-02). SHELBY COUNTYHEALTH DEPARTMENT TO INTRODUCE TEXT CONTACT TRACING SHELBY COUNTY, TN. laprensalatina.com SHELBY COUNTY, TN (SCHD) — In order to perform more efficient and effective contact investigations for COVID-19, the Shelby County Health Department will launch an innovative, technological approach to contact tracing. The Shelby County Health Department will launch case notification by text message to the public beginning Tuesday, February 2, 2021.While case investigations will continue …

RT (2021-02-02). 'All vaccines welcome': Merkel eyes Russia's Sputnik V jab after 'good data' shows over 91% effectiveness in clinical trial. rt.com Chancellor Angela Merkel has said she is open to Germany using Russia's Sputnik V Covid-19 jab after a study in The Lancet reported its effectiveness as 91.6 percent against the virus overall and 100 percent against severe cases. | "We have received good data today from the Russian vaccine," Merkel said on Tuesday in a TV interview with public broadcaster ARD after interim analysis of Phase III clinical trial data was published by the esteemed British journal. | "Every vaccine is welcome in the EU, but only after it has been approved by EMA," Merkel said, referring to the European Medical Agency that regulates…

RT (2021-02-02). 'All vaccines welcome': Merkel eyes Russia's Sputnik V jab after 'good data' show over 91% effectiveness in clinical trial. rt.com Chancellor Angela Merkel has said she is open to Germany using Russia's Sputnik V Covid-19 jab after a study in The Lancet reported its effectiveness as 91.6 percent against the virus overall and 100 percent against severe cases. | "We have received good data today from the Russian vaccine," Merkel said on Tuesday in a TV interview with public broadcaster ARD after interim analysis of Phase III clinical trial data was published by the esteemed British journal. | "Every vaccine is welcome in the EU, but only after it has been approved by EMA," Merkel said, referring to the European Medical Agency that regulates…

RT (2021-02-02). AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine is 76 percent effective 12 weeks after first dose — Oxford study. rt.com The Covid-19 vaccine made by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford is 76 percent effective against the virus 12 weeks after it is given as a single dose, scientists from the university said on Tuesday. | Their findings, in a preprint study that is yet to be peer reviewed, also show that the efficacy of the jab improves to 82.4 percent when a second shot is administered 12 weeks after the first. | The

The Conversation (2021-02-02). Israel faces legal — and practical — obligations for including Palestinians in vaccine success. juancole.com By Yara M. Asi | — As nations scramble to vaccinate populations against COVID-19, one country has been ahead of the rest: Israel. By late January, Israel had vaccinated more than 30% of its population — more than double or triple the rate of other high-income states like the U.S., the U.K., France and Germany. …

RT (2021-02-02). 'Lancet driven by science, not politics,' Sputnik V sponsor tells RT as UK journal confirms effectiveness of Russian vaccine. rt.com The Russian fund behind Sputnik V has thanked Lancet for putting science ahead of politics after the prestigious British medical journal published peer-reviewed results of clinical trials, showing the jab's 91.6 percent efficacy. | The high effectiveness of Sputnik V is "really a monumental achievement of Russia, but also a monumental achievement for the world because there are only three vaccines now… with efficacy of more than 90 percent," Kirill Dmitriev, the head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), which funds the jab, told RT. The other two are the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. | We are thankfu…

Staff (2021-02-02). Headlines for February 2, 2021. democracynow.org U.S. Tops 26 Million COVID-19 Vaccine Shots, Surpassing Confirmed Coronavirus Cases , Biden Takes Executive Action to Reverse Trump Immigration Policies as Deportations Continue, Senate Republicans Meet at White House to Press Far Smaller Coronavirus Relief Bill, South Africa Receives First COVID-19 Vaccines; New Variant Linked to Reinfections in Brazil, WHO Team Probes Virus Origins in Wuhan; Australia Puts Perth on Lockdown After Single COVID-19 Case, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Reveals She Is a Sexual Assault Survivor in Video Recalling Jan. 6 Capitol Attack, Trump Hires New Lawyers. One Declined to Prosecute Bil…

sputniknews (2021-02-02). Teen Emerging From 10-Month Coma Oblivious to COVID-19 Pandemic. sputniknews.com The COVID-19 pandemic has infected more than 104 million people and killed more than 2 million people worldwide since it was first identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The World Health Organization declared the outbreak a pandemic in March 2020.

RT (2021-02-02). Bill Gates calls for global alert system and 'pandemic fire squads' for post-Covid-19 world. rt.com Social media users are recoiling at Bill Gates' call for a global disease alert system, questioning why a tech billionaire with no medical expertise or elected office is plotting what they fear could become a platform for tyranny. | The Microsoft co-founder, who ranks as the world's third-richest person, took to Twitter on Monday to make his pitch for a new system that he said would help prevent future pandemics. This would include "mega testing diagnostic platforms" that could test 20 percent of the population every week, Gates said in a video promoting his plans. He added that future treatments, such as mono…

The Canary (2021-02-02). Hampers for Heroes: doctor's plea inspires thousands of donations to NHS staff. thecanary.co A social enterprise is delivering thousands of pounds' worth of treats to help lift the spirits of healthcare workers in the West Midlands, inspired by one doctor's emotional appeal for support. | Big donations: | Hampers for Heroes, which is run by Victoria Hanson, 44, a management consultant from Solihull, has delivered supplies to more than 20,000 health and social care staff in the region since the pandemic began. | A further £7,000 has already been raised since the latest appeal in January to support ICU staff, along with "huge amounts of physical donations" from the community. | Victoria Hanso…

news.un (2021-02-02). Impact of COVID-19 on cancer care has been 'profound', warns UN health agency. news.un.org The COVID-19 pandemic has had a "profound" impact on the diagnosis and treatment of cancer around the world, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday, before highlighting that breast cancer has become the most common type of the disease.

yenisafak (2021-02-02). Pakistan kicks off COVID-19 vaccination drive. yenisafak.com In line with the priority list, a doctor was the first person to be inoculated at a ceremony also attended by Prime Minister Imran Khan in the capital Islamabad.The premier in his address assured fair distribution of vaccines, and thanked Beijing for the support. He urged the masses to follow safety precautions, i.e. wearing a mask and social distancing, to contain the pandemic, which has claimed nearly 12,000 lives across the country. The overall caseload has reached 547,648.After health care workers, those above age 65 will be vaccinated, as another 1.1 million doses from China are expected to arrive later this…

Ali Harb (2021-02-02). Covid-19: Jamaal Bowman calls on Israel to vaccinate Palestinians. middleeasteye.net Covid-19: Jamaal Bowman calls on Israel to vaccinate Palestinians | US congressman likens racial disparities in US and his own experiences as Black man to 'hopelessness' Palestinians face | Tue, 02/02/2021 – 18: 53 | Jamaal Bowman defeated staunch Israel supporter Eliot Engel, a senior Democrat, last year (AFP/File photo) | Congressman Jamaal Bowman, a first-term progressive Democrat, has called on the Israeli go…

Online News Editor (2021-02-02). Mexico turns to COVAX and Russia to speed up vaccination plan. laprensalatina.com By Pedro Pablo Cortes Mexico City, Feb 2 (efe-epa).- The Mexican government on Tuesday announced that more than three million doses of Covid-19 vaccine from Russia and the World Health Organization's COVAX platform will arrive in February to speed up the country's ambitious but delayed immunization program. "We're going to have the vaccines, we're going …

WSWS (2021-02-02). US workplace safety agency issues toothless COVID "guidance," while Biden continues Trump's designation of meatpacking as "critical infrastructure" wsws.org Signaling that the Biden administration will take no serious measures to protect workers from the spread of COVID, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has issued unenforceable "guidance."

Kenny Stancil, staff writer (2021-02-02). In Victory for Public Health, Federal Judge Scraps Trump's Polluter-Friendly 'Censored Science' Rule. commondreams.org "Science matters again, and it will again guide how to best protect people from dangerous pollution and toxic chemicals." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

Brett Wilkins, staff writer (2021-02-02). Rep. Jamaal Bowman Calls On Israel to Vaccinate Occupied Palestinians Against Coronavirus. commondreams.org "Israel, as an occupying power, has a responsibility to provide vaccines to the Palestinian people," the first-term congressman asserted in a letter to Israel's acting consul general. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…