(2021-12-24). First Omicron cases detected in Indonesia. wsws.org Faced with the dangerous new variant, the Indonesian government, in line with governments around the world, has implemented no serious health measures to stop its spread.
(2021-12-24). COVID-Omicron is Killing Christmas — And Beyond. Financial Crash, Inflation, Digitization. globalresearch.ca First Delta, then Omicron. Neither one of the two has ever been isolated. The vast majority of people of the 193 UN member countries — swallow the lie with fear and respect, as if it were the truth…
(2021-12-24). Anger mounts as New York Democrats fail to protect population from Omicron surge. wsws.org New York City has plunged into a health crisis this week as record numbers of people test positive for COVID-19, primarily its Omicron variant.
(2021-12-24). As Omicron surges in Europe, governments prepare holiday catastrophe. wsws.org This year's Christmas festivities will be an unprecedented super-spreader event as Omicron leaves European countries facing hospital collapse in January.
(2021-12-24). The Coronavirus Pandemic has Widened Global Inequalities. zcomm.org The prices asked by Big Pharma for Covid vaccines are exorbitant…
(2021-12-24). Podemos leader Yolanda Diaz admits she covered up danger from COVID-19. wsws.org As the COVID-19 pandemic began, Podemos ministers knew the Spanish government was massively downplaying the danger from the disease but kept their mouths shut.
(2021-12-24). A reply to President Biden from California health care workers: "No, the country is not better prepared for COVID than last year!" wsws.org We issue this blunt warning to workers and the general public: The hospital system is worse off now than it was in March 2020. We have been worn to the bone after two years of the pandemic.
(2021-12-24). California nurse Elizabeth gives testimony for the Global Workers' Inquest into the COVID-19 Pandemic. wsws.org In this interview, Elizabeth speaks on her experiences and those of healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
(2021-12-24). Here's to our Health: Well, To the Health of the Profiteers! dissidentvoice.org 
"You know what I think?" she says. "That people's memories are maybe the fuel they burn to stay alive. Whether those memories have any actual importance or not, it doesn't matter as far as the maintenance of life is concerned. They're all just fuel. Advertising fillers in the newspaper, philosophy books, dirty pictures in a …
(2021-12-24). Trains with Flawed Electrical Systems Caused Caracas Subway Explosions. orinocotribune.com Wednesday, December 22, the President of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, and the Minister of Transportation, Hipólito Abreu, reported that investigations by engineers from the Caracas Metro found the cause of explosions that affected several trains of the public company in previous weeks. They also responded to threats of a lawsuit from by the Spanish Export Credit Insurance Company (CESCE), which is claiming compensation for ‚Ǩ138 million. | "A fault was discovered that caused explosions as a result of the electrical overload," explained President Nicolás Maduro at a ceremony at the Teresa Carreño T…
(2021-12-24). Amazon Warehouse Workers Walk Off The Job In Illinois. popularresistance.org On Wednesday morning, several dozen Amazon workers at two separate Chicago-area delivery stations staged a walkout to demand raises and safer working conditions, making it the first time the tech giant has seen a multi-site work stoppage in the United States. | Coming just three days before Christmas to ensure maximum impact, the action caps a year of intense organizing and protest by Amazon warehouse workers who have been on the frontlines of both the Covid-19 pandemic and extreme weather events. | Organized by the labor network Amazonians United, the walkouts occurred during the morning shifts at the company's…
(2021-12-24). An intensive care physician's report to the Global Workers' Inquest into the COVID-19 Pandemic. wsws.org The physician's report clearly shows the ongoing physical and psychological strains for those working in intensive care and why the path to the elimination of COVID-19 can only proceed via the independent mobilisation of the working class.
(2021-12-24). "My campaign is spearheading a fightback": Victimised London bus driver David O'Sullivan's hearing set for January. wsws.org Metroline bus company sacked O'Sullivan after he warned colleagues about the spread of COVID-19 at Cricklewood bus garage in northwest London.
(2021-12-24). Urgent action is necessary to stop viral transmission, save lives and end the pandemic. wsws.org The Zero COVID strategy must be implemented in every country, aimed at progressively stopping human-to-human transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in ever-broader geographic regions until the virus is eliminated globally.
(2021-12-24). After Sterling Heights Assembly worker and husband die of suspected COVID-19, Stellantis management announces plant will run through Christmas Eve. wsws.org The provocative announcement of Christmas Eve shifts comes at the end of a "critical status" period in the plant, where workers were forced to work for 90 consecutive days to make up for lost production at the plant due to widespread supply chain problems.
(2021-12-23). Alarm bells ring across South Asia as Omicron variant spreads unchecked. wsws.org Highlighting capitalist governments' failure to eliminate COVID-19, South Asia, home to a fourth of humanity, is on the brink of a horrific new surge of the virus.
(2021-12-23). As Omicron spreads, German intensive care workers warn of already intolerable working conditions. wsws.org An incendiary letter from intensive care nurses at a university clinic in Hamburg gives voice to the frustration and dissatisfaction widespread among nursing staff throughout Germany.
(2021-12-23). Headlines for December 23, 2021. democracynow.org South Africa Says Omicron Coronavirus Surge Has Peaked, WHO Warns Blanket Booster Programs Divert Vaccine Supply, Prolonging Pandemic, FDA Approves COVID-19 Pill; Most Monoclonal Antibody Treatments Fail Against Omicron, New York Coronavirus Cases Surge to Record High; Supreme Court to Weigh Vaccine Mandates, Proud Boys Member Pleads Guilty to Capitol Riot Conspiracy, Will Cooperate with FBI, FBI Undercover Teams Infiltrated Portland Racial Justice Protests, U.S. Relaxes Limits on Aid as Afghanistan Faces Dire Humanitarian Crisis, U.N. Calls for Probe into Reports That Sudanese Security Forces Raped Anti-Coup Pro…
(2021-12-23). New Zealand government will not immediately lock down if Omicron appears in community. wsws.org While the Labour Party-led government claims it wants to keep Omicron out of the community, the cabinet has not put measures in place to prevent its rapid spread.
(2021-12-23). Canada's top doctor: Reduce contacts immediately or Omicron will overwhelm hospitals. wsws.org Chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam's stark warning was swiftly followed by Canada recording its highest total of daily infections since the pandemic began, with 13,460 new cases on Wednesday.
(2021-12-23). Australia's "National Cabinet" sets course for mass Omicron infections. wsws.org "Living with COVID-19 means living with COVID-variants," the meeting's communiqué declared.
(2021-12-23). IHME projects 3 billion COVID-19 infections worldwide by March 2022. wsws.org The institute based at the University of Washington forecasts 140 million new infections in the United States by the spring, nearly all of the highly transmissible Omicron variant.
(2021-12-23). Minimal restrictions introduced in Scotland as Omicron wave takes hold. wsws.org Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon's latest update on the coronavirus pandemic included only the most minimal public health measures to be introduced after this weekend, guaranteeing rapid ongoing infection in the run-up to Christmas.
(2021-12-23). South African Hospitalization Rates Plunge Despite Omicron Onslaught: 'They Are At Very Low Levels'. moguldom.com The hospitalization rate of South Africans infected with the omicron variant is less than 80 percent compared to other variants of the disease, according to a study released by the country's National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD). Covid-19 infections in South Africa have spiked in the fourth wave of the pandemic after scientists identified the …
(2021-12-23). Venezuela To Vaccinate 90% Of Its Population To Face Omicron. telesurenglish.net On Wednesday, Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro announced that the first seven COVID-19 cases caused by the Omicron variant were detected in citizens who traveled abroad and recently returned to the states of Miranda, Lara and Caracas. | RELATED: | "It was inevitable that Omicron would arrive in Venezuela. Therefore, we reiterate the call to reinforce biosecurity measures and vaccination. We continue working to care fo…
(2021-12-23). My Year and Welcome to It. tomdispatch.com Whether the pandemic that's swept the world started from a bat or not, as 2021 ends, I think it's safe to say that we're all far battier than we were when it began. In my neighborhood at least, as this year draws to a close, that old Lone Ranger line, "Who was that masked man?," again applies to just about anyone. In fact, as Delta cases rise in New York City and Omicron arrives on the scene in a startling fashion, indoor mask wearing in my own apartment building — from the halls to the elevators to the laundry room — has been reinstituted (not that I ever stopped) and the city's indoor public-mask ma…
(2021-12-23). Bombshell Document Dump on Pfizer Vaccine Data. globalresearch.ca What is contained in Pfizer's confidential report is detailed evidence on the impacts of the "vaccine" on mortality and morbidity. This data which emanates from the Horse's Mouth can be used to confront as well formulate legal procedures against Big Pharma, the governments, the WHO and the media.
(2021-12-23). "They're literally making us sick": Pharmacy workers describe conditions that sparked US walkouts. wsws.org Retail pharmacy workers conducted a nationwide walkout on Monday in the US, organized on social media, to protest worsening work conditions at large retail chains such as CVS, Walgreens and Walmart.
(2021-12-23). New ADB Facility to Help Southeast Asia Revive Tourism. moderndiplomacy.eu The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has set up a $1.7 million technical assistance facility to accelerate Southeast Asia's tourism recovery from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, boost inclusive, sustainable development in the sector, and help local tourism entrepreneurs, especially women and youth, adopt digital platforms to grow their businesses. The Southeast Asia Sustainable Tourism Facility …
(2021-12-23). Life expectancy in the US dropped by an astounding 1.8 years during the first year of the pandemic. wsws.org Despite President Biden's claim that the US is in a better place since March 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that life expectancy in 2020 dropped by nearly two years. By all indications, this trend will worsen in 2021.
(2021-12-23). 300 Doctors Implore Australia To Bring Assange Home. popularresistance.org The letter begins by commending Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce for his recent statements calling for the U.S. extradition request against Julian Assange to be dropped. It continues: | "We are concerned that Mr. Assange's apparent mini stroke [reported in the Daily Mail on 11 December] may be the tip of a medical iceberg. Indeed his symptoms suggest as much. It is therefore imperative that Mr. Assange be released from prison, where his health will otherwise continue to deteriorate and where his complex medical needs cannot be met." Continued incarceration, the doctors warn, will place Julian Assange's life at…
(2021-12-23). NHS: the year in review — wilful Tory destruction and dire reform. thecanary.co 
It's been a year of turmoil and trauma for all of us. This has been acutely the case for the NHS and its staff. With the Tory government at the helm, our health service has lurched from government-induced crisis to government-induced crisis. But despite all this, NHS workers have kept saving us as they've fought back against the Tories. | A long, dark winter: | January started the year as it ended up going on: with health workers
(2021-12-23). WHO: Blanket COVID-19 vaccine booster programmes could prolong the pandemic. moderndiplomacy.eu Blanket COVID-19 vaccine booster programmes could prolong the pandemic and increase inequity, the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Wednesday. "No country can boost its way out of the pandemic," said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, speaking in Geneva during his final press briefing for the year. "And boosters cannot be seen …
(2021-12-23). Tea Party Redux: How the Koch Network Funds and Fuels the Anti-Lockdown Movement. democracynow.org 
A new report titled "How The Koch Network Hijacked The War On COVID" reveals how a right-wing network linked to billionaire Charles Koch has played a key role in fighting public health measures during the pandemic, including mask and vaccine mandates, contact tracing and lockdowns. The groups include the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), the American Institute for Economic Research (AIER), Donors Trust, the Hoover Institution and Hillsdale College. We speak about the contents of the report with co-author Walker Bragman, who says the right-wing network's attack on public health is designed to "maintain…
(2021-12-23). Biden Says He's Running for Reelection in 2024, With a Big "If" Added. truthout.org 
President Joe Biden recently said that he will run for reelection in 2024 under one condition: that he remains in good health. | Biden made comments alluding to running for a second term as president "Do you plan to run for reelection?" Muir asked Biden this week. | "Yes," Biden responded, adding that he would only run for a second term if he was in the righ…
(2021-12-23). Nigeria Destroys 1 Million Expired COVID-19 Vaccines. telesurenglish.net On Wednesday, Nigerian government destroyed over 1 million COVID-19 vaccines withdrawn from across the country after being identified for having a short shelf life. | RELATED: | The National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) monitored the exercise at a dumpsite in a suburb of Abuja, the Nigerian capital. Authorities took the decision to join other African nations which earlier destroyed vaccines for the same reaso…
(2021-12-23). No One Is Safe Until Everyone Is Safe: Oxfam on Vaccine Equity & Taking On Moderna. democracynow.org 
Oxfam America has accused Moderna of misleading its investors about an ongoing dispute over whether it needs to share vaccine patent rights with the U.S. government. Oxfam filed a shareholders complaint against Moderna with the Securities and Exchange Commission over the company's resistance to recognizing the role played by three scientists with the National Institutes of Health in developing the vaccine. We speak with Robbie Silverman, senior corporate advocacy manager at Oxfam America, who says the federal government owns a right to license the vaccine to manufacturers. "It is simply not sufficient just to vac…
(2021-12-23). Fatal accidents reveal unsafe conditions in Pakistan's coal mines. peoplesdispatch.org As deadly accidents continue in various coal mines in Pakistan, senior representatives of IndustriALL Global have asked the Pakistani ambassador at Geneva to take immediate steps to ensure that Pakistan ratifies and implements ILO Convention 176 on Safety and Health in Mines…
(2021-12-23). Oxfam Takes On Moderna in Fight for Vaccine Equity. truthout.org 
Oxfam America has accused Moderna of misleading its investors about an ongoing dispute over whether it needs to share vaccine patent rights with the U.S. government. Oxfam filed a shareholders complaint against Moderna with the Securities and Exchange Commission over the company's resistance to recognizing the role played by three scientists with the National Institutes of Health in developing the vaccine. We speak with Robbie Silverman, senior corporate advocacy manager at Oxfam America, who says the federal government…
(2021-12-23). What We Know about COVID Vaccines. dissidentvoice.org 
Is the COVID vaccine safe? Pfizer's own data revealed that by February of 2021, Pfizer had already received more than 1,200 reports of deaths allegedly caused by the vaccine and tens of thousands of reported adverse events, including 23 cases of spontaneous abortions out of 270 pregnancies and more than 2,000 reports of cardiac disorders.
(2021-12-23). Trump's 2024 Campaign Will Likely Be: "I Did the Vaccines All by Myself!" truthout.org 
The key to understanding Donald Trump's core belief system is found in the proper placement of three letters: i, m and a; two vowels and a consonant. A person is said to be immoral if they share a value set with a community but fail to follow those values. A person is said to be amoral if they have no personal value set whatsoever, and give not a single fig for what society has to say about right and wrong. | Trump is amoral to a nearly pitch-perfect degree. His existence is entirely transactional: n…
(2021-12-23). The left's contempt for bodily autonomy during the pandemic is a gift to the right. dissidentvoice.org When did parts of the left get so contemptuous of the principle of "bodily autonomy"? Answer: Just about the time they started fetishising vaccines as the only route out of the current pandemic. Only two years ago most people understood "bodily autonomy" to be a fundamental, unquestionable human right. Now it is being treated as …
(2021-12-23). A painful year for Gaza's patients. electronicintifada.net Israel has blocked entry of spare parts for medical equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic.
(2021-12-23). Venezuela Maintains 7 International Air Routes. orinocotribune.com Despite the fact that the state of emergency declared in Venezuela due to the COVID-19 pandemic has yet to be lifted, the president of the National Institute of Civil Aeronautics (INAC), Juan Teixeira Díaz, announced that seven international air routes will continue to service the country. | He clarified that commercial flights to Mexico, Turkey, the Dominican Republic, Panama, Russia, Bolivia, and Cuba will remain availa…
(2021-12-23). UK Tory government weaponises Christmas against COVID restrictions. wsws.org The government's brutal determination to keep the profits flowing at all costs is meeting widespread opposition. Workers are defying all instructions from the mass murderers in Westminster to just keep on shopping and socialising in pubs, clubs and restaurants. Millions have stopped using public transport, are working from home and are already limiting their contacts with other people.
(2021-12-23). COVID-19 infections in South Korea hit record high following implemenation of "with COVID" policy. wsws.org South Korean President Moon Jae-in's government enacted new social distancing measures on Saturday that will do nothing to halt the spread of the virus.
(2021-12-23). As Patients Caught COVID Inside Hospitals, Government Oversight Fell Short. truthout.org 
One by one, the nurses taking care of actress Judi Evans at Riverside Community Hospital kept calling out sick. | Patients were coughing as staffers wheeled the maskless soap opera star around the California hospital while treating her for injuries from a horseback fall in May 2020, Evans said. | She remembered they took her to a room to remove blood from her compressed lung where another maskless patient was also getting his lung drained. He was crying out that he didn't want to die of covid.
(2021-12-23). German banks and big business profit from death in the pandemic. wsws.org Like vultures feasting on the victims of a disaster, the profiteers on the banking floors are enriching themselves from the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic.