(2022-01-11). More than half a million children infected with COVID-19 in the US last week, shattering previous records. wsws.org Educators and students across the US are fighting for remote instruction as the Omicron surge leads to record infections and thousand of school closures.
(2022-01-11). SEIU1021 Leaders "Ludwig Did Not Have To Die" STOP Privatization & Zero Covid NOW! indybay.org San Francisco SEIU 1021 local leaders reported on the death of SEIU 1021 CCSF worker Ludwig Leota who was coerced back to the job where he contacted covid and passed away. They also talk about the privatization, union busting and fight for democracy in the union.
(2022-01-11). New York City universities plan to reopen for in-person instruction amid Omicron surge. wsws.org Over the last month, major universities in New York City have experienced significant outbreaks of COVID-19, including NYU, Columbia and CUNY.
(2022-01-11). Kite Line: We Understand How They'll Play with Our Lives in Here. itsgoingdown.org Long-running abolitionist radio show and podcast Kite Line looks at the explosive spread of the Omicorn variant within the prison system. Listen and Download HERE The explosive spread of the Omicron variant has brought our focus back to the COVID-vulnerability the prison system imposes on its captives. This week, we speak to two people —…
(2022-01-11). Calls for Paid Leave Grow as Workers Face 'Vicious Cycle': Their Jobs or COVID Safety. scheerpost.com 
A waiter serves food to customers dining indoors at Langer's Deli in Los Angeles, California on August 7, 2021. (Photo: Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images) | By Brett Wilkins / Common Dreams | As U.S. workers ill with Covid-19 during the Omicron surge face the stark choice of staying home without pay at the risk of losing their jobs or reporting to work and possibly infecting colleagues and customers, progressives on Monday renewed calls for the implementation of paid sick leave at the national level. | "In the midst of a horrific pandemic, two-thirds of low-wage workers still lack access to paid sick leav…
(2022-01-11). International travel to recover soon — forecast. rt.com 
Border reopenings may start in March, AirAsia CEO says | AirAsia CEO Tony Fernandes has said worldwide travel is likely to rebound strongly despite progress being slowed by the Covid-19 Omicron variant. | "I do believe that we're at the beginning of the end," he told CNBC on Monday, adding that recovery has already begun in earnest and demand has been "very, very robust." | Fernandes said, "The good thing is, this time last year, we had no planes flying. Now, we've got a large chunk of our fleet flying domestic Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia." | The AirAsia CEO believes international travel will return to pr…
(2022-01-11). Auto factories are not safe! Stop production to halt spread of Omicron! wsws.org The Autoworkers Rank-and-File Committee calls for the shutdown of auto plants and nonessential production, with full compensation to workers, until the virus is contained and workers aided by scientists determine it safe to return.
(2022-01-11). Chicago Teachers Union attempts to ram through agreement to reopen schools as Omicron surges. wsws.org The deal reached with Chicago Public Schools and Democratic Mayor Lori Lightfoot would send over 300,000 students back into overcrowded, poorly-ventilated classrooms, setting the stage for a massive surge of infections.
(2022-01-11). Quebec government's decision to let Omicron run rampant pushes hospitals beyond the brink. wsws.org Despite the propaganda from the mainstream media claiming that the Omicron variant is "mild" and unlikely to cause serious symptoms or death, hospitalizations and deaths are on the rise across Quebec.
(2022-01-11). Omicron variant drives COVID surge to record levels in the Philippines. wsws.org The paramount concern of the Duterte administration, like capitalist governments around the globe, is not public health but keeping the economy open.
(2022-01-11). Country shatters records with 1.35 million daily Covid cases. rt.com 
The Omicron variant has sent US Covid cases hurtling through the roof despite the vaccination push | The US shattered all records on Monday with a whopping 1.35 million new Covid-19 cases recorded. The news comes as hospitalizations with the infection also broke records. | The troubling figures come courtesy of a fresh Reuters tally. Mondays typically yield particularly high numbers, as many states do not report cases over the weekend, leaving some figures to pile up. Last Monday also saw the setting of a grim record, with over 1.03 million infections being reported across America. | The number of Covid-relate…
(2022-01-11). China implements stringent measures to suppress Omicron outbreak in Tianjin. wsws.org The response of Chinese authorities is in stark contrast to that of governments around the world, which have allowed and even encouraged the Omicron variant to spread unchecked.
(2022-01-11). Cuba shows an alternative to Big Pharma hegemony through global solidarity. mronline.org 
Cuba puts people before profits — showing the world an alternative to the monopolistic practices of Big Pharma. It promotes a public health system, state-funded research and shows global solidarity through tech transfer and vaccine delivery to developing countries.
(2022-01-11). Acclaimed Australian respiratory scientist Guy Marks calls for global action to end the pandemic. wsws.org Professor Marks's work centres on chronic respiratory diseases and has been dedicated to the global eradication of tuberculosis, with a particular focus on the Asia and South East Asia regions, including India, Vietnam and Myanmar.
(2022-01-11). Final Straw: The Battle for Abortion and Reproductive Autonomy with Bay Ostrach. itsgoingdown.org Long-running anarchist radio show and podcast the Final Straw speaks with Bayla Ostrach on reproductive healthcare. This week on the show, we sat down with Bayla Ostrach, an activist, anarchist, longtime defender, provider of and researcher around issues of reproductive healthcare. We speak about experiences researching and working on the issue in Catalunya, the battle…
(2022-01-11). Number of COVID-19 cases worldwide exceeds 305 million: WHO. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jan. 11 (MNA) — The overall number of confirmed novel coronavirus cases worldwide has exceeded 305 million, while the number of fatalities has topped 5.48 million, the World Health Organization (WHO) said late on Monday.
(2022-01-11). Hospitals in Massachusetts exceeding capacity, threatening collapse of the state's health care system. wsws.org Hospitals in Massachusetts are experiencing an explosive increase of new patients in the first weeks of 2022, threatening the collapse of a system which has been strained by the pandemic for two years.
(2022-01-11). With world's highest COVID-19 death rate, Peru confronts third wave of pandemic. wsws.org "It isn't a curve, it's a straight vertical line heading up," Peruvian health official warns.
(2022-01-11). Monday 1/17: 8th Annual Day of Action to Reclaim MLK's Radical Legacy: Car Caravan and Drive-Thru Giveaway. indybay.org We will meet at the Port of Oakland — near Middle Harbor Shoreline Park, 2777 Middle Harbor Rd, Oakland, CA 94607 | Schedule: | 11 am – Meet at the Port of Oakland & listen to speakers on radio | 12: 30 pm – Car caravan departs & ends with drive-thru mutual aid giveaway organized by Community Ready Corps and Mental Health First…
(2022-01-11). UK campaigner Lisa Diaz subject to concerted media attack for demanding COVID safe schools. wsws.org Lisa was invited onto ITV's Good Morning Britain to detail the health concerns that led her to keep her young daughter Helena out of school. Her hosts set out to rubbish those concerns.
(2022-01-11). New California guidelines push COVID-infected health care workers back to work. wsws.org Updated emergency guidelines by the California Department of Public Health state that asymptomatic COVID-19-positive workers or those exposed to COVID-19 must return to work immediately without quarantine or repeat testing.
(2022-01-11). If COVID-19 is here to stay, how can we best protect peoples' health? greenleft.org.au Public anger at government failings over mitigating the virus spread is justifiable. The challenge for progressives is to work out how to organise this anger into a fight for measures that can offer lasting protections, argues Fred Fuentes.
(2022-01-11). Chile: Will we see an end to the neoliberal healthcare system? greenleft.org.au After the victory of Gabriel Boric in Chile's presidential elections, the country awaits much-needed changes to its health system, writes Mario Parada Lezcano.
(2022-01-11). Workers' safety should not be sacrificed for the sake of the economy. greenleft.org.au The new exemptions to Public Health Orders which can force sick workers to work represent a serious attack on workers' rights and their health and safety. Sarah Hathway argues that workers and their unions need to draw a line.
(2022-01-11). High Recorded Mortality in Countries Categorized as "Covid-19 Vaccine Champions". The Vaccinated Suffer from Increased Risk of Mortality compared to the Non-vaccinated. globalresearch.ca This "health strategy" based on false simulations, lies, promises never kept, propaganda and the fear campaign has become unbearable. In turn it has been followed by the extortion of consent to be vaccinated, by outright blackmail.
(2022-01-11). Pope weighs in on morality of Covid vaccination. rt.com 
The head of the Catholic Church reiterated his support for the Covid jab during an annual speech to ambassadors at the Vatican | The Pope has given his strongest backing yet to the Covid vaccine, siding with the Vatican's coronavirus advisory board and calling it a "moral obligation," urging people to show "respect for the health" of others. | Speaking on Monday, Pope Francis used his yearly speech to representatives from 183 countries accredited to the Holy See to address what he sees as important international issues and outline the Vatican's stance. | The 85-year-old head of the Catholic Church has previous…
(2022-01-11). Republicans Only Extend Unemployment When It Protects Anti-Vaxxers. truthout.org 
U.S. politics these days is all too often an Alice-through-the-looking-glass absurdity. | Over the last few weeks, at least
(2022-01-11). Australia records eighth-highest weekly COVID-19 infection total globally. wsws.org More infections were recorded in the last seven days than in the 707 days since the country's first case.
(2022-01-11). The WHO Confirms that the Covid-19 PCR Test is Flawed: Estimates of "Positive Cases" are Meaningless. The Lockdown Has No Scientific Basis. globalresearch.ca One year later the WHO retracts. They don't say "We Made a Mistake". It's carefully formulated. While they do not officially deny the validity of their misleading January 2020 guidelines, they recommend RT-PCR "Re-testing" (which everybody knows is an impossibility).
(2022-01-11). Vote "No" on the CTU-CPS deal to reopen infected schools and spread COVID-19! Educators must launch a walkout now to save lives! wsws.org The move by the leadership of the Chicago Teachers Union to end the remote work action is an utter surrender to Mayor Lightfoot and the homicidal campaign by the Biden administration to send educators and students back into infected schools.
(2022-01-11). New York students initiate mass "Walkout for COVID Safety" wsws.org The mass walkout by thousands of student youth takes place as Chicago teachers are mobilizing to oppose an effort to reopen schools to in-person learning.
(2022-01-11). UK govt's lockdown-breaching party sparks 'WTF?' reaction. rt.com 
Around 100 people were invited to a "bring your own booze" event in Downing Street's garden during the first Covid lockdown | Former Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson has blasted the UK government for holding a drinks event in the Downing Street garden during the first lockdown, declaring, "what tf were any of these people thinking?" | The prime minister's principal private secretary, Martin Reynolds, sent an email to over 100 employees at Downing Street, inviting them to a gathering in Number 10's garden during the first lockdown, according to an email reported by ITV News. | The message to staff, m…
(2022-01-11). El corona totalitarismo y las masas. globalizacion.ca La aceptación masiva de las reglas draconianas impuestas por varios gobiernos a raíz de la pandemia del covid-19, podría conducir a un nuevo sistema totalitario tecnocrático de ideología transhumanista, con la eventual deriva de atrocidades que serían justificadas bajo la…
(2022-01-11). Por qué las pruebas de Covid-19 se han convertido en una máquina de hacer dinero. El fraude de la prueba PCR. globalizacion.ca 
No hay duda de que el modelo de negocios de hoy está impulsado por una campaña de miedo cuando se trata de la estafa de Covid-19. La histeria del virus corona lleva a las personas que están muertas de miedo…
(2022-01-11). UK schools kept open as child infections soar above 3 million. wsws.org A horrifying 1,294 UK children were admitted to hospital with COVID over the 12-day Christmas period…
(2022-01-11). Workers Struggles: The Americas. wsws.org Social and indigenous groups have called protests against the right-wing government of Lenin Moreno while the courts handed a partial victory to families suing US food Giant Tyson over worker deaths due to COVID.
(2022-01-11). "There are zero safety protocols to keep us safe from COVID": Autoworker denounces conditions at Warren Truck Plant. wsws.org A worker at the Stellantis Warren Truck Plant describes the impossible situation workers face as they battle both COVID and increasingly intolerable working conditions.
(2022-01-11). Another autoworker denounces conditions at Warren Truck Plant. wsws.org A worker at the Stellantis Warren Truck Plant describes the impossible situation workers face as they battle both COVID and increasingly intolerable working conditions.
(2022-01-11). Winter of death: Two deadly housing fires in less than a week expose the reality of American capitalism. wsws.org New York City and Philadelphia saw their deadliest housing fires in decades amid a climate of official indifference to death as the COVID-19 pandemic has been allowed to rage out of control.
(2022-01-11). AMLO contagiado nuevamente de covid-19, reporta "síntomas leves" cubadebate.cu El presidente de México, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, confirmó este lunes que ha contraído la covid-19 por segunda ocasión. "Informo a ustedes que estoy contagiado de #COVID19 y aunque los síntomas son leves, permaneceré en aislamiento y solo realizaré trabajo de oficina y me comunicaré de manera virtual hasta salir adelante", publicó en Twitter.
(2022-01-11). Australia Post workers oppose criminal "let it rip" COVID-19 policies. wsws.org The PWRFC calls on postal workers to reject the "opening up" drive by governments, both Coalition and Labor, backed by the unions, which puts working people at risk of infection every day.
(2022-01-11). Brasil: øAño nuevo? globalizacion.ca Llevamos nueve días de 2022, pero la verdad es que, al menos en este Brasil destrozado, seguimos como en los peores momentos de 2021, el año maldito que parece no terminar nunca. La pandemia de covid enfrenta un nuevo brote,…
(2022-01-11). Descubriendo la narrativa alrededor del coronavirus: øSe planeó todo cuidadosamente? Análisis de Ernst Wolff. globalizacion.ca 
‚Å£‚Å£Explicación magnífica de una gran razón por la que el mundo se volvió psicótico corona. Conferencia de Ernst Wolff, reconocido economista y periodista alemán. Su enfoque está en el sistema financiero y monetario global, especialmente el papel del FMI, el…
(2022-01-10). As Djokovic Leaves Australian Detention Hotel, Refugees Held There Urge World Not to Forget Them. democracynow.org 
As an Australian judge allows unvaccinated tennis star Novak Djokovic to be released from immigration detention amid controversy over his COVID vaccine exemption, we look at how his case has intensified international scrutiny over Australia's inhumane treatment of refugees jailed in the same rundown hotel. "No one is telling us when we get out of this indefinite detention," says Mehdi Ali, an Iranian refugee currently detained by the Australian government at the Park Hotel in Melbourne. We also speak with former Australian soccer player Craig Foster, who advocates for asylum seekers.
(2022-01-10). Headlines for January 10, 2022. democracynow.org Bronx Building Blaze Kills 19 People, Including 9 Children, Injures Dozens, Judge Sentences Men Who Murdered Ahmaud Arbery to Life in Prison, 25% of U.S. Hospitals Face Critical Staff Shortages; Chicago Schools Remain Closed Amid Omicron Surge, Airstrike Kills 56 Displaced People in Tigray as Region's Humanitarian Situation Worsens, Military Court Sentences Aung San Suu Kyi to 4 More Years in Prison, Fire in Cox's Bazar Destroys Homes of 5,000 Rohingya Refugees, Reprisal Attacks in Nigeria's Zamfara State Kill 200 Civilians, Tennis Star Novak Djokovic Released from Immigration Detention as Australian Visa Reinsta…
(2022-01-10). Breaking Point: Ed Yong Says Omicron Is Straining Hospitals & Schools Amid Vaccine Mandate Pushback. democracynow.org 
The Omicron variant's transmission rate is exponentially higher than Delta, leaving healthcare workers across the U.S. in dire straits. Waves of doctors, nurses and other health professionals are unionizing, and some have quit the profession over exploitative conditions. The staffing shortage has added on to the strains of increasing hospitalizations due to COVID-19, limited availability of necessary equipment and lack of federal support for preventative measures such as paid medical leave. "This is the cost of two years spent pushing prematurely for a return to normal," says Ed Yong, Pulitzer Prize-winning repor…
(2022-01-10). Hip-Hop DJ's Kay Slay And Kid Capri Fighting Covid, Kay Slay Taken Off Ventilator. moguldom.com The hip-hop world continues to be hit by covid including two legendary personalities in the culture — Kid Capri, 54, and DJ Kay Slay, 55. DJ Kid Capri, a New York City hip-hop icon, recently announced he had tested positive for the virus and was battling major symptoms. On Jan. 6, the disc jockey and …
(2022-01-10). Kazakhstan turns into graveyard for U.S. diplomacy. mronline.org 
The Kazakh Ministry of Health issued an innocuous disclaimer today denying social media reports about the seizure of a "military biological lab near Almaty by unidentified people."
(2022-01-10). Economist names major risks for Asia. rt.com 
The region's emerging markets are well positioned but facing headwinds | Asian countries should brace for three major challenges in the year ahead, according to Carlos Casanova, senior Asia economist at Swiss private bank UBP. | "We have rising Omicron cases. We have priced in slower growth in China at around 5%. And now, the Fed meeting minutes suggest that the pace of the tapering will be faster-than-expected," he told CNBC, adding that those factors "pose a threat for the region as a whole." | According to Casanova, despite the fact that Asia's emerging markets are well positioned, they will be more impacte…
(2022-01-10). BoJo accused of 'ignoring science' on Covid. rt.com 
Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford has claimed the prime minister is failing to protect England | Wales' first minister has doubled down on comments in which he accused Prime Minister Boris Johnson of "ignoring the science" on Covid-19 by refusing to introduce new measures to prevent the spread of Omicron. | Speaking to Sky News on Sunday, First Minister Mark Drakeford reiterated claims that England was a "global outlier" and was not protecting its people from the current wave of Covid-19. | Drakeford said he is constantly asked why Wales is not doing the same thing as England. "My answer was to point out tha…