2022-02-12: News Headlines

Matthew J.L. Ehret (2022-02-12). A Memorial for Dr. Luc Montagnier and the Coming Revolutions in Optical Biophysics. dissidentvoice.org On February 8, 2022, Nobel Prize winning virologist Dr Luc Montagnier passed away. Since the earliest moments of COVID-19's appearance, Montagnier was slandered and ridiculed for his challenges to the underlying assumptions of the disease's causes and remedies despite the constant slings and arrows of the deep state which sought to shut the door on …

Megan Tatum (2022-02-12). [World Report] Escalating threats to health workers in Myanmar. thelancet.com Health workers are still under threat in Myanmar, 1 year on from a military seizure of power. Megan Tatum reports.

Richard Lane (2022-02-12). [Perspectives] Keith Wailoo: framing health challenges through a historical lens. thelancet.com While growing up in New York City, NY, USA, in the 1970s, Keith Wailoo could not avoid noticing giant billboard advertisements promoting menthol cigarettes. "I was surrounded by an aggressive promotion of menthol tobacco aimed at Black Americans in urban areas", says Wailoo, the Henry Putnam University Professor of History and Public Affairs at Princeton University, NJ, USA. The saga of menthol tobacco is documented in Wailoo's book Pushing Cool: Big Tobacco, Racial Marketing, and the Untold Story of the Menthol Cigarette.

The Lancet (2022-02-12). [Editorial] Health and health care in Ukraine: in transition and at risk. thelancet.com The crisis in Ukraine continues to intensify. Russian troops are massing near the Ukrainian border and the US military is reinforcing its NATO allies in Europe. Meanwhile, diplomatic talks are loaded with accusations but little resolution, and Ukrainian forces are already fighting Russia-backed separatists in the east. With the world's attention on the geopolitical situation in the region, there is a danger that the ordinary lives and health of Ukrainians are forgotten.

ecns.cn (2022-02-12). National medical bulk-buy program to be expanded. ecns.cn China plans to expand its national bulk-buying program for drugs and high-value medical consumables this year to reduce medical costs, a health official said on Friday.

Munyaradzi Makoni (2022-02-12). [World Report] Burkina Faso crisis hits health care. thelancet.com A coup on Jan 24, 2022, further risks health and health-care provision. Munyaradzi Makoni reports.

WSWS (2022-02-12). Sri Lankan nurses defy court ban and remain on indefinite strike with other health workers. wsws.org The court ban on industrial action by health workers indicates that the Rajapakse government is moving into direct confrontation with the entire working class.

Staff (2022-02-12). Possible link between Covid vaccines and menstrual disorders prompts investigation. rt.com The European Medicines Agency has decided to reassess its own conclusions following multiple reports and scientific findings | The European health watchdog has The European Medicines Agency (EMA) said on Friday that its safety committee (PRAC) "is assessing reported cases of heavy menstrual bleeding…

Peter Koenig (2022-02-12). Video: Digital Tyranny and the Rockefeller-Gates WHO "Vaxx-Certificate Passport": Towards a World War III Scenario. globalresearch.ca It's an electronic ID-program using the Covid-19 "vaccine as a platform for digital identity, linking everything to everything of each individual (records of health, banking, personal and private, etc.), managed by a state agency or in extremis, by the private sector.

Lisa V Adams, Dalee Sambo Dorough, Executive Committee of the Lancet Commission on Arctic, Northern Health (2022-02-12). [Comment] Accelerating Indigenous health and wellbeing: the Lancet Commission on Arctic and Northern Health. thelancet.com Arctic Indigenous communities and adjacent Indigenous peoples considered Northern or Circumpolar in distribution recognised the threat posed by COVID-19 to their communities. Despite inhabiting many of the world's most resourced countries, the health of Arctic Indigenous peoples lags behind their non-Indigenous counterparts across many indicators,1,2 and many communities remember the devastating consequences of the 1918—19 influenza pandemic on their communities.3 Swift action by Arctic Indigenous leaders limited COVID-19 cases in many communities, protecting their vulnerable groups from the worst outcomes…

Signe A Flottorp, Kjetil G Brurberg, Per Fink, Hans Knoop, Vegard B B Wyller (2022-02-12). [Comment] New NICE guideline on chronic fatigue syndrome: more ideology than science? thelancet.com The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) in the UK published a new chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) guideline in October, 2021.1 The previous NICE 2007 guideline recommended cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and graded exercise therapy (GET) for people with mild or moderate CFS/ME based on evidence from randomised trials.2 Since then, more randomised trials and systematic reviews have provided additional evidence supporting these recommendations.3—8 No new or more effective interventions have been identified.

Nayanah Siva (2022-02-12). [World Report] Gilead and ViiV Healthcare reach settlement over HIV drug. thelancet.com Gilead Sciences to pay US$1 ∑25 billion, and royalties, settlement to ViiV Healthcare over patent infringement of the HIV drug, dolutegravir. Nayanah Siva reports.

Angela Aristidou, Rajesh Jena, Eric J Topol (2022-02-12). [Perspectives] Bridging the chasm between AI and clinical implementation. thelancet.com Many advances in artificial intelligence (AI) for health care using deep neural networks have been commercialised. But few AI tools have been implemented in health systems. Why has this chasm occurred? Transparency, suitability, and adaptability are key reasons. The deployment of any new technology is usually managed centrally in hospitals and health systems. For the information technology (IT) teams, there is the concern that input data are drawn from outside the health setting and the algorithm performance, source code, and input data are unavailable to review.

Sam Egger, Garry Egger (2022-02-12). [Correspondence] The vaccinated propor-tion of people with COVID-19 needs context. thelancet.com We read the Correspondence by Gàºnter Kampf1 with surprise, as it appears to argue that the base-rate fallacy2 is, in fact, not a fallacy. In the context of COVID-19 vaccines, the base-rate fallacy is often described as the illusion that vaccines are ineffective because, in highly vaccinated populations, the majority of COVID-19 cases occur among vaccinated people. For example, if a population is 99% vaccinated against a hypothetical virus and 51% of infected individuals have been vaccinated, the base-rate fallacy (falsely) implies that the vaccine is ineffective at preventing infection.

Staff (2022-02-12). WATCH Canadian truckers defy court injunction, maintain border blockade. rt.com Anti-vaccine mandate truckers refused to back down despite the threat of impending arrests and fines | Canadian protesters opposing Covid-19 curbs and vaccine mandates have defied a court injunction and government warnings to maintain their days-long blockade of the Ambassador Bridge, which has paralyzed trade and traffic at the busiest land border crossing into the US. | According to videos circulating on social media, demonstrators overwhelmingly voted to continue occupying access roads to the bridge minutes before Friday's order by the Ontario Superior Court took effect at 7pm local time. The protesters can…

sputniknews (2022-02-12). SCOTUS Again Rejects NYC Teachers' Appeal to Block COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate in Public Schools. sputniknews.com Public school employees in New York City are facing termination on Monday, February 14, unless they waive their right to continue litigation or drop their objection to receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. As of Friday, almost 3,000 NYC municipal workers (0.8% of a roughly 370,000-person workforce) were eligible for layoffs.

Staff (2022-02-12). New Zealand uses unusual tactics to flush out anti-mandate protesters. rt.com The parliament speaker used sprinklers and blasted annoying music to scare away demonstrators camping outside | Hundreds of anti-vaccine mandate protesters camped outside New Zealand's parliament in the capital city of Wellington throughout Saturday, despite the authorities' unconventional techniques to flush them out. | The parliament speaker, Trevor Mallard, said he ordered the sprinkler system to be turned on to flood the lawn where the protesters set up camp. The use of sprinklers in addition to heavy rain turned the lawn outside the parliament into a muddy field, videos from the scene show. | "I ordered t…

ecns.cn (2022-02-12). Thousands of New York City workers set to lose jobs over vaccine mandate. ecns.cn Around 3,000 New York City employees could lose their jobs Friday for failing to follow COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

Staff (2022-02-12). Nadal's uncle delivers GOAT snub to Djokovic. rt.com Toni Nadal claimed his nephew Rafael would be the undisputed GOAT in tennis without so many injuries | Tennis ace Rafael Nadal's uncle claimed his nephew would be the sport's undisputed greatest of all time were it not for so many injuries, as he also snubbed Novak Djokovic and criticized the world number one for his Australian visa and vaccine scandal. | After Djokovic was denied the right to defend his Australian Open crown in Melbourne despite receiving a medical exemption, Nadal went on to beat Daniil Medvedev in the final and therefore surpassed Djokovic and Roger Federer on 21 Grand Slam wins. | Accordin…

Global Research News (2022-02-12). U.K. Vaccine Crime Investigation. Metropolitan Police and International Criminal Court (ICC). globalresearch.ca First published by Global Research on January 28, 2022 | . | This is an important article. | . | UK Law Enforcement procedures have been initiated against the architects of the Covid-19 crisis. | This initiative sets a precedent Worldwide. | Should a Criminal Investigation …

Industrial Workers of the World (2022-02-12). Dill Pickle Co-op Workers Walk Out Over Unsafe Conditions. itsgoingdown.org Report on recent job actions from Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) workers in so-called Chicago. Last month, workers at the Dill Pickle Food Co-op in Chicago walked out over unsafe working conditions related to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Workers at the grocery store are organized as the Dill Pickle Worker's Union with the Industrial…

Allen Forrest (2022-02-12). The Story of Cathy Complier. dissidentvoice.org Once upon a time, there was a delightful little girl called Cathy. People would frequently praise her to Cathy's parents: "She is such a good girl, so obedient." Then came a viral cloud. The government's scientists called it Covid and said the cloud was life threatening. But the scientists said, "Don't worry, we have the cure, and you must take it."

WSWS (2022-02-12). Department of Homeland Security leaks security bulletin warning of far-right "trucker" protest culminating in occupation of Washington D.C. wsws.org Promoted by Fox and far-right politicians, the goal of the nascent trucker convoy is to rally fascists and militia members to abolish the few remaining COVID mitigation measures and occupy Washington D.C. sometime in March.

Staff (2022-02-12). Thousands of protesters swarm Australian parliament (VIDEOS). rt.com The demonstrators, who have been in Canberra over a week, want an immediate end to Covid restrictions | Protesters gathered at Parliament House in the Australian capital, Canberra on Saturday, demanding an end to coronavirus measures. The demonstrators, who arrived by truck, car, and bus over the last week, had Video footage of the demonstration showed crowds of people streaming into the city and assembl…

teleSUR, jaa, MER (2022-02-12). OMS expone condición para que fase aguda de pandemia acabe este año. telesurtv.net La OMS subrayó que es una tarea global que se logre el objetivo de vacunar a cerca de tres cuartos de la población.

Richard Horton (2022-02-12). [Comment] Offline: Complacency threatens progress against COVID-19. thelancet.com Hans Kluge, WHO's Regional Director for Europe, has been reported as saying that European nations could soon be entering a "long period of tranquillity" as the pandemic abates. Pointing out that mortality from COVID-19 seemed to be plateauing, he suggested the continent was approaching a "plausible endgame" and an "enduring peace". As WHO's chief spokesperson for the 53 countries that make up his regional responsibility, Kluge was no doubt seeking to strike an optimistic and encouraging note. But it is disappointing that he took such a narrow geographical perspective about a global pandemic.

WSWS (2022-02-12). Modi blames losses from COVID-19 lockdown on Indian opposition parties. wsws.org By attacking lockdowns, Modi is trying to justify the policy of mass infection that his government is pursuing.

Cristina Mussini, Alessandro Cozzi-Lepri (2022-02-12). [Comment] Another piece in the COVID-19 treatment puzzle. thelancet.com A new study1 from the RECOVERY Collaborative Group adds another piece to the puzzle of severe COVID-19 therapy. The RECOVERY trials have been pivotal in providing evidence on the efficacy of compounds within current treatment guidelines for COVID-19, such as dexamethasone, tocilizumab, and the casirivimab and imdevimab combination.1—3 In previous randomised trials, these monoclonal antibodies4 were effective in preventing infection and clinical progression when given in the early phase of infection.

Joachim Hagopian (2022-02-12). Reaching COVID-19 "Turning Point of Critical Mass": Is Nuremberg 2 Next? London Metropolitan Police Criminal Investigation. globalresearch.ca Not only is Britain's largest police force actively involved in the probe, the Hammersmith Police alongside the ICC are working together in what's being called the world's largest international crime investigation.

ecns.cn (2022-02-12). Interview: UN refugee agency official says China's contribution helps alleviate dire situation in Afghanistan. ecns.cn The resources provided by China to Afghanistan are helping the internally displaced Afghans to weather the harsh winter and COVID-19 pandemic, while China's engagement in political levels would facilitate a long-term solution to the situation.

Editor (2022-02-12). °La solución a la desigualdad global es el socialismo! workers.org En todo el mundo, miles de millones de personas están sufriendo pérdidas increíbles como consecuencia de la incapacidad y la negativa del capitalismo a abordar seriamente la pandemia del COVID-19. Millones han perdido la vida o a sus seres queridos. Las familias se han quedado sin casa. Los trabajadores se . . . |

WSWS (2022-02-12). Under pressure from the White House and big business, Trudeau vows to do "whatever it takes" to end far-right Canada-US border blockades. wsws.org With the far-right Convoy having served as a bludgeon to ram through the ending of all anti-COVID-19 restrictions, powerful sections of Canadian and US big business now want quick action to shut it down.

RECOVERY Collaborative Group (2022-02-12). [Articles] Casirivimab and imdevimab in patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19 (RECOVERY): a randomised, controlled, open-label, platform trial. thelancet.com In patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19, the monoclonal antibody combination of casirivimab and imdevimab reduced 28-day mortality in patients who were seronegative (and therefore had not mounted their own humoral immune response) at baseline but not in those who were seropositive at baseline.

teleSUR, mcs, MER (2022-02-12). Francia anuncia nueva flexibilización de medidas contra Covid-19. telesurtv.net Los contactos de casos positivos a la Covid-19 solo deberán realizar un test de diagnóstico luego de dos días de ser confirmado el vínculo.

TASS (2022-02-12). Russia reports 203,766 new coronavirus cases in past day. tass.com A total of 18,597 people were hospitalized with the novel coronavirus in Russia in the past day…

Michael Hatrick (2022-02-11). COVID-19: Calls grow to release people from prison. greenleft.org.au Prisons in New South Wales are rife with COVID-19. Michael Hatrick reports activists are demanding the government follow its own laws and release prisoners to keep them safe.

WSWS (2022-02-11). White House leads charge by states to end masking. wsws.org In a campaign initiated by the Biden administration and coordinated by the White House, Democratic state governors are systematically dismantling all measures to save lives from the COVID-19 pandemic that has killed nearly 1 million Americans.

WSWS (2022-02-11). Germany: Omicron sweeping through workplaces. wsws.org A wave of the coronavirus Omicron variant is sweeping through workplaces and factories in Germany. Workers are paying a heavy price. The death toll from the virus in Germany is nearing 120,000.

_____ (2022-02-11). US Deaths Among Those Without Housing Are Surging. popularresistance.org The number of Americans dying while homeless has surged dramatically in the past five years, an exclusive analysis by the Guardian in conjunction with an academic expert at the University of Washington has shown. | An examination of 20 US urban areas found the number of deaths among people living without housing shot up by 77% in the five years ending in 2020. | The rise from 2016 through 2020 was driven by many factors, including ever-rising numbers of people living on the street and the growing dangers they face, such as violence, untreated disease and increasingly deadly illicit drug supplies. | From 65-year-o…

imperial.ac.uk (2022-02-11). E-mobility transition and DNA disease clues: News from the College. imperial.ac.uk Here's a batch of fresh news and announcements from across Imperial.

WSWS (2022-02-11). Hospital merger creates Michigan's largest chain and biggest employer. wsws.org The creation of a $12 billion company will be followed by intensified attacks on the jobs and working conditions of health care workers.

WSWS (2022-02-11). AFT President Randi Weingarten calls for "off-ramp" to end mask mandates in schools. wsws.org Weingarten's support for ending mask mandates in schools is part and parcel of the coordinated ruling class effort to end one of the few public health measures still in place to slow the spread of COVID-19.

WSWS (2022-02-11). Workers Struggles: Europe, Middle East & Africa. wsws.org French healthcare workers continue stoppages against low pay, workload and staff shortages; Greek dockers strike in port of Piraeus over collective agreement, face riot police; striking South African Clover food workers' indefinite strike continues into week 12 despite violent attacks on pickets, hospitalising three…

Staff (2022-02-11). Headlines for February 11, 2022. democracynow.org WaPo: Trump Took "Top Secret" Documents to Mar-a-Lago Resort, Anti-Vaccine Truckers Block Three Ports of Entry Along U.S.-Canada Border, Biden Urges U.S. Citizens to Leave Ukraine as Russia and NATO Continue Troop Buildup, Biden to Split $7B in Frozen Afghan Assets Between 9/11 Families and Humanitarian Relief, Pace of Civilian Killings in Yemen Has Doubled Since U.N. Disbanded Monitoring Group, Biden Admin Approves Billions in New Arms Deals to Middle East and Indonesia, At Least Six Killed in Mogadishu Blast, Heber López Becomes 5th Journalist to Be Killed in Mexico in 2022 , Historic Rights Trial B…

Internationalist 360 ∞ (2022-02-11). Cuban Music Duo Buena Fe Postpones Concert in Canada in Defense of Cuban Vaccines. libya360.wordpress.com With the government of Canada üá®üᶠrefusing to recognize Cuba's vaccines, Cuban music duo Buena Fe was asked to be vaccinated with shots recognized by Canada in order to play their concerts. Here was their response. Revolutionary Medicine: Cuba's Vaccine Journey Why are Nicaragua, Cuba and Venezuela Managing So Well in the Fight Against Covid-19?…

WSWS (2022-02-11). Hundreds of anti-vaccine mandate protesters rally at New Zealand parliament. wsws.org The small far-right rally, inspired by similar events in Canada and elsewhere, is being used by sections of the political and media establishment to shift official politics further to the right, and to justify policies that will lead to mass infection of the population with COVID-19.

IGD Worldwide (2022-02-11). An Anarchist Rejection of the Covid Culture War. itsgoingdown.org | Our latest contribution, submitted anonymously, is an anarchist analysis of the so-called "Covid Culture War" and a followup to
| At the beginning of the pandemic the state claimed masks were futile, but this was due to shortage and the government's refusal to regulate the free market to ease the pain of the pandemic. Once companies managed t…

Ann Brown (2022-02-11). Donald Trump: America Is 'Going To Hell' Fast With Inflation And Covid. moguldom.com Former President Donald Trump, who is already preparing for a potential presidential run in 2024, claims the U.S. is going to "hell" due to inflation and the covid-19 pandemic. Trump held his first major campaign rally of 2022 in Florence, Arizona, where he promised to "Make America Great Again, Again." The Jan. 15 Save America rally was …

Internationalist 360 ∞ (2022-02-11). Cuba Battles COVID, Defying 60-Year U.S. Blockade. libya360.wordpress.com Struggle — La Lucha Presentation by Sharon Black, writer for Struggle-La Lucha and national spokesperson of the Socialist Unity Party, at the Europe for Cuba online forum Feb. 9, 2022. End the U.S. blockade of Cuba It has been 60 years this month since U.S. President John Kennedy first proclaimed Executive Order 3447, prohibiting "the importation into…

Allen Forrest (2022-02-11). Lemmings Rush to the Proverbial Cliff. dissidentvoice.org Do talking heads know the science, just talk as if they know the science, or even worse know the science and lie about it? When every randomized control trial, the gold standard of science, finds no statistically significant protection from mask wearing compared to no masking, one ought to ask why the mask mandates and why the compliance of so many people. See Dennis Rancourt's "Masks Don't Work: A review of science relevant to COVID-19 social policy."

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