WSWS (2022-03-07). COVID deaths hit 6 million worldwide as Omicron mutation devastates Hong Kong. wsws.org The sudden crisis in Hong Kong, previously protected under China's Zero COVID policy, is among the worst in the world since the pandemic began.

Our Reporter (2022-03-07). First Pharmacy, Ecopharm finally vacate Mulago hospital after Health Ministry directive. plusnews.ug Two private pharmacies that have been operating in Mulago National Referral hospital have been evicted following a directive by Health Minister, Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng to the National Drug Authority (NDA). On Friday, the Health Minister directed NDA to close all private facilities operating within public health facilities. Abiaz Rwamiri, the NDA Public Relations Officer, …

teleSUR (2022-03-07). Venezuela Gets 69 Tons of Drugs & Medical Equipment From China. telesurenglish.net On Saturday, Venezuela's Health Ministry received a 69-ton shipment of drugs and equipment for surgery and medical protection from the Chinese government. | RELATED: | "This shipment will allow health personnel to enhance its care for COVID-19 and other chronic non-communicable diseases patients," Venezuelan Institute of Social Security President Magaly Gutierrez stated. | In 2020, the Bolivarian government opened an air…

Staff (2022-03-07). Drought sparks famine fears in Zimbabwe. en.mehrnews.com Farmer groups have warned of foods shortages in Zimbabwe owing to the prolonged dry spell currently being experienced in the country.

Antonio C.S. Rosa (2022-03-07). Ukrainian Refugees to Portugal Will Have Over 11,500 Jobs to Choose from. transcend.org 4 Mar 2022 – As the government announced earlier this week, bureaucratic details like temporary residence authorisation/social security, fiscal and SNS State health Service numbers, will all be fast-tracked to make this transition for new arrivals as simple as possible.

teleSUR (2022-03-07). Wang Urges Bringing China-U.S. Relations Back On Right Track. telesurenglish.net On Monday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged the United States to return its China policy to the right track guided by reason and pragmatism, and bring bilateral relations back on the right path of healthy and stable development. | RELATED: | The U.S. must replace the "competitive-collaborative-adversarial" trichotomy with the three principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation, he…

WSWS (2022-03-07). COVID cases explode in South Korea ahead of presidential election. wsws.org The presidential candidates have largely refused to acknowledge the pandemic as a major health crisis looms.

Fight Back (2022-03-07). Twin Cities takes to the streets for International Women's Day. fightbacknews.org Minneapolis, MN – Around 60 people gathered in Mayday Plaza on Sunday, March 6, for an International Women's Day protest organized by the Twin Cities district of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization. Demands for reproductive rights and healthcare for all, justice for missing and murdered indigenous women and two-spirit people, an end to gender-based violence, queer and trans liberation, and justice for all stolen lives were raised. The demonstrators also stood in solidarity with Twin Cities educators preparing to strike, signs reading "Victory to the educators!" dotted the crowd gathered in the square, and sim…

Fight Back (2022-03-07). Leninism: The Marxism of the current era. fightbacknews.org So far in our series on theory, we've looked at the historical emergence of Marxism. But by the time Marx finished writing Capital, capitalism was still developing and changing. The fundamental characteristics of the capitalist mode of production haven't changed. Commodity production and exploitation of workers' surplus value by the capitalists remain the driving force of the capitalist system. And it remains a system plagued by regular cycles of crises of overproduction, pushing poor and working-class people further down while the rich get richer and richer. But by the beginning of the 20th century the internal…

Antonio C.S. Rosa (2022-03-07). COVID World Data -Total: 446,7M -Dead: 6M -Death Rate: 0.01%. transcend.org On 7 Mar 2022 (6am GMT): | Total Cases: 446,721,728 | Deaths: 6,020,582 | Active: 60,831,275 | Recovered: 379,869,871 | Cases Closed: 385,890,453 | Total Vaccinated: 4,976,030,953…

Ediz Tiyansan (2022-03-07). Traffic fatalities surge during COVID-19. america.cgtn.com An estimated 39,000 deaths were reported on roadways across the United States in 2020, the highest since 2007, even though pandemic precautions dramatically reduced driving. Fatalities are disproportionately higher in underserved cities and neighborhoods with majority Black and Latino residents. CGTN's Ediz Tiyansan has spoken to community activists who're …

WSWS (2022-03-07). COVID-19 infection rates and deaths on the rise in Germany. wsws.org Although war propaganda has shouldered the pandemic out of the news, the coronavirus is still running rampant in Germany and worldwide.

Rick Rozoff (2022-03-06). Estonia: NATO brings Ukraine into cyber warfare center. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com ERR NewsMarch 5, 2022 NATO CCDCOE votes unanimously on Ukraine Contributing Participant status The Tallinn-based NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence (CCDCOE) has voted unanimously to Ukraine's accession to the organization, as a Contributing Participant. CCDCOE director Col. Jaak Tarien said: "Ukraine's presence in the Centre will enhance the exchange of cyber expertise, between …

ecns.cn (2022-03-06). Hong Kong taxi drivers join COVID-19 battle. ecns.cn Masks, gloves, disinfectants … after making sure he has enough anti-epidemic supplies in the trunk, Stephen Sha skillfully put on a blue protective suit, got into the driver's cab and took out a rapid self-test kit for COVID-19.

_____ (2022-03-06). Educators In St. Paul And Minneapolis May Go On Strike Soon — Here's Why. popularresistance.org In a Feb. 24 announcement, teachers with the Saint Paul Federation of Educators (SPFE) and the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers (MFT), which includes both teachers and Education Support Professionals, announced an intent to strike. Filed with the state of Minnesota's Bureau of Mediation, the intent to strike was authorized by the board in a vote counted Feb. 17 and provides a legally-mandated, 10-day warning to the school districts about a possible strike. | The demands from both unions to their districts have been similar. They are asking for limits on class sizes, wage increases, and better mental health supp…

Staff (2022-03-06). Total vaccine jabs in Iran hit 142.8mn. en.mehrnews.com According to the Iranian Health Ministry on Sunday, the total number of vaccines injected into Iranian people has reached 142,884,337.

ecns.cn (2022-03-06). Nearly 4.5 million more COVID-19 vaccine doses administered on Chinese mainland. ecns.cn The number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered on the Chinese mainland grew by around 4.48 million from the previous day on Saturday, with the total number reaching nearly 3.157 billion, data from the National Health Commission showed Sunday.

ecns.cn (2022-03-06). (Two Sessions Voice) Extra booster shots require further study: medical expert. ecns.cn Whether we still need a fourth or fifth vaccine dose after a booster shot is a matter of science and takes time to decide. If antibody levels in our bodies drop after vaccination, it is necessary to get a booster shot.

ecns.cn (2022-03-06). (Two Sessions Voice) Vaccination helps reduce COVID-19 transmission rate: medical expert. ecns.cn The most vulnerable populations are the elderly and those with underlying medical conditions. For individuals, vaccination helps prevent severe symptoms and death. And for the general public, it helps build herd immunity. Even if the virus is still spreading, the transmission rate will decline.

_____ (2022-03-06). Putin, Lenin, Imperialism And The (Real) History Of Ukraine. popularresistance.org The people of this country suffer, I've always thought, from a general ignorance of history. This is because with vast oceans for borders, and ever-friendly neighbors, and no experience of being invaded, living in a country that has always urged assimilation including the acceptance of "American exceptionalism," schooled through an educational system that avoids teaching U.S. history with any degree of credibility so as not to upset anybody, they've never been encouraged to think critically about the past. To ask questions. To raise objections—not necessarily about what happened, but about how to interpret…

Staff (2022-03-06). EU comments on warplanes for Kiev. rt.com Ukraine insists it needs jet fighters to repel the Russian attack | European Council President Charles Michel has said that the bloc's military aid to Ukraine will not include jet fighters, which Kiev has insisted it badly needs to fend off the ongoing Russian invasion. | "The European Union is definitely not at war with Russia. A war is what Russia has launched against Ukraine, a country very friendly and very close to the EU. That is why we support Ukraine on all levels," Michel said in an interview with several European newspapers on Saturday. | The chief of the EU's top political body confirmed that the EU…

sputniknews (2022-03-06). Indian Government Recommends Permission for Phase 3 Trial of Sputnik Light Vaccine as Booster Dose. sputniknews.com Last month, the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) granted emergency use permission for the single-dose 'Sputnik Light' COVID vaccine in the country. A study has revealed that the coronavirus vaccine Sputnik Light is expected to provide a high level of protection against severe disease and hospitalisation in the face of the Omicron strain.

Staff (2022-03-06). Total vaccine jabs in Iran hit 142.8mn. en.mehrnews.com According to the Iranian Health Ministry on Sunday, the total number of vaccines injected into Iranian people has reached 142,884,337.

TASS (2022-03-06). Russia's COVID-19 case tally grows by 79,863, a new low since January 26 — crisis center. tass.com The country recorded 744 deaths and 149,060 recoveries over the past 24 hours…

Staff (2022-03-06). EU comments on warplanes for Kiev. rt.com Ukraine insists it needs jet fighters to repel the Russian attack | European Council President Charles Michel has said that the bloc's military aid to Ukraine will not include jet fighters, which Kiev has insisted it badly needs to fend off the ongoing Russian invasion. | "The European Union is definitely not at war with Russia. A war is what Russia has launched against Ukraine, a country very friendly and very close to the EU. That is why we support Ukraine on all levels," Michel said in an interview with several European newspapers on Saturday. | The chief of the EU's top political body confirmed that the EU…

Mosoka P Fallah, Eric Reinhart (2022-03-05). [Perspectives] Apartheid logic in global health. thelancet.com "All my friends were dead by then and I knew I was dying too. The doctors said less than a year. But they started me on the new drugs anyway. That was 1989…y ahora, I'm still here with my twelve cats——los doce discípulos, I call them, because they follow me everywhere", Manuel laughs and leans in as if to tell a secret, "even though they say I'm not supposed to have them because they can make people with HIV sick". Manuel spoke these words in Chicago, USA, in 2014, a quarter of a century after he was expected to have died.

WSWS (2022-03-05). COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness is rapidly waning in children. wsws.org Evidence from the CDC and New York state demonstrates that vaccine effectiveness for children has dropped considerably during the Omicron surge, underscoring the dangers posed by the Biden plan to ensure schools will remain open for in-person classes.

Dennis Thomas, Peter G Gibson (2022-03-05). [Comment] Gefapixant for chronic cough. thelancet.com Chronic cough is responsible for a decrease in quality of life. Chronic cough affects approximately 5—10% of the global population1,2 and might be complicated by incontinence, cough syncope, and dysphonia, leading to social embarrassment and subsequent social isolation and depression or anxiety.3,4 In some people, cough is associated with a treatable underlying disease such as allergic rhinitis, asthma, or gastro-oesophageal reflux disease. Many of these individuals might respond to treatments targeting the primary cause.

Terra Manca, Franàßoise Baylis, Flor M Munoz, Karina A Top (2022-03-05). [Comment] Prioritise research on vaccines for pregnant and breastfeeding women. thelancet.com Pregnant women, their fetuses, and infants are at increased risk of severe disease and death from many vaccine-preventable diseases, including COVID-19.1,2 However, they are typically excluded from pre-implementation vaccine research aimed at generating robust data in support of evidence-informed decision making. This was initially the case with COVID-19 vaccines. In 2019, the PREVENT Working Group published 22 recommendations on how to include pregnant and breastfeeding women in vaccine research and implementation for emerging infections.

_____ (2022-03-05). Guatemalan Water Defenders Celebrate Ten Years Of Resistance. popularresistance.org In Central America, as in many other parts of the world today, communities are being thrust into life and death struggles up against powerful interests to ensure clean water and health for their future generations. This is often the case where mining companies seek to dig up gold, silver, iron ore or other metals and minerals, disrupting or destroying precious water supplies in the process, and leaving behind massive quantities of toxic waste on the land. | With national and international laws designed to privilege such harmful activities in the name of so-called development and progress, it is vital to celebrate…

ecns.cn (2022-03-05). Chinese mainland reports 102 new local COVID-19 cases. ecns.cn The Chinese mainland on Friday reported 102 locally transmitted COVID-19 cases, the National Health Commission said Saturday.

Saleyha Ahsan (2022-03-05). [World Report] Ukrainian health workers respond to war. thelancet.com Ukraine's civilian health workers are having to postpone usual care and focus instead on treating casualties following Russia's invasion. Salehya Ahsan reports.

WSWS (2022-03-05). New Zealand court bans strike by 10,000 health workers. wsws.org The decision to ban the health workers' strike points to the increasingly anti-democratic measures being used against the working class, as COVID spreads out of control and the cost of living soars.

WSWS (2022-03-05). Turkey ends remaining pandemic measures as over 200 die every day. wsws.org This ending of public health measures is based not on science and protecting the health of the population but on the profit interests of the ruling capitalist class.

Sophie Cousins (2022-03-05). [World Report] International Women's Day: dismay at alcohol and arms ties. thelancet.com Health advocates are concerned at the corporate capture of International Women's Day, with the alcohol industry and arms manufacturers backing a popular website. Sophie Cousins reports.

Richard Horton (2022-03-05). [Comment] Offline: Ukraine and the lessons of Alexander Herzen. thelancet.com A pandemic. And now war. A war, the UK's Ukraine Ambassador wrote last week "on the whole of the civilised world". The burden of war falls mostly on women and children. 10 million children younger than 5 years died in conflicts between 1995 and 2015. Women and children will now be dying from preventable causes in Ukraine. The health and humanitarian crisis afflicting Ukraine has received far too little attention. Consider those forcibly displaced. Although hard to predict, as many as 5 million people, up to three-quarters of whom will be women and children, are likely to become refugees.

Udani Samarasekera (2022-03-05). [Perspectives] Sally Grantham-McGregor: pioneer in early childhood development. thelancet.com "I can still be horrified by the poverty in the world and how it affects children's development", says Sally Grantham-McGregor, Emeritus Professor of International Child Health at University College London (UCL), UK, and the doyenne of early childhood development (ECD). In pioneering work in Jamaica, she developed a low-cost early childhood intervention and showed that it can have long-term benefits for children. Now called Reach Up, it has been implemented in 16 countries, with several, including China and Peru, rolling it out as a national programme.

ecns.cn (2022-03-05). NPC deputy suggests boosting vaccine circulation in Greater Bay Area. ecns.cn Vaccines in Hong Kong and Macao should be distributed in accordance with those on the Chinese mainland, lifting barriers across the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), Cai Weiping, a deputy to the National People's Congress (NPC), said in Beijing on Saturday.

Newsclick (2022-03-05). COVID-19 : Science and the quest towards a universal SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. peoplesdispatch.org The complex and evolving patterns of viral infections make the quest for a universal vaccine difficult. In this episode, professor Satyajit Rath explains the scientific concepts pertaining to viral infections and the mechanisms of vaccines against them. He gives a historical perspective on the continuous efforts being made by scientists to develop universal vaccines for various infections, including SARS-CoV-2.

WSWS (2022-03-05). Educators and students on the US West Coast denounce the drive to war with Russia and lifting of COVID-19 mitigation measures. wsws.org Teachers and students in California, Washington, and Hawaii denounced both the drive to war and its use to draw attention away from the catastrophe of the COVID-19 pandemic which continues to kill thousands daily in the US.

Sandipan Talukdar (2022-03-05). 'Recovery Trial' finds anti-arthritis drug reduces severe COVID-19 mortality. peoplesdispatch.org The trial found that Baricitinib reduces the mortality of hospitalized patients by 13%. Baricitinib inhibits the enzymes of a specific family of enzyme called the Janus Kinase (JAK) family…

Fight Back (2022-03-05). Milwaukee: First Starbucks in Wisconsin files for union election. fightbacknews.org Oak Creek, WI – On February 17, over 50 people gathered in front of Starbucks in Oak Creek, a suburb of Milwaukee, for an announcement that the workers at that location filed for a union election. Shortly after, it was announced that an additional Wisconsin Starbucks filed for a union election, this one in the tiny community of Plover. The election filing is one of at least 100 across the country where Starbucks workers demanded a union at their workplace. Except for the first few weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic, Starbucks workers have worked through it all. | The workers at Starbucks are beset on all sides. While…

sputniknews (2022-03-05). Two Months On: What's Happening With Met Police Probe Into 'Partygate' Scandal? sputniknews.com In late January, London's Metropolitan Police announced a criminal investigation into allegations of parties in Downing Street during COVID lockdowns between 2020 and 2021. The investigation came after the police received evidence from a separate inquiry on the alleged parties, conducted by senior civil servant Sue Gray.

Mohamad Zreik (2022-03-05). Daniel H. Rosen's Argument Revisited on Post-Covid China. moderndiplomacy.eu According to Daniel H. Rosen's article "Xi Is Running Out of Time: China's Economy Heads for a Hard Landing," China's economy is on the verge of a "hard landing" and the Chinese Communist Party is in danger of losing its power. Some people are worried that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has missed an opportunity …

teleSUR, mcs, SH (2022-03-05). Capital mexicana levantará todas las restricciones anticovid. telesurtv.net La medida se establece puesto que desde el pasado mes la capital registra una caída en los números de casos positivos y fallecidos por la pandemia.